Chapter 230: A solution?
Ian turned toward him. "That bastard Zachary somehow got hold of Claire’s private video with her boyfriend. He used it to blackmail her into stealing the company’s confidential data."
"That son of a bitch," Nathaniel muttered, clenching his fists. "How low can he possibly stoop?"
"It’s his usual tactic," Ian replied grimly. "He preys on people’s weaknesses. But that’s not what worries me now. Zachary might have realized we’ve caught Claire. I fear he’ll try to destroy her reputation."
Nathaniel grew solemn. He couldn’t let that happen. "Then we’ll protect her. I won’t let Zachary get away with this. If he tries to leak that video, erase it immediately."
"I’ll do my best," Ian said, frowning. "But the internet is too wide to control completely."
"Then what do you expect me to do?" Nathaniel snapped, his irritation only rising.
"I have a solution," Ian said in a cautious tone, "but you might not like it."
"What solution?" Nathaniel asked impatiently.
"Fire her," Ian said quietly. "Ban her from the Grant Group. That’s the only way to keep her safe."
"What?" Nathaniel squinted at him with disbelief. "If I fire her, her career will be destroyed. No one will hire her again."
"I know," Ian admitted, his face grave. "But it’ll make Zachary think she stayed loyal to him. He’ll stop targeting her. Don’t think too much. Leave her case to me—I’ll handle it."
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, trying to read between Ian’s words. "What are you planning?" he asked warily.
Ian looked ahead to the sea. He had already fallen in love with Claire, but had not confessed to her since she had a boyfriend. Now, though, things were different; fate had opened a door for him.
"Her boyfriend broke up with her," Ian muttered. "That bastard left her when she needed him the most. Coward."
He scrunched up his face, then added, "But I care about her. I’m willing to look after her. Just fire her for now. Once we settle things with Zachary, you can remove the ban and bring her back as your secretary. Until then, I’ll fill in and help you."
He turned back toward Nathaniel with a teasing smirk, hiding the pain in his heart.
Nathaniel’s stomach flipped at the idea. "No way," he grunted. "I’ll definitely go crazy. No need to take so much work pressure. I’ll hire someone else instead."
Ian shrugged casually. "Go ahead. But whoever you hire could easily turn out to be Zachary’s spy. You can’t trust anyone but me."
"What if he also turns you against me?" Nathaniel barked. "I can’t trust you fully either."
"I’m waiting for the day when Zachary contacts me," Ian said with a smug look on his face.
Nathaniel glared at him. "You are insane." He looked away from him. As much as Ian got under his skin, Nathaniel couldn’t deny the man’s competence, or the fact that he could rely on him.
Gradually, his irritation faded as he stared out at the sea. The moonlight shimmered across the restless waves, calming his turbulent thoughts. Neither of them spoke again, letting the tranquil night and the sound of the ocean wash away their tension.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Zachary, you’ve let me down this time," a cold voice came from the other end of the line. "You promised to deliver the project quickly, but the system you built is defective. I poured a fortune into this, and what do I get in return? Nothing..."
His tone grew harsher, forcing Zachary to pull the phone slightly away from his ear.
"I regret ever doing business with you," the man continued bitterly. "I should’ve listened to Nathaniel. He completed his system flawlessly, and everyone is reaping the benefits. And Mr. Corby – he has double the profit. But me? I’ve lost every cent I invested."
Zachary pressed his fingers to his temple, his face tightening with frustration. He hadn’t just lost money, but he had lost his credibility. The humiliation he had suffered at the seminar still burned in his mind, those harsh criticisms echoing in his ears as cruel reminders of his failure. It was because of his carelessness.
He had underestimated Nathaniel; he had never thought that his plan could backfire completely. Now he realized Nathaniel had discovered the spy in his office and intentionally let the fake data be stolen, baiting him into failure. And he had fallen right into the trap.
His jaw clenched in frustration. If only he had been more careful, checked the data thoroughly, none of this would have happened. But it was too late now.
The damage was done, and he had lost the battle already.
"Listen to me, Zachary," the man snapped, jerking him out of his thoughts. "I want my money back—every last cent. You’ve got forty-eight hours. Fail to pay, and I’ll expose you. Everyone in the corporate world will know how you manipulate people and force them to work for you."
Before Zachary could say a word, the line went dead.
Zachary’s face turned ugly as he glared at the screen, his chest puffing up in fury. He couldn’t tolerate it when anyone threatened him.
"How dare he talk to me like that?" he muttered under his breath. "Threatening me? Does he not know who he is dealing with?"
The tip of his fingers turned pale as he gripped the phone tightly. It was as if he were about to crush the device with sheer force.
"I treated you as a partner, trusted you with my plans," he muttered darkly. "I let you know my secrets. But you are now ready to betray me. You have to pay the price."
The muscles of his brow twitched as he dialed a familiar number. With deliberate ease, he put the phone to his ear and said in a chillingly calm tone, "Listen up. I want you to end someone’s game. Make it look like a suicide. Do you understand?"
A cold, satisfied gleam crossed his eyes as he set the phone down. "Mr. Gilbert, your game is over," he sneered.