Meant to Collide

17. The Traitor Among Us

The tension eases as Sky finally pulls away from his intense stare at Jules, breaking the awkward silence. "Boss, how come you have dark circles under your eyes?" Jules asks, a mix of worry and curiosity in her voice.

Sky scoffs. "You really have the nerve to ask that? It's entirely because of you!"

"Because of me?" Jules gasps, visibly taken aback.

"Absolutely," Sky retorts, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You scared the living daylights out of me last night." He gives a final, cute glare before striding away.

Just then, Sophie steps up beside Jules, snapping her out of her daze. "Hey, have you seen the boss? His car's out front. Weird seeing him this early—it feels fishy," Sophie says, keeping her voice low.

Jules gulps, the guilt starting to settle in, and the two head to their desks. Meanwhile, Sky enters his office, claps his hands, and the lights come on. He drapes his coat over the chair and sits down, glancing at his reflection in a small mirror. Dark circles stare back, and a memory flashes in his mind.

In his bedroom the night before, Sky had opened a message from Jules with his usual confidence. But as he read her ghost story, he found himself glancing around his spacious, dimly lit room. The grey curtains billowed with a gust of wind, and he suddenly felt... uneasy. Trying to shake it off, he closed the window, but his mind raced. Checking under his bed, he assured himself there were no ghosts lurking. Just then, a dog howled outside, and he froze, rushing to close the door. Moments later, he grabbed a small statue of Jesus, placing it on his bedside table, muttering a quick prayer before tucking himself under his comforter.

At the office, Jules finds herself distracted, hearing Sky's irritated words echoing in her mind. Why did he say it's my fault? she ponders aloud, lost in thought.

From a distance, Ava and Ryan notice her mumbling to herself. "Jules!" they call out, startling her. "Why are you talking to yourself? You must be stressed about publishing your first article on Unity Soft's page today, right?" Ava guesses.

"Not quite," Jules replies, smiling at the mistaken assumption.

Ryan, ever the jokester, chuckles, "For a second, I thought you were possessed or something."

Hearing this, something clicks for Jules—she realizes why Sky blamed her. A mischievous smirk crosses her face.

Across the office, Sky's attention is drawn to his laptop screen. Suddenly, his expression changes, and he storms out of his office, face flushed with anger. "We have a traitor!" he shouts. "Who leaked our secrets to the competition?"

Employees exchange nervous glances, murmuring in confusion.

Sky continues, "Just minutes ago, Mr. Charles posted content almost identical to ours, and it was timed deliberately to outshine us. There's no way it's a coincidence. Someone here must have leaked it."

Tension builds in the room as Sky's gaze sweeps over his team. "Confess now, or I'll start interrogating each and every one of you."

Panicked voices fill the room, as employees begin offering excuses. "I made a small accounting error, boss, but it wasn't intentional," one admits.

"I clocked in five minutes late today," another confesses.

"I ate lunch at my desk!" says another voice, sheepishly.

Sky sighs, growing more frustrated with each unrelated confession. He leans over the table, addressing them one by one. "What about the company secrets?" he presses, eyes sharp and searching.

Realizing he's getting nowhere, Sky slumps into his chair, waving dismissively for everyone to leave—everyone, except Jules. The room falls silent as the remaining employees file out, leaving her alone with him.

Jules steels herself for whatever is coming next, as the story leaves her standing on the edge of a cliffhanger.