When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

Clyde looked like he was on the verge of boiling over, suppressing something fierce.

I pulled my hand away and rubbed my wrist.

"Quit the drama, you know what's up with Mack. The Aspire World project can't be delayed."

"If you don't wanna do overtime, you're welcome to cover the Aspire World compensation yourself."

I was sure, despite his frustration, he wouldn't jeopardize the work.

After all, we're talking about a compensation that could skyrocket to millions. No company would want to fork out that kind of money unless absolutely necessary.

As expected, he didn't push further, just mumbled under his breath.

"You could move to the Patterson Group offices, you know. Aren't those fancy offices big enough for you?"

"I'm just worried about screwing up, okay? Is my hard work worth nothing, only to be trashed again?"

I stared him down, already set on digging to the bottom of this matter. Otherwise, Jade would keep facing obstacles at the company.

"What do you mean? Mack got caught, didn't he?"

Clyde seemed lost, so I shook my head.

"Mack is just a fall guy. I don't know why he took the blame, but it wasn't just because he hated me."

"That night, Kayla went to the security department pretending to be you, then deleted all the footage during a so-called system upgrade. So, no clue who got into the office."

"But I'm sure, Mack was plastered. With that level of booze in him, not just him, even a bull would've hit the floor."

"And all those designs Kayla bought were under Mack's name, so she's my prime suspect."

I wanted to bring this up at the police station today, but Kayla interrupted.

Guess she's not dumb, probably made sure the security was on her side. But Clyde's still the boss, they might not all listen to her.

I figured Clyde was savvy enough to look into it.

After all, this concerns the Patterson Group's reputation. If word gets out, who'd want to work with us?

But Clyde immediately denied it, "No, she was with me that night, at..."

He caught himself, realizing he was about to say too much.

I knew the drill. What else do a man and a woman do together late at night? Playing poker?

Seeming to sense my irritation, he tried to clarify, "Kayla couldn't have gone to the Design Department that day, also she..."

"It's fine. You trust her, I'll do my own digging."

This was somewhat expected, and I wasn't too disappointed.

I just wanted to clear the air, and clear my name.

If things go south, I won't be taking the fall.

Clyde tried to approach, but I stood up.

"Drop it, no point hashing this out. Vinson, shall we call it a day?"

I didn't want to argue about Kayla anymore.

Clyde had his fair share of flings, but Kayla seemed to be in a league of her own.

Arrogant, brainless, a bully, vain...

Yet, Clyde was smitten.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

It reminded me of what Eliana once said, "Why did I fall for him? Was I blind?"

As I moved to leave, Clyde grabbed me again, this time with anger in his eyes.

"Melanie, cut the crap. You're just trying to get with Vinson! If not for him, would you have botched the Radiant Systems project?"

I couldn't shake off his grip, so before Vinson could come over, I kicked out.

Not the most dignified move, but effective. Clyde stumbled back and let go. "Get off me, it's disgusting."

I didn't spare him another glance, following Vinson to the elevator.

Heading downstairs, I eyed the nearby hotels, deciding to stay close by for Jade's sake.

Vinson seemed to catch on, leading me to the nearest hotel.

"The company has rooms here for clients year-round. You can stay here for now; it's convenient."

It seemed reasonable, so I headed upstairs.

Vinson didn't follow me to the room, but our trip to the hotel together was the talk of the town the next day.

I didn't expect Isla to be so bold.

Her previous stunt landed her a

week in detention, and now she was

after me, snapping photos of met

and V

Vinson entering the hote

She must have known Vinson left immediately, but aimed to smear my reputation regardless.

And she went all out this time, not just posting pictures of me and Vinson, but also of Clyde and Kayla.

Beside showcasing Clyde caring for Kayla in the hospital, she even used some of Kayla's social media pictures.

Her posts implied Clyde and I were each playing our games, even listing Clyde's past flings.

Of course, she didn't forget to mention Kayla was Clyde's true love.

Being a journalist, she had her ways of digging up dirt.

Several women seeking their moment

past

tions with Clyde, s tin the spotlight, claiming et

coming out of the woodwate

Amid the flood of surgically altered faces online, I couldn't remember if I had seen any of them before. Isla's posts were quickly taken down, but she reposted the same content across various platforms.

The inte never forgets, and soon major platforms picked up the story.

This time, the Patterson family's reputation was truly dragged through the mud.