Chapter 6
When Caitlin opened her eyes, she realized she was in a hospital bed.
She hadn’t died. That old building was only four floors tall, and the awning below softened her fall.
Still, three of her ribs were broken, and every breath felt like stabbing pain.
“Honey, you’re finally awake!”
Xander rushed in, looking exhausted like he hadn’t rested in days. “Now Eleanor can relax a bit. You have no idea how guilty she felt. She was so shaken up that she barely ate.”
So, he’d been with Eleanor the whole time.
Caitlin pulled her hand away and said sarcastically, “With you fussing over her, she’s bound to live forever.”
Xander froze, then his expression darkened.
“Do you have to be like this? Eleanor works under me, and she’s all alone. I should look after her. If it weren’t for your drama, none of this would’ve happened to her.”
Once again, everything was somehow her fault.
Caitlin just shut her eyes, too tired to argue.
Right then, Eleanor called. “Xander, where are you? I’m scared of being here alone.”
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“Hang in there. I’ll be right back!”
Xander quickly stood up. Then, he seemed to think of something and sighed. “Caitlin, you’ve got me and the best doctors around. Eleanor has nothing. Don’t keep picking fights with her.”
He walked out without another glance.
But the truth was that she had already lost him.
Xander didn’t visit her at all after that, but she didn’t care anymore.
She just focused on healing, followed the doctor’s orders, and got better little by little.
But on the day she was finally discharged, trouble hit the company.
Caitlin was called into a meeting. It turned out that Eleanor had leaked a partner’s confidential information. The board all asked Xander to fire her.
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“I swear I didn’t mean to,” Eleanor sobbed, eyes red,
But no one felt sorry for her. The accusations kept piling up, louder and harsher by the minute.
“That’s enough!”
Xander said coldly, “I believe it was an accident. I’ve decided to give Eleanor 20% of my shares. She’s a shareholder now, not an employee. No. one can fire her.”
Caitlin sat there in shock.
She had spent ten years fighting side by side with him to get 20% shares, but Eleanor got 20% effortlessly in less than a month.
He used to say control of the company would always stay between the two
of them.
But to protect Eleanor, he didn’t hesitate to break that promise.
It was just like their marriage.
What was once only hers had now been passed to someone else. And maybe Eleanor mattered more than she ever did.
Caitlin lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly. She clutched her hands as she hid the pain.
With Xander shielding Eleanor, the board couldn’t do anything.
The shareholders soon left, clearly unhappy. Just as Caitlin got up to leave, two officers entered the room.
“Excuse us, we’ve got a report about stolen trade secrets. Is Eleanor here?”
The scene instantly froze.
Eleanor immediately ducked behind Xander and motioned for help.
He was quiet for a long moment and finally said, “It wasn’t her.”
Everyone turned to look.
Then, he added, “We already did an internal check. The one behind it is…
Caitlin.”
When he pointed straight at Caitlin, time seemed to stop.
“What did you just say?” Caitlin’s voice shook as her eyes widened in disbelief. “Say that again. Who did it?”
Xander walked up and took her hand gently.
He spoke softly, “If Eleanor gets a criminal record, she’ll be done for in
Chapter
this field. But you’ve still got me. I’ll take care of you forever.
“Trust me. I’ll get you out of this soon.
Then, he turned to the cops and selflessly handed over a USB drive.
“Here’s the evidence we collected. It proves Caitlin is the one who leaked the info.”
He’d even faked the evidence. She had no way out.
Caitlin felt like ice was creeping through her veins.
She broke free from his grip, and tears welled in her eyes.
He once proposed to her in front of a crowd, promising to take care of her forever.
Now, she finally understood what he meant.
She felt like the biggest fool in the world.
