In the CEO's office, Zayne summoned Killian to question her about stealing Elise's flash drive.
Killian stood before Zayne, unable to utter a single word. Her scalp prickled as the fear of the unknown loomed ahead, making her shudder.
"Can you tell me why you did this?" Zayne projected the surveillance footage onto the screen. Seeing Killian's pale face, he felt a pang of reluctance.
Seeing her hesitation, Zayne added, "You know this is a crime, right?"
He knew she must have some leverage held over her by Mylee and her group to make her do something so extreme.
But if Killian didn't come clean on her own, forgiveness wasn't an option.
"I..." Killian pressed her lips together, trembling as she replied, "Mylee was my senior. She helped me a lot in school, and she asked me to do this. I didn't know it would be this serious, I swear…"
Her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white and started to ache. She hadn't imagined that just helping someone out by swiping a flash drive could constitute a crime.
Fear grew within her, terror that her future would be shadowed by this. But she'd already crossed the line—there was no turning back.
Waiting for her fate felt like awaiting a sentence. Her mind went blank as she lowered her head, too frightened to say another word.
However, Zayne's response was not what she expected.
Zayne sighed and turned off the screen. "Since this is your first offense, I'll forgive you this time. But you need to apologize to Elise. From what I know, you even spilled a drink on her, right? That kind of stunt is clearly a warning tactic you picked up from Mylee. I don't want to see you use it on anyone else. If you're willing to turn over a new leaf, I can give you another chance."
Though he couldn't deny feeling upset, he believed she was young and easily swayed. If she was willing to change, he could find it in himself to forgive her.
After all, her actions weren't unforgivable.
"Sir, you'd really forgive me?" Killian's eyes widened in surprise, as if the answer was too good to be true.
Zayne nodded, gesturing for her to leave. "If Elise is willing to forgive you."
Killian understood immediately. She nodded fervently, opened the door, and walked out of the CEO's office, ready to find Elise.
At that moment, Elise was typing up a new game script on her computer when she looked up, surprised to see Killian standing there unexpectedly.
Killian appeared remorseful, as if there was something she desperately wanted to say.
"What's up?" Elise paused, pretending not to know why Killian was there.
"Elise, I'm so sorry. I never should have agreed to Mylee's plan to set you up. She's my senior, and she's helped me a lot. Plus, she promised that if I helped, she'd introduce me to Timetech for a screenwriting job. I… I really am sorry. I didn't mean to dump that drink on you, either…" Killian bowed deeply, genuinely apologetic.
"If you work hard, you could have a great future here. But doing things like this… if word got out, the only one who'd end up hurt is you, not Mylee." Elise advised her gently, "I understand you have dreams, but those dreams shouldn't be built on hurting others. Do you get that?"
Elise wasn't so much angry as she was exasperated. Killian was too naive, actually believing Mylee's lies. Engaging in such deceit wouldn't lead to success; it would only make her a pariah, someone everyone would despise.
It was clear Mylee's manipulative nature knew no bounds—even targeting her own junior.
"I understand… I really am sorry…" Killian didn't dare look up, afraid her apology might seem insincere.
She was visibly anxious. If Elise refused to accept her apology, she honestly didn't know what she'd do.
"It's alright. I assume Zayne sent you to apologize? Since he did, I'll forgive you. But remember, never do anything that would harm the company again, no matter how close you are to someone. Even if I gave you an order, you should never betray the company for it. Do you understand? In this industry, that's a huge no-no. One mistake could mean you'd never get back to screenwriting, or any job for that matter, because management could doubt your work ethic." Elise gave her a long-winded lecture but ultimately chose to forgive.
In her mind, if Zayne was willing to forgive Killian, she didn't need to be harsh. She would respect Zayne's decision.
"Thank you, Elise! I understand!" Killian raised her head, her gratitude shining through.
Thankfully, everything was still salvageable, and no real damage had been done. The fear in Killian's heart finally eased.
She silently vowed to never act recklessly again and to treat H Corporation as her home, never doing anything that would harm it.
They believed she could improve and were willing to give her a second chance. She couldn't let them—or herself—down.
------
At that same moment, over at H Technology, Braden stood in the CEO's office, head bowed, holding an envelope with both hands as he presented his resignation.
Gunnar's smile was faint. "Are you really leaving?"
Braden raised his head, his gaze steady and resolute. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but it's been ten years. I feel our values just aren't the same anymore, and it's time for me to move on."
Gunnar didn't take the resignation letter, instead asking him, "Do you think any other place will offer you a lead developer position after leaving H Technology? If it weren't for H Technology, would you be where you are today?"
"H Technology has indeed given me a lot, but I'm not who I was back then. If your values are all about playing favorites, disregarding right and wrong, then I don't need to prove my worth here, do I?" Braden looked up, leaving nothing of his thoughts unsaid.
Gunnar's gaze sharpened. "You..."
"Thank you, but I still wish H Technology the best for a bright future." Braden, unconcerned about his own feelings, firmly decided to walk away.
He placed his resignation letter on the desk, then opened the door and left the chairman's office.
As the door closed behind him, Braden glanced back at the sign on the office door—this was the chairman he'd worked with for ten years. Over time, the grounded persona had given way to schemes and a mind wrapped in cunning.
Braden understood that working at H Technology had taught him a lot. It wasn't just about working with colleagues or creating a game from concept sketches to design, weaving a storyline, testing, and finally launching. Each step was a collective effort from everyone at the company. Now, he was about to leave it all behind.
Maybe this was just how life went; things couldn't always stay perfect, and people changed.
Braden didn't have much left at the company, so he packed everything into his briefcase. As he reached the lobby on the ground floor, he ran into Mylee.
She looked furious, and it was clear that anger was directed at him.
He pretended not to see her, only wanting to get away from the cZaynes of H Technology.
Mylee clenched her fists and called after him, "You're just going to leave? Just abandon H Technology like that?"
"It was you all who forced me to make a choice, wasn't it? What's the point of staying in a place with no unity? If that's the case, it's better to leave now while there's still some good memories left." Braden couldn't resist responding to her.
Mylee gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with anger. "One day, you're going to regret this!"
Braden gave a mocking smile. "My biggest regret was meeting you."
She looked like she wanted to say something more, but Braden was done. He brushed past her, deciding from that moment to treat her as a stranger—no connection, no interference.
That night, Braden and Elise had dinner together at home, chatting casually. It was such a simple, everyday thing, yet it felt like they hadn't shared a moment like this in a long time.
Today marked Baden's first day free from H Technology. To him, it was a sort of rebirth. At least now he didn't have to worry about those people messing with Elise or filling her head with doubts about their relationship.
And now that there was a baby on the way, she couldn't escape him even if she wanted to.
"I can't believe you actually left H Technology…" Elise leaned her head on his shoulder, still in disbelief over everything that had happened.
Braden wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his voice gentle. "It's for the best. Weren't you hoping I'd leave H Technology? Now that I'm out, you can't find another reason to say you want to leave me."
"You really know how to hold a grudge…" She hooked her arm around his and laughed softly. "I could never leave you."
"It's been a while since I've heard you say something like that," he said, clearly pleased with her response.
Elise sighed. "But with you gone, the screenwriter for our collaboration project at H Technology will still be Tyree, right?"
Braden thought about it and replied, "Most likely. My position will probably be filled by Antwan."
"Antwan? Who's that?" Elise racked her brain, and after a few minutes, she was certain she'd never heard that name before.
"Doesn't your company have a female composer named Hannah? She's his sister—they're siblings." Braden specifically pulled up an old group photo taken at H Technology, pointing to where Antwan was standing.
"So, this is Antwan? But I actually don't know Hannah that well…" Elise laughed awkwardly. Even though they worked in the same company, there were still colleagues she barely knew.
"It doesn't matter what happens to H Technology. All I care about is that you stay by my side." Braden couldn't care less who would take over his position there.
For him, the only things that mattered now were his marriage to Elise and their child. Everything else was irrelevant.
After all the twists and turns—reuniting, dating, breaking up, reconciling, and then marrying—they were now preparing to welcome new life into the world. He was already looking forward to life with a child.
In a soft voice, Elise murmured, "I hope that after the baby is born, we can have our wedding in a church."
Braden nodded. "Sure."
Elise's face lit up as another thought struck her. "And as for bridesmaids, I'm thinking Evelyn and Ruth. Let's keep it simple."
Once again, Braden replied simply, "Alright."
Elise pouted, her red lips pursing slightly. "Is that all?"
Braden gently brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Everything you say sounds good to me. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."
"The groom is so sweet." Elise beamed, nestling into his arms, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat just for her.
Braden smiled in silence, gently stroking her head, feeling a deep, genuine happiness fill his heart.
He knew that his happiness was her, and her happiness…was him.
Two hearts that had weathered so much were now bound together, inseparable at last.
