Revenge of the Adopted Child

First Evidence

Jeff had just returned to the company, throwing his work files onto the table with a furious expression. He roughly opened the bottle of wine and then gulped down its contents greedily.

"Damn Almero! That bastard, how dare he embarrass me in front of so many people," he said, breathing heavily with anger. "Does he think I'll just stay quiet? Of course not, I'll make him go back to scavenging for used bottles on the side of the road," he said, glaring at the door.

A middle-aged man immediately entered the room, his face tense as he realized he'd arrived at the wrong time. Just one look at him revealed that Jeff was in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?" Jeff snapped suddenly, targeting the man.

"The master couldn't reach you, so Master Okan asked me to ask you about..." Jeff, already irritated, interrupted impatiently.

 "Xander's company assistant has an urgent matter, so I haven't seen him yet," Jeff lied, deliberately trying to keep his father from getting angry when he found out he'd left without meeting him.

"Okay, I'll tell Mr. Okan right away," he said fearfully, then quickly walked out.

"I'm sick of all the company business," Jeff shouted, throwing the wine bottle to the floor roughly.

Meanwhile, at Almero's place.

After ensuring he had safely stored the evidence, Almero put his phone back in his pocket and looked around to check the situation and make sure everything was safe.

Almero was extremely hungry, and it just so happened that it was time for him to get married. To save money this month, he had been buying food from a street vendor not far from the company. Almero was grateful for every bite that entered his mouth, but seconds later, his composure was disturbed by the sound of a familiar voice.

 "You're so lucky you didn't marry an adopted child like her. Just look at her eating so greedily," Abigail's friend said loudly so Almero could hear.

"Of course I'm very lucky to have avoided that bad fate. Now I'm married to Jeff, that's good karma for me," Abigail said from inside the car.

Almero only glanced at the two arrogant women briefly before returning to his meal. He took their insults as motivation to not give up easily.

"Let's go now, because I'm afraid his bad luck will rub off on us," Abigail said to her friend.

"You're right, I don't want to be unlucky by staring at him for too long," replied Abigail's friend, annoyed that she couldn't provoke Almero.

Almero coughed after inhaling the exhaust fumes from Abigail's friend's car, and it was clear the woman had done it on purpose. Almero immediately lost his appetite and downed a bottle of mineral water to ease the slight pain in his chest.

Almero squeezed the plastic bottle with a sharp glare, vowing to get back at them one by one.

Valton Mansion.

Almero lived in the guest room of this house, a place very comfortable for him, where he didn't have to get wet or afraid of the cold. Mr. Valton even met all his needs, from clothing and food to other personal needs.

Mrs. Senna was very kind to him, even caring for him like her own son. As for Miss Edeline, she still had a sour expression when she accidentally passed him, as if she were angry because he hadn't rejected the arranged marriage. But Almero could understand. 

"Mrs. Senna, is Mr. Valton home?" Almero asked after leaving the guest room.

"Yes, he's in his office," Senna replied with a sad look.

"Then I'll go see him. I have something important to do," Almero said, then quickly climbed the stairs of the house.

Upon arriving at Mr. Valton's office door, he knocked before entering. Almero saw Mr. Valton sitting in his office.

"Sit down, Almero. Why are you just standing there?" Mr. Valton said, his usual friendly manner.

"Sir, I want to show you something," Almero said, placing his phone on the table.

"Did you find something?" Valton asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, sir."  "While I was cleaning the 5th floor of the company," he said with a serious face.

"I don't dare to conclude anything until you hear it for yourself." Almero spoke, staring at his phone.

Valton reached for his phone and played the recording in his gallery. Two men's conversations began to be heard, echoing back and forth. Valton's blood boiled as he recognized the owner of the voice.

"Damn it!" he snapped, slamming the phone onto the table.

Almero laughed in surprise, even though he had expected this reaction from Valton after hearing his recording. But Almero remained seated.

"That's Gabe's voice," Valton muttered, his jaw clenched. "I've known him for over twenty years. I never thought the traitor would be so close to me." His voice trembled with emotion.

"Maybe you already knew about this, but you just didn't know who was behind it," Almero said, staring at the man's flushed face.

"Yes, you're right.  "I've suspected a leak for a long time," Valton said honestly, massaging the back of his neck, which suddenly felt heavy.

"You already know about it, sir?" Almero said, surprised.

Valton paused for a moment, trying to remember exactly when he first began to feel this strangeness. The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt tense, like something out of a horror movie.

"Over the past three years, funds have been missing from several major projects.  "The values ​​aren't that striking when viewed individually, but when added up, they add up to a significant number," Valton said, his fists clenched tightly.

"So what about the company's audit team?" Almero asked curiously.

"I've ordered them to conduct multiple investigations," Valton replied with a sharp gaze. "But every time they investigate, the results are always clean."

"That means they're very careful," Almero said quickly, his face serious. "Or maybe someone else is helping them cover their tracks," Almero said, not entirely convinced.

"I don't know. I don't know yet, but thanks to your help, I was able to find this important evidence," Valton said, rising from his position.

"I just happened to overhear it while I was working," Almero said matter-of-factly.

"No." Valton shook his head. "It wasn't a coincidence."  "You've managed to find something the audit team hasn't found for years," he said, confirming Almero's statement, but Almero remained silent.

"So are you going to uncover the crime now?" Almero asked with a frown.

"No, this evidence isn't enough, and I still need your help," Valton said, looking at Almero meaningfully.

"Is that why you asked me to work as a janitor?" Almero asked.

"Yes, you're right. And I wasn't wrong to entrust this task to you," he continued firmly. "The person who stole from Xander's company isn't an ordinary employee, so you have to be careful. I don't want to lose my future son-in-law," he said earnestly.

"I'll be careful, you don't have to worry." Almero spoke with eyes that radiated strong determination.