She Choose Her Ex Over Me

CHAPTER 7 — THE FILE OF LIES (Part B)

Fred's fingers tightened around the confidential file as he stared at the photographs spread across his desk. Although his breathing remained steady, Chris had known him for too many years to miss the subtle change in his expression.

Fred was angry.

Not with the explosive rage that ended in shouting or slammed doors, but with the far more dangerous kind of anger that settled into complete stillness. Whenever Fred became this calm, it usually meant he had already made up his mind.

He closed the file with deliberate care before lifting his eyes to Chris. "Who is it?"

Chris didn't answer right away. Instead, he crossed the office to the coffee machine in the corner, poured two cups, and returned to the desk. He held one cup toward Fred, but Fred made no move to accept it.

"Chris."

Chris let out a weary sigh. "I need you to hear everything before you jump to conclusions."

"I asked you a question."

"And I'm going to answer it."

He placed both cups on the desk before continuing. "Our investigators haven't identified the insider with absolute certainty."

A deep frown settled across Fred's face. "You just told me someone inside Daniella's office is helping Tony."

"I did."

"So who is it?"

Chris rubbed his temples as though he had already replayed this conversation a dozen times in his head. "We've narrowed the list down."

"To whom?"

"Three people."

Fred remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Chris reopened the thinner file and slid the first photograph across the desk. "The first is Daniella's executive secretary. She has access to every meeting schedule, every appointment, and every last-minute change."

Fred barely glanced at the photograph before pushing it back. "No."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know her."

"I don't need to. I know loyalty when I see it."

Chris exhaled slowly, accepting the objection without arguing further. "Fine."

He picked up the second photograph. "This is the finance manager."

Fred studied it for only a moment before shaking his head again. "He wouldn't risk going to prison."

Chris leaned against the desk. "You'd be surprised what people are willing to do when enough money is involved."

Instead of responding, Fred waited for Chris to reveal the final name. Chris reached for the last photograph but hesitated before turning it over.

That hesitation was enough to make Fred's voice drop to a near whisper. "The third?"

Chris slowly flipped the photograph around.

The moment Fred saw it, his expression remained outwardly composed, but something inside him shifted. "Tina..."

Chris gave a slow nod. "Tina."

A heavy silence settled over the office as Fred stared at the photograph.

He wasn't looking at a stranger. He was looking at Daniella's closest friend—the woman who had spent countless evenings in their home, laughed with them over dinner, and always claimed she wanted nothing more than to see Daniella happy.

Chris finally broke the silence. "Our investigators followed her."

Fred looked up. "What did they find?"

"They documented three private meetings with Tony."

"When?"

"All within the last month."

Fred frowned. "They're friends."

"They weren't before."

Chris slid another photograph across the desk.

It showed Tina entering an upscale private restaurant through the main entrance. Five minutes later, Tony entered through a separate door.

According to the surveillance report, they remained inside for nearly two hours, and no one else ever joined them. "They reserved a private room," Chris explained.

"No recordings?"

Chris shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. But we found something just as interesting."

He handed Fred a bank statement. "An anonymous transfer?"

Chris nodded. "The money arrived forty-eight hours after that meeting."

Fred studied the amount carefully. It wasn't large enough to attract public attention, but it was more than enough to purchase someone's silence—or their loyalty. "Tina received this?"

"Yes."

Fred leaned back slowly as dozens of conversations replayed themselves in his mind.

He remembered Tina encouraging Daniella to reconnect with Tony. He remembered her dismissing Fred as ordinary, questioning his ambition, and repeatedly suggesting that Daniella deserved someone more successful.

Until now, those remarks had sounded like harmless opinions. Now they sounded carefully planted. Chris watched the realization spread across Fred's face. "You see it now."

Fred nodded once. "She wasn't giving Daniella advice."

Chris's expression hardened. "No."

"She was steering her."

"Exactly."

Fred turned toward the rain-streaked windows, his reflection staring back at him from the dark glass. "I should have noticed."

Chris shook his head. "You couldn't have."

"I should have."

"You trusted your wife."

Fred's jaw tightened. "And I trusted the people she trusted."

Chris said nothing because that was the cruelest truth of all.

Fred's greatest strength had always been his willingness to trust the people he loved. Unfortunately, that same kindness had become the easiest weapon for Tony to exploit.