The next day at the office, Elise brought the footage from the hidden camera to the chairman's office to discuss the issue with Zayne.
Zayne sat at his desk, deep in thought, wondering why Killian would go to such lengths to harm the company. After all, this was a joint project with his friend Gunnar. If anything went wrong, how would he explain it to him?
Standing in front of Zayne, Elise debated whether to reveal Baden's suspicions that Mylee and Tyree were the real masterminds. But she worried that Zayne might think she was just speaking ill of them.
After all, no matter how manipulative Mylee was, she was still Gunnar's niece.
Elise felt that if she spoke up, it might damage the relationship between the two sides, and she didn't want Zayne to see her as someone who gossiped about others.
"I'll think about how to handle the flash drive situation." Zayne looked at the footage thoughtfully. "But do you have anyone in mind as the mastermind?"
"No," Elise lied, choosing not to put Zayne in a position where he'd have to choose between friends and the company.
"Honestly, you didn't have to tell me; I already know it could only be Mylee," Zayne replied, seeing through everything. "Even before your flash drive was stolen, Mylee and Tyree had already started slipping up."
Elise looked confused, her eyes wide open. "Slip up? You mean…?"
"Ah, well, I might as well tell you now," he sighed. "Actually, in every meeting, I secretly plant a listening device to prevent issues with the partnership deals—but without it, I'd have no proof if something went wrong." Zayne chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Gunnar and I are friends, but we've hit a bit of a rough patch with this project. He wants Braden to create a new milestone for the company, which would elevate his position. But since Braden didn't end up becoming family, Gunnar decided to bring him down a notch. So, he brought in Tyree to stir things up internally. It's such a pointless game."
"But wouldn't that also damage the company's reputation? If Gunnar really wants Braden gone, couldn't he just let him go?"
"Gunnar wants to make sure Braden can't recover from this. Ruining someone is more about leaving them no chance to get back on their feet."
"So the reason you didn't agree to kick Tyree out of this project was because you were setting up a plan? Were you looking for stronger evidence?"
"Exactly. You always need to be fully prepared." Zayne sighed. "But it also made me realize that Gunnar and I just can't be friends anymore…"
Elise shook her head, her lashes lowering. "I'm more worried about what will happen to the game we're working on together. Switching a game designer halfway is really risky…"
"Don't worry about that—focus on yourself. Jakob's been with us for ten years; he can handle it." Zayne gave her a reassuring smile. "The way I see it, you finally have your own family, and as your boss, I'm genuinely happy you've found that. When people feel good, enjoy what they do, and get to use their strengths, it's a win for everyone. So trust me, I'm on your side."
Elise looked up, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Zayne. I promise you, no matter what happens, I'll stay committed to the company. It's an honor to be here."
"Silly girl. I'll handle this, so don't worry about it. Leave the rest to me."
"Thanks, Zayne."
Leaving the chairman's office, Elise breathed a sigh of relief. She'd thought that talking about this and finding a solution would be challenging, but Zayne was already one step ahead. Now, all her previous worries could finally be set aside.
Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Who would have thought that an old friend could turn into a two-faced person with hidden motives?
Zayne looked unfazed on the outside, but he probably wasn't feeling much better on the inside.
Evelyn and Jakob were already waiting for her in the conference room; in the past, they would discuss anything that happened in there.
But now… they'd have to be careful about saying anything negative about Zayne, just in case he overheard.
"A perfectly good collaboration project, and it's full of strange twists. Talk about a femme fatale," Evelyn couldn't resist teasing.
"I'm neither a femme nor fatal!" Elise protested, refusing to take the blame.
Evelyn just laughed in response, unable to hold back her amusement.
"But doesn't this end up hurting you…" Elise glanced at Jakob, who had remained silent.
With Braden leaving H Technology, someone else would inevitably take his place, and the collaboration would pass to new hands, indirectly affecting Jakob.
The direction of the collaboration, or even the game itself, would likely change—and not in minor ways.
Jakob smiled and replied, "It's fine. Cases like this happen all the time. Plenty of people back out of projects due to differing visions. I'm more curious who H Technology will bring in to replace him."
Evelyn teased him, "If this wasn't Zayne's project, I'd say you should quit too—go down together."
"Of course, I'll see it through. This project is Zayne's passion, after all," Jakob chuckled, adding notes to the sheet music.
"Shouldn't a music lover find someone who understands music too, you know, to be a match?" Evelyn hinted, her tone suggestive.
"Huh?" Jakob genuinely didn't catch her drift.
"She means… it's like how I love to eat, so I'd go with my sister-in-law for food. Same idea, haha…" Elise winked, urging Evelyn to follow her lead.
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I meant," Evelyn agreed, playing along. Elise played along perfectly. "Yep."
"Did Zayne say what he plans to do?" Jakob suddenly realized there hadn't been an official word on the matter.
Elise explained, "Zayne said he'll handle it himself and told me not to worry. I trust he'll find a good solution, but it's a shame—Killian probably won't get another chance after this. With what happened before… I just… don't feel comfortable getting too close to her."
"Well, she brought it on herself, so no need to feel sorry for her!" Evelyn said, settling into her chair and starting up one of the company's mobile games.
Elise shook her head with a sigh, "It still feels like such a waste."
Jakob had a different perspective. "All good things come to an end. Who knows? One day, the three of us might go our separate ways, and no one will be left here."
"Oh my god, have you secretly wanted to leave all along? I would never have guessed!" Evelyn seized on the underlying message.
Jakob put down his pen, rubbing his eyes. "Of course not. I've been here almost ten years—how could I just up and leave? No matter what, there's still a bond here."
"I hope so too. Good coworkers are hard to come by." Elise's smile reached her eyes, though a sense of melancholy lingered in her heart.
She felt sorrow for how Zayne and Gunnar, friends for over twenty years, had grown distant over conflicting interests.
Looking at Jakob and Evelyn, she silently wished the three of them could continue working here together without any disruptions.
