Chapter 453
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Everyone exchanged glances before quietly leaving the CEO’s office. From the looks of it, Justin could be ruled out as the leak . If he were the mote, he wouldn’t have been so persistent in confronting Wade or been so consumed with frustration.
His open but indignant expression had said it all–he wasn’t guilty.
Caitlin returned to her desk and opened her laptop. Not long after, James walked in.
“We’ve found the leak. It’s her.”
James had arrived early at TIG at Caitlin’s request and had already conducted a full audit of the company’s surveillance and network systems. His investigation had pinpointed a suspect.
“It was her?”
The answer genuinely surprised Caitlin, but after reviewing the evidence, everything made sense.
“Good. Let’s head to the design center.”
With James accompanying her, Caitlin walked into the design department. The atmosphere was tense and quiet. Everyone was nervously waiting for the promised ten minutes, but as the sound of high heels echoed down the hallway, they realized Caitlin had arrived early.
Everyone turned to face her as she stepped inside.
“Caitlin, did you find out who it was?” Justin asked, the one most desperate for answers.
“I did. And it’s truly disappointing.”
Caitlin’s sharp gaze swept over each designer before landing squarely on Peyton. Peyton flinched but tried her best to maintain a composed expression.
“It was you, wasn’t it, Peyton?”
The words dropped like a bomb. The entire room erupted in gasps. All eyes turned toward Peyton in disbelief.
Peyton–the friendly, well–liked designer. Beautiful, experienced, talented. Back when the company was still LIG, most of the chosen design plans had been hers.
Everyone had considered her the most promising star in the department.
“Peyton, why? Why would you do this?” Justin stared at her, devastated. She was more than just a colleague–she had mentored him , guided. him. He had seen her as a teammate.
“Yeah, Peyton, how could you betray the company like this?”
“What did you gain from leaking the designs? Do you even understand what this means?”
The room was alive with disbelief and accusations.
Peyton shook her head. “I didn’t leak anything! Caitlin, I didn’t betray the company. You’ve got it wrong!”
Her voice trembled with panic, but she refused to admit the truth.
“There’s always evidence,” Caitlin said calmly. “This office is under constant surveillance.”
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“ Then show me the evidence! When did I ever leak his designs?”
Peyton stood her ground, emboldened by her belief that she had already deleted the incriminating footage.
“Bring in Curtis from security,” Caitlin ordered.
Moments later, James returned with Curtis, the security guard in charge of surveillance. Curtis looked visibly nervous and avoided Caitlin’s
gaze.
“Tell the truth, Curtis,” Caitlin demanded, her tone sharp and unyielding.
Curtis began to shake, cold sweat forming on his back. “Caitlin, I swear I didn’t do anything. Peyton said she dropped something and needed to check the cameras. I let her in, but I had no idea what she was really doing.”
“Curtis! When did I ever go to security to check footage? Don’t frame me!” Peyton shot back.
But James stepped forward, plugged a USB drive into a computer, and projected the footage onto the wall. The video, edited for clarity, clearly showed Peyton leaving the design center , visiting Curtis, and accessing the security footage.
The evidence spoke for itself. Peyton’s face paled.
Caitlin continued, “I know you have some computer skills. You deleted part of the design center’s security footage. You pretended to return for something during lunch, but instead, you opened Justin’s computer and copied his design files.
“You thought that by erasing the footage, you’d be safe. But you forgot–computers remember everything.”
James played another clip: the very moment Peyton copied Justin’s designs. The silence in the room was deafening.
“It really was you…”
Justin’s voice broke. He looked at Peyton–the colleague, the mentor–now exposed as a traitor.
t you? ”
“And there’s more,” Caitlin said. “We traced where the files went. You gave them to Joshua, didn’t y
loshua лет
At the mention of that name, everyone stiffened. Joshua, the former deputy general manager, had been let go when LIG became TIG. What was Peyton doing with him?
Peyton remained silent, but her complexion turned ghostly. She was on the brink of collapse.
Caitlin dropped a stack of photos in front of her. “You’ve been living
Joshua for a while. He used you
to
steal our plans.
“You were always one of our lead designers. We chose your work many times. But this time, I picked Justin’s design–and you couldn’t accept
“You did this out of spite. Out of jealousy. Out of love for a man who only used you.”
Caitlin’s voice sharpened.
“Did Joshua promise to help you land a position at XEG? Maybe even open a design firm in your name one day? ”
Peyton couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears welled in her eyes.
“You’re a fool to believe him , ” Caitlin said coldly. “He’s got nothing. He’ll never give you a future. He’ll only drag you into hell.
“Peyton, do you know? Even though I didn’t pick your design for this show, it didn’t mean I didn’t believe in you.
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“ On the contrary , Garrett and I had already agreed to promote you to chief designer – after this launch
Peyton’s eyes widened in shock .
Garrett stepped into the room. “ It’s true. Caitlin had already signed the proposal. Here, see for yourself . ”
He handed her the document. The title and Caitlin’s signature were clear as day. Peyton read the date–before the launch.
Her hands trembled as she stared at the paper. The reality hit her like a truck. Regret and shaine overtook her. She collapsed onto the floor sobbing uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Caitlin. I made a terrible mistake…”
“You did,” Caitlin said. “And you’ll face the consequences. But I need you to do one more thing for me.”
“What is it?” Peyton asked, tears streaming down her face.
AD