The Reason Why

Chapter Nineteen - Falling for You

The meeting was finally adjourned with no concrete solution. But one thing for sure was Ethan was going to hunt this traitor for breaching the non-disclosure contract through further investigation with his team. However, deep down I was quite grateful that this is my first day of internship, meaning to say, we were free from potential suspicions or free from being made scapegoats.

"You knew it was Ethan!" I hissed at Mike out of earshot, purposely taking a few steps back behind the others who were heading towards the elevator.

"God, Kim, I tried to tell you. But you didn't seem to get it!"

"Ugh! When???" I was super flustered.

"Earlier today! Remember we were staring like morons at the launching of Helix-03 from afar? When Rebecca was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over your Ethan as he dropped by to say hello as he headed towards his meeting?"

I jabbed at Mike, "First of all, he is not my Ethan. Second, not a single fucking soul should know about whatever is going on between us. Got it, Michael Adams? Third, don't blame me for being short 'cause another random tall guy blocked my view from seeing Ethan this morning!"

"Well, it's not so bad you hit a golden jackpot," he smirked, "Besides, you're a cute shortie. I can tell when a guy finds you attractive, like someone important today who couldn't take his eyes off you throughout the whole meeting."

My face glowed pink, "Shut up. Or I'll stomp on you on your feet, dumbass!"

"I'll stomp on your feet, dumbass," he mimicked my voice mockingly and stuck his tongue out at me.

This is going to take forever.

"Well I hope Pip is going to be okay," I immediately shifted the topic on purpose.

His goofy expression turned sour.

"I don't know," he said bitterly, "Seems that she won't be coming home tonight. She's the type of person who refuses to lay back when issues are still brewing in her department. Last year, she didn't return home for a week straight when there was another problem in the RnD. God, she was a zombie on the doorstep."

Suddenly I felt bad for making Mike worried about his sister.

"Kimberly! Mike!" Esme gestured us to join them into the elevator.

Both of us followed suit just in time.

My heart leaped at the glimpse of Ethan conversing with the other executives from afar–his suit neatly pressed, sculpting his graceful frames. The boss of my boss. As the doors of the elevators closed swiftly, I caught his gaze on me.

***

"This is a disaster," Rimbo shook his head grimly, his coffee turning cold on the wooden table in the middle of the room.

"Yes it is. Our Youtube, X, and Instagram are flooding with negative comments and messages from global users," Vivian sighed, "Our subscribers and followers are starting to decrease."

"Three hours is the ideal duration for us to counter this false allegation," Esme added, "As always."

"How much time do we have left?" Rimbo inquired of Bennet, the spymaster.

"Two hours," Bennet supplied.

"I could disable the comment sections for several of our platforms," Vivian offered.

"No," Rimbo shook his head, "It would put us in a more vulnerable position. Or worse, it would portray us as if the allegations made were true. At this point, we need to release a statement on all platforms informing that the veracity of this claim by Red Star is still under our investigation – and I will consult this matter with Everett and Chaniago ASAP. I don't think the culprit would be caught in under two hours. Hence, this is what we can do at the moment."