There was a faint smile on Elena’s face. For the first time that morning, some of the heaviness in her chest eased.
Elias had told her that he couldn’t interfere with the investigation. He had to remain impartial. But that didn’t mean he had abandoned her.
He was helping her quietly, behind the scenes.
He had personally spoken to Marcus and instructed him to investigate every possibility rather than simply accepting the evidence against her.
That small gesture was enough for her.
She knew Elias.
If he truly believed she had betrayed him, he would have stood on the other side of the investigation. Instead, he was giving her a chance to prove herself.
His trust was the one thing she needed most.
No matter how frightening the situation became, knowing that Elias was secretly standing behind her gave her the strength to fight.
"Go and find out who it is," Elena said.
"I will."
Once Marcus left the office, Elena’s expression hardened. She picked up her phone and called someone.
"Listen carefully," she said in a grave tone as soon as the call connected. "I need the surveillance footage from the penthouse from three nights ago."
"The system is a little slow today, ma’am," a regretful voice replied. "We are trying to fix it."
"What?" Her patience nearly snapped.
The meeting would start in an hour. If she couldn’t produce proof that she had been at the penthouse, the accusations against her would become almost impossible to fight.
She could be removed from the project. Worse, she could lose her position at the company.
"Why now? What is wrong with the system? I need the footage urgently."
"Sorry, madam. We are trying. It shouldn’t take long. As soon as the system is restored, I’ll send the footage to you."
"Fine, fine." She waved in frustration. "Fix it quickly."
~~~~~~~~~~
The meeting room erupted into chaos as soon as Marcus presented his findings.
"It was her. It was clearly her from the beginning," an executive grumbled. "But she pretended to be innocent."
"She fooled all of us," another voice roared. "She acted so righteous, but she was hiding her true colors."
"She has been exposed. Why is she still here?"
"Yes, we don’t need someone like her. Throw her out."
The angry voices grew louder and louder.
Elias sat at the head of the table, his expression dark. He felt helpless.
In a situation like this, there was very little he could do to help Elena without making the situation worse.
He glanced at her.
She was sitting quietly, checking something on her phone.
His fists tightened unconsciously.
’What is she looking at?’ he muttered inwardly.
The entire room had turned against her, yet she was checking her phone instead of defending herself.
’Why isn’t she saying anything? How is she going to prove her innocence if she stays silent?’
He was losing his patience.
"Silence." His thunderous voice shook the room.
Everyone stopped shouting at once and turned to him.
"She is in charge of the project," he started. "She has access to those files. That alone doesn’t prove that she leaked the information."
He turned to Marcus. "Tell me something that proves she leaked the data before demanding to remove her."
Marcus looked hesitant. "Right now, these are only preliminary findings. I need more time to determine whether she actually leaked those files."
"But her actions are suspicious," a senior executive argued. "Why would she return to the office so late at night? And why was she accessing confidential files at that hour?"
He took a quick look at Elena.
"If she genuinely needed those files, she could have accessed them during working hours. Why return to the office in the middle of the night like a thief if she had nothing to hide?"
Vivian almost laughed when she heard Elena being called a thief. But she quickly lowered her eyes and schooled her expression before anyone could notice the satisfaction in them.
"Yes, you have a point."
"Her activities are fishy."
More voices joined the accusations.
"If she can’t be removed, suspend her until the investigation is complete," the senior executive suggested. "That will prevent her from influencing the investigation or accessing any more confidential information."
"Yes, she should be suspended."
Everyone began echoing the demand.
Vivian watched everything silently. A triumphant glint flashed in her eyes.
She was certain Elena couldn’t prove her innocence. This was the moment she had been waiting for. But before she could savor her victory, Elena finally broke her silence.
"There is no need for a suspension." Elena’s calm voice immediately silenced several people. "It wasn’t me. I was at home that night. I can prove it."
All looked at her in stunned silence.
Elias relaxed slightly in his seat. He knew Elena.
She would never remain silent forever. She must have had something.
"If you were really innocent, why were you silent all this time while everyone was accusing you?" Vivian asked.
There was frustration beneath her carefully controlled voice. "Were you enjoying watching everyone suspect you?"
Elena glanced at her. But she didn’t reply to her. She looked straight at the man sitting at the head of the table—Elias.
"I stayed silent before because I was waiting for the security officer to send me the surveillance footage from the penthouse," she said.
She stood, holding her chin high. "That night, I entered the penthouse before eleven. I didn’t leave again until the next morning. The footage will confirm it."
She handed Marcus her phone. "Play the recording. Let everyone see the truth."
Marcus connected the phone to the conference room display and played the footage.
The screen showed Elena entering the penthouse that night. The timestamp was clearly visible.
The footage continued.
She remained inside. There was no sign of her leaving again. The next morning, at nine, she was seen leaving the penthouse.
A wave of silence swept through the room.
"I can also confirm that she was at home the entire night." Elias’s voice broke the silence.
Everyone turned toward him.
"When I arrived home that night, it was almost midnight. Elena was already there." His gaze swept across the room. "She remained with me for the rest of the night."
The executives who had been shouting moments ago fell completely silent. No one dared to say another word.
Vivian, however, grew restless. Her fingers curled tightly beneath the table.
Everything had been planned meticulously. She had stolen Elena’s access card without her knowledge and created a duplicate. She had waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to execute her plan.
Things had gone exactly as she wanted.
The security records pointed toward Elena. For a few precious minutes, she had believed Elena’s fate was sealed. She had even imagined Elena being thrown out of the company.
But one piece of footage had destroyed everything.
Vivian refused to accept it.
"This footage could have been fabricated." Her voice suddenly rang through the room. "You falsified the evidence to divert everyone’s attention."