The Playboy's Crush By Deborah A. Olaleye

TWENTY ONE

Shane called Claire to his office first thing as he got to work in the morning. He had arrived earlier and had told Claire she had better resumed before he did.
Wesley was there as well to report to him as soon as he sat in his desk chair.

"Well?"

"The IP address was traced to Claire Whitmire."

"Claire," Shane repeated dryly, his eyes burning with smoldered rage.

Wesley nodded in confirmation.

"The bug in your office has been detected and removed by the security team earlier in the morning and that goes without saying who planted it there.

The video has been pulled down and its distribution is being tracked on social medias and other online platforms to ensure it doesn't resurface or go viral," Wesley reported. "However, something seems to be off with the address the leaked video was tracked to."

Shane furrowed his brows.

Wesley was about explaining further when Claire walked in.

"I'm sorry." She fixed her gaze to the floor, unable to raise them, twiddling her fingers in anxiety as Shane looked at her with an icy calm.

Shane gestured to Wesley that he could take his leave and once he was out of earshot, he said through gritted teeth, "You had the guts to plant a bug in my office."

Claire shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I apologize..."

Shane hissed, cutting her off her statement. "An apology won't cut this, Claire."

She raised her gaze to meet his, her eyes clouded with tears. "I didn't post the video. I swear I didn't."

Shane scoffed. "All evidence points to you and now you are denying it in my presence. You are testing my patience, Claire. I might have overlooked your attraction to me... Now that I'm thinking about it, I should have relieved you of your job since. Perhaps I could have averted this nasty situation from occuring. I thought I hired a smart and efficient woman not an incompetent fool swayed by the influences of her emotions."

At that, Claire cried out in a sob, "I said I didn't upload the video. Andrea!" Her eyes flashed in recollection. "Andrea must have done it against my knowledge."

"Andrea?" Shane's eyes narrowed as he recalled who that was. "She was involved in this as well?"

Claire nodded amidst tears. "I only threatened Lara in the restroom about my awareness that she was sexually involved with you.

Andrea had been listening to our conversation that day so when Lara left, she approached me and asked what I knew. I showed her the video."

"And let me guess, you gave her the video when she requested for it as well."

Claire sniffed, lowering her gaze again. "I was barely thinking. I was too blindened by my rage and jealousy that you had to be involved with her of all, when you strictly refrained from pursuing a relationship with any of the other female staff who were attracted to you.

Why should she be any different? What does she have that I don't?" She gnashed through her teeth as she demanded heatedly from him.

Shane maintained a calm composure nonetheless, arching an eyebrow while boiling inside with fury at her indignation and audacity. " Are you seriously asking me that now?" He seethed through his teeth, his voice tinged with as much fury and irritation simmering underneath his cool facade.

Claire sucked in her lip ring. "I admit I was wrong to set a bug in your office but I didn't post that video.

Andrea told me she had a plan to bring Lara down so we could both have the men we wanted. It sounded like a fair deal to me."