Her Corporate Takedown: Entangled with a Billionaire

*CHAPTER 75: RUINED BY MY HANDS*

Crisis soon ensued within Bolster, as the lights flickered, computer systems shut down and ten million breach alerts and alarms went off throughout the building.

Those who had not yet vacated the premises for the party hurried to attend to the matter and the executives that had just about started their meeting jumped up to rush out of the room and abate the crisis.

Except that they couldn't, as the door was locked.

"Bryan won't be able to come and fix this," Karren said. "I've locked the door to the meeting room, trapping all of the executives inside. That includes Bryan, of course." That means Ari would also be trapped too.

Whenever we faced these ordeals, I never understood how Andrei always smiled as though he were playing a game he enjoyed. I believe it is no understatement to say that while Andrei and Ari were imprisoned in the executive’s meeting room, I was the only one in a position to deal with this situation.

Yes, never, ever, in my life did I think such a thought would cross my mind, but I literally had the fate of Andrei’s company and the Klehr family’s secret in the palm of my hands, which were sweating a river stream. No words can describe just how downright terrified I felt.

Even Andrei, who normally smiled at these predicaments, was extremely nervous for me yesterday, although he tried not to show it. The reason he could usually smile was likely because he was confident that no matter what happened, he always had cards prepared that he could play to turn the situation to his advantage and come out on top.

Meanwhile, I had no such confidence. I had never had so many full-blown or almost-real breakdowns and panic attacks as I had experienced since I met Andrei a few months ago, started living in his world and dealing with these ordeals. If these last few months have proved anything, it was that I was just not cut out for this life. I thought that even Roshni, who had later revealed himself to actually be on our side, would be available to help me, but my one source of salvation was currently nowhere to be found. I would have loved to know if he was at least hiding in another secret room nearby, but I needed to proceed as though that was not the case.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I told you. I'm on the hunt for which Undercode family is supporting this company. Or you could just tell me. If you tell me, then I'll terminate this program."

"Would you, really?"

"I give you my word."

Your word has less value than dirt in my mind about now. I couldn't believe I was so fooled by this girl's sweet act to the point where I still didn't believe she wasn't her normal self. I had to keep telling myself she was the enemy spy literally every half second so that I could stop seeing her as the sweet, delicate and adorable girl she cleverly made herself out to be.

Even when the difference between that sweet girl and this wretched personality was light years apart, I could still only see her as that sweet girl. That was how good her acting was. I don’t want to make excuses, but even when I think back on everything, I felt there was no way I could have identified her as the spy, even when the clues were right in front of me the entire time.

It's quite laughable if I say so myself. I was able to figure out that Roshni was Shelli's fiancé, but I didn't stop to think about why they were working in separate departments. Only now, was it obvious to me that it was because Roshni was on a different mission. It all started to make sense. That was the reason Roshni kept flirting with Karren even after I ignorantly called him out on grounds of cheating. He had behaved as though he was single so that he could get close to Karren.

Then, what exactly happened between her and Roshni? I couldn't stop thinking about Roshni's actions when he first told me the drill was compromised, then told me the drill that only I would know later on. When he mentioned drill E2, Karren was also with him in the elevator. So, was the drill compromised because Andrei instructed Roshni to give it away, or was it because Roshni's cover got blown? Did he deliberately tell me about drill E2 since Karren was the enemy spy, or was she trying to manipulate him like she did with Jeremy?

"Do you know why I waited until today to execute this plan?"

"No, please, enlighten me about your so-called plan."

"Because it's the day you would be all alone."

"Me? What do I have to do with your plans?"

This girl just couldn't explain herself without constantly chuckling.

"I've been aware of you this entire time, Leiya. I've been following you this entire time and you finally led me here."

"What…do you mean by…'this entire time'? Exactly how long are we talking?"

"As thanks for bringing me within inches of the elusive Klehr family, I'll tell you."

Did she just pinpoint the Klehr family specifically? Didn't she just say she didn't know which family was involved?

"I've been following you since you were in middle school."

Of course, another saga that started in middle school.

"I was told that you had the ability to see the Undercode, so I've been waiting for a chance to get close to you."

Don't tell me she's a Paladin agent?! Then, is she the one Michelle had been in contact with from Paladin? I have so many questions that I can't even ask!

I can't believe Paladin had really been tracking me since middle school. It was only the beginning of summer, when Andrei dropped this crazy surveillance story on me. Now things have come full circle and I'm alone with one of their agents (for some reason I assumed she was a Paladin agent).

So far, not good.

"I thought I would have my chance to grab you after you broke up with Daniel, so imagine my surprise to see how quickly you recovered from that relationship."

Imagine my surprise to find out how many people have been meddling in my affairs without my consent.

"I sure am glad I didn't intervene at the time, for I was even more delighted to learn about this company, where someone like you, with no congruent skills whatsoever, was employed the very next week after you dropped out of school. It couldn't have been a coincidence that a job just fell in your lap the week after you dropped out."

All I'm hearing is that this girl is an even worse and far more unwelcome stalker than Andrei. While I stood there listening, I still hadn't recovered from the shock of how this girl distorted my vision of her.

"I also got a job here because I was curious, but I didn't want to approach you carelessly since it seemed like you were under someone's protection. I just didn't know who it was at the time."

I have a bad feeling about where this story is going.

"And if things couldn't have gotten any better, I was extremely surprised by the date you showed up with at the engagement party."

"Could you clarify whose engagement party you're talking about?"

"Michelle's, of course."

I couldn't believe Michelle invited a psycho to the party. Was she that close to Paladin that she casually invited their agent to her engagement party?

"What's the big deal about the person I went with anyway?"

"Oh, it's a very big deal. After I did a little digging, I found out that Andrei guy had close connections with this company. I wouldn't even be surprised if he knew the CEO directly. What's more was that I suspected this company had close ties with the Klehr family. I didn't have definite proof, but after you entered the picture, I'm almost certain of it."

So basically she's saying that…

"It couldn't have been a coincidence that you, who were deeply involved with Michelle and Daniel, became involved with Andrei, who had a Shakovia family ring by coincidence, as well as this technologically advanced company that my sources tell me is involved with the Klehr family."

…I led her straight to Andrei and basically exposed his affiliation to the Klehr family.

"I figured that you were recruited as an agent because of your connection to the Shakovia family and your strong ability to see the Undercode. I don't believe the Klehr family has any grudge against the Shakovia family that they needed your help in solving. You, on the other hand, were just burned by Michelle and I'm sure you felt powerless when you found out the truth. The only reason the Klehr family would help you is…no. The more accurate thing to say is that the only person in such a family with an interest AND the power to help you, a stranger to the Undercode families and a novice in all faculties, is the heir of the family, who might have an interest in you personally…or perhaps, romantically."

Yes, there we have it.

"Finally, after years of searching, I found a weak link in the chain. A brand new novice spy who couldn't survive without holding someone's hand. The Klehr family's mistake, or the heir's, should I say."

You don't have to say it twice. It burned when you said it the first time.

"To think you would lead me to this incredible discovery. When I realized, I couldn't help but pounce on the opportunity to destroy the Klehr family, the biggest threat to my plans. The best timing was when the newborn fawn was all alone and defenseless, so I made sure to set up my plans all for this day."

All the while she hissed at me, her snake-like tone stung every fiber of my being. Her venomous words soaked through and thoroughly poisoned my mind and heart with tremendous guilt and shame.

At that moment, all I felt was unending fear and a feeling of my heart being enveloped in darkness. This information was too important not to tell him about it, yet when I told him everything she said, he would no doubt hate me for bringing danger to him and his family's secret, which had been successfully kept hidden for decades.

My time with him was officially over.

The Klehr family would not allow such an obvious parasite to loom around their heir, much less marry him. My heart sank deeper into despair the longer these thoughts crept into my mind, causing my head to feel heavy; the intense throbbing all over felt like it could crush my skull.

"So can you tell me, Leiya, the real identity of the heir of the Klehr family?"

The toxic words she spoke with that cute face and cute smile were scalding. I couldn't believe how gullible I was, in that I didn't suspect her this whole time, and I even suspected Roshni of being the spy.

Regardless of the internal crisis that was going on right now, the external crisis was more important to deal with. All the while she spoke and walked around me, I knew she was observing my expressions and body language while she poked around for answers, a clue or some kind of response.

So I gave her the only response she needed to get. I kept turning my head at an angle as she walked from side to side and when she came close and whispered her sweet poison, I squinted my eyes in forlorn confusion…

"I'm sorry, but you've been going on for a while about this weird story…"

…To make it abundantly clear that I had no idea what she was talking about and that she was harping on like a crazy person.

"But I haven't got a clue about what you've been saying this whole time."

I may have led her to Andrei, I may have led her within a foot of discovering the Klehr family's secret, and I may have brought Bolster to the brink of destruction, but I won't let her get any closer to finding out the truth and ruining his life.

It was time to activate code blue2.