Chapter 26 Targeted

Lorna spoke with a tone of self-assurance, "Who says I'm reading novels? I'm actually working. Writing copy is part of my job, you know." Since they were colleagues after all, Charlotte, not wanting to start a fight with Lorna, tried a different approach. "If you're not going to help, could you at least let me do it myself?" Lorna was quick to object. "That's not a good idea. You're still new here. What if you accidentally see confidential information? I don't want to be held responsible for that." Charlotte, fed up with Lorna's excuses, stood her ground. "I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. I just need to print something for work." Lorna was unmoved. "I've already said I'm busy. If it's not urgent, why don't you try again later this afternoon?" Without a word, Charlotte left the office. She didn't want to trouble Luke with such a minor issue. Luke had been particularly supportive, and she knew other employees were already gossiping about his favoritism. Charlotte was determined to handle her work independently. Once Charlotte was gone, Lorna couldn't help but smile triumphantly. Charlotte decided to focus on other tasks first and returned to Lorna's office in the afternoon. After knocking several times with no answer, she cautiously opened the door, only to find the office empty. Realizing Lorna had played her, Charlotte felt a surge of anger. She made sure not to disturb anything and quickly left the room. As the day neared its end, Lorna stirred up a storm by declaring that a vital document, containing company secrets, had vanished from her office. Word spread like wildfire across the company. Luke, unfortunately, was out on urgent business and couldn't intervene. Charlotte attempted to clear the air. "I didn't touch a thing in your office. Maybe you misplaced it?" But Lorna was unwavering. "It's unthinkable. I always keep such documents under lock and key. Yet, when I got back this afternoon, my drawer's lock was broken. I was told you're the only one who went into my office." Charlotte, astonished, faced Lorna. "Are you insinuating that I messed with your stuff?" "Who else could it be?" Lorna dialed the police. Charlotte, maintaining her composure, stayed in her office to wait. The office was abuzz, with several employees staying behind past their usual hours, drawn by the unfolding drama. An accuser confronted Charlotte. "How could you be involved in something like this? Leaking secrets is a crime, akin to theft." Charlotte was unfazed. She continued her work, her focus unwavering on the tasks at hand, as there was nothing else to be done in the situation. Lorna, agitated by Charlotte's composed response, confronted her. "What's with that attitude? You've made a mistake, and now you're stopping others from pointing it out?" Charlotte remained firm. "And what do you expect from me? To confess to a crime I didn't commit? I've told you repeatedly, I didn't take anything, regardless of your accusations." "You're the thief, and now you're denying it. I'll make sure the boss hears about this." Charlotte was eager to end the draining conversation. "Do as you please. You're being too loud. Just be quiet for now, alright? The police are already involved, I'm not fleeing. We can just wait." Meanwhile, Lorna, fueled by a desire to avenge her friends who had received legal notices over the earlier incident, was adamant about implicating Charlotte. When the police arrived ten minutes later, they began their inquiry. Officers checked the security footage, which showed Charlotte as the sole visitor to Lorna's office that afternoon. Lorna hadn't been back since noon, only returning after claiming her items were missing. After reviewing the video, an officer warned Lorna, "Don't be hasty in accusing others. You're under suspicion too." Lorna looked at the officer, baffled. "Why would I steal my own stuff?" Lawson was coming down from the top floor in the glass elevator when he saw a bunch of people and police officers outside Charlotte's office. He got really worried and called Luke right away. Luke came back to the office fast after getting the call. When Charlotte saw Luke, she gave him a sorry smile. "I'm sorry, it looks like I've made more trouble for you." "It's fine. What's happening here?" Charlotte didn't start explaining but let the police officer tell Luke everything. After hearing everything, Luke laughed a little. "No way she'd steal from us." Lorna was really nervous and sweating a lot. She remembered the scissors she broke to mess up her own drawer lock were hidden under her desk. Lorna said to Luke, "But Charlotte was the only one in my office all afternoon. You gave me that missing document, and now it's gone, and I feel really bad about it." Luke looked at Lorna kind of seriously. He had only given her the job because her brother, Caelan Smith, who was Luke's good buddy, asked him to. Luke knew Lorna liked him, but he just wanted to help his friend. Lorna approached Luke, her voice gentle. "Luke, I'm sorry." "You should call me 'boss'. It's more appropriate." Charlotte observed Lorna, her sweetness seeming out of place, and felt a shiver of discomfort. 'This afternoon, she was all challenges and toughness with me. Now, with a guy around, she's suddenly all soft and can hardly keep her balance. What's up with that?' Lorna attempted to step closer to Luke, seeking some kind of physical contact, but Luke pushed her away without hesitation. He pushed with enough strength that Lorna ended up falling. Charlotte quickly knelt down and helped Lorna up. "Don't stress too much, Lorna. Everything will make sense once we figure it all out." Yet, it was clear Lorna had plenty of reasons to be worried.