Chapter 5 - Digital Exile
The glowing screen of Ramon’s smartphone reflected the pure panic in his eyes. He tapped frantically at the glass, trying to refresh the corporate portal, but only a generic error message blinked back at him: Access Denied. Contact System Administrator.
"What is this?" Ramon whispered, his voice trembling as he looked up at Trina. "You locked me out of the main server? That's my active project database!"
Trina adjusted the cuffs of her cream satin blouse, her expression devoid of any mercy. "It was your active project database until fifteen minutes ago, Ramon. The moment Attorney Santos filed that injunction, my administrative override kicked in. You no longer have access to any company files, emails, or intellectual property."
"You can't do that!" Ramon lunged forward, taking a desperate step toward her, but Attorney Santos smoothly stepped into the gap, blocking his path with effortless professionalism. "That project is my entire life's work! The Tokyo contract depends on those files!"
"Then I suggest you call your clients in Tokyo and explain why you won't be boarding tomorrow's flight," Trina replied coldly. She turned her attention to Lisa, who was still standing by the curb, shivering in her green sleeveless dress. "And as for your travel partner, she won't be needing her ticket either."
Lisa flinched as if she had been physically struck. Tears streamed down her cheeks, cutting tracks through her carefully applied makeup. "Trina, I swear to you, I didn't know about the company funds. I thought... I thought he was separated. I thought we were starting fresh."
"Ignorance isn't an excuse for complicity, Lisa," Trina said, her tone unyielding yet laced with a strange, exhausting fatigue. "You packed my bag. You walked into my apartment—or let him bring my things to your place—and you agreed to take my life, my trip, my place."
Lisa lowered her head, unable to meet Trina's gaze. "He told me you had already left him. He showed me empty closets."
"And you believed him because it was convenient," Trina countered sharply. "Because you wanted what didn't belong to you."
Ramon, realizing his professional life had just evaporated in a matter of seconds, turned his rage toward Lisa. "This is all your fault!" he snarled, pointing a shaking finger at her. "If you hadn't insisted on posting those pictures online, if you hadn't pushed me to make it official—"
"Me?" Lisa shrieked, her voice cutting through the night air with sudden, piercing fury. "You lied to me for eight months! You told me you were a bachelor building an empire! You used me, Ramon!"
As the two of them began to hurl accusations back and forth on the sidewalk, Trina turned her back on them. She signaled to Attorney Santos, and together they walked toward the waiting sedan.
May you like
Trina reached for the door handle, but before she pulled it open, her phone buzzed in her palm. She glanced down at the screen. It was a direct message from an unknown number containing a single photograph taken inside her own master bedroom, timestamped just ten minutes ago.
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