Chapter 37: We Have Evidence
The HR Manager’s words sound like a hard slap.
For a moment, everything seemed to come crashing down.
Sienna felt as if something invisible had struck her directly, her entire body going still as the words settled in.
Her eyes widened, disbelief flooding through her mind in an instant.
’How? How could that be true? Mia had been clear. She had never received any revised file. Not through email. Not in print. Then how?’
Sienna’s thoughts tangled rapidly, questions crashing into one after another without answers.
This wasn’t just unexpected. This was bad. Very, very bad.
Before Sienna could gather her thoughts, before she could even form a single sentence to question what she had just heard—
Mia’s voice broke through the room.
"Sir—!"
It was loud. Sharp. Enough to make every head turn toward her instantly.
Even Sienna flinched slightly at the sudden outburst.
Mia’s hands trembled at her sides, her chest rising and falling unevenly as she struggled to hold herself together. But the anger in her eyes was unmistakable, burning brighter than anything else in that moment.
"Ho-How can you say that?" she demanded, her voice shaking, not from fear, but from disbelief. Her gaze locked onto the HR manager, unblinking, almost desperate.
"I’ve never received anything from Anna or Angie," she continued, her words spilling out faster now. "I can swear there were no emails at all! I checked my inbox countless times. I even checked my spam folder!" Her voice cracked slightly, but she pushed through it. "Th-There was nothing. So how can you say she sent me the revision?"
The room fell into a brief, heavy silence, but it was only for a few seconds.
"Mia," Angie’s soft voice slipped in, gentle and controlled, like a hand trying to smooth over chaos. "I understand that you’re upset..."
She tilted her head slightly, her expression calm, almost... sympathetic.
"But there’s no need to yell," she added, her tone almost motherly. "We can all hear you just fine."
The words sounded kind. But Sienna could hear it clearly. That subtle edge beneath them. That quiet satisfaction.
And Mia heard it too.
"You—" Mia’s voice dropped, but the anger only grew sharper. Her eyes narrowed, locking onto Angie with a fierce intensity. "I know you’re the one behind all of this."
The accusation hung in the air, heavy and threatening.
No one spoke, all taken aback by Mia’s words.
"Why did you do this to us?" Mia pressed on, her voice trembling again, but this time with emotion she could no longer hide. "Why are you trying to kick us out of the company? Why—"
Her words stopped abruptly.
Sienna’s hand had gently touched her arm from behind.
A silent signal to stop.
Mia froze for a second, her lips still slightly parted, her breathing shaking. Then she slowly closed her mouth, her chest rising with a deep breath before she forced herself to calm down.
"...Fine," she muttered under her breath, but her eyes never left Angie. Sharp. Piercing. Burning with quiet fury. She was so mad.
If looks could kill, Mia was certain they wouldn’t be sitting in this room right now. There would already be a funeral, Angie’s funeral.
The silence returned, thicker than before.
This time, Sienna didn’t wait. "Sir..." she began, her voice calm, but firm enough to regain control of the room’s attention. "Are you sure about that?"
The HR manager looked at her, his expression unchanged, though there was a trace of something softer in his eyes.
"Miss Sienna," he replied steadily, "we have evidence."
The words landed like a blow.
Sienna felt her breath stop for a split second.
’Evidence?’ The word echoed loudly in her mind, drowning out everything else.
Evidence meant certainty.
Evidence meant proof.
And if they truly had it, then where did that leave them?
Her fingers slowly curled against her lap, her thoughts racing faster than she could control.
Because one thing was certain. If the evidence supported Angie and Anna... Then someone had gone to great lengths to make sure it did.
And right now, they were the ones standing on the losing side.
However, Sienna continues to resist believing it.
’No... no... he must be lying, right?’
Sienna’s thoughts ran in circles, crashing into each other as if they were trying to find a way out of a locked room.
’I trust Mia, she will never lie to me! I know her better than anyone...’ she repeated silently, as if saying it enough times would turn it into an undeniable truth.
Beside her, Mia looked just as shaken. Her eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted, yet no words came out. It was as though her voice had been stolen the moment the HR manager declared their findings, the evidence.
The silence in the room felt heavy, suffocating, stretching longer than it should.
Perhaps noticing the disbelief written clearly across their faces, the HR manager spoke again, his tone calm, almost too calm for the storm he had just created. "Miss Sienna, Miss Mia, I can let you both see the evidence..."
He didn’t wait for their agreement.
With a simple gesture, he signaled to the HR staff beside him.
The HR staff pushed forward the file. That simple motion is enough to make the tension in the room feel even heavier.
"You can check here," the HR staff member said evenly, as if presenting something routine. "Records of the printed document, along with the email logs... Also, print a few pictures of the CCTV footage."
Sienna’s hand moved almost on its own. Slowly, cautiously, she opened the file. Then, she feels as if her heart is about to stop beating.
Page after page, neatly arranged, filled with undeniable proof. Printed records with timestamps. Screenshots of emails. Logs that show every detail.
Her eyes moved faster, desperate, scanning each page as if hoping to find a mistake. But there was none.
And then came the final blow.
CCTV footage.
The small image printed in the report showed Anna standing in the office, handing over a document... to Mia.
Sienna’s heart dropped suddenly, as if she had missed a step on a staircase.