One Night

V Chapter 120

Audrey

Leo’s grip on my arm was painfully tight as he half-dragged me through the halls, my pleas and **bs attracting the attention of nearby employees.

“I swear I didn’t-1 would never-“I pleaded, my voice choked and strained. “Please, Leo, you have to believe me!”

But Leo didn’t answer. His face was red with fury as he punched the top floor into the elevator. Only once the doors slid shut behind us did he whirl to face me, jabbing his finger at me.

“I knew from day one that you would be nothing but trouble,” he hissed, spittle flying out of his mouth. “But I decided to give you a chance, and now here you are, insulting my kind-

“Leo. I didn’t-

“Save it for Mr. Brooks,” he growled. The elevator doors slid open, and I was helpless as he dragged me toward Edwin’s office door. But I forced myself to take a deep breath, a weak attempt at calming myself.

Edwin would understand. He had to.

Leo flung Edwin’s office door open without so much as knocking, startling the receptionist sitting outside. “Sir, you can’t just

Stuff it,” Leo growled, shoving me inside.

I stumbled forward into Edwin’s office, my tear-blurred eyes suddenly burning from the sensation of warm sunlight spilling through enormous windows. The city stretched out below me, the streets bustling with activity.

A large glass-topped desk sat in the middle of the room, and little else-other than a couple of leather chairs, a side table with some files and glasses on top, and a bookshelf filled with expensive tomes and collectibles.

Edwin looked up from behind his desk, his mouth hanging open in surprise. His eyes widened as they took in my disheveled state and Leo’s angry face. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Your favorite student has gone too far this time,” Leo spat, his face red with anger. He released his grip on my arm and shoved me forward.

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but no words came out. I was too stunned, too horrified by what had happened to form a coherent sentence. Instead, I just stood there, sobbing quietly and rubbing my arm where Leo had grabbed me.

Edwin’s eyes locked onto my arm, and I saw a flicker of concern cross his face. “Audrey? What happened?”

Leo cut in before I could respond, his voice dripping with disgust. “She vandalized her own designs with anti-werewolf slurs. It’s disgusting. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years here.”

“What?” Edwin’s brow furrowed, his gaze shifting between Leo and me. “Show me.”

As Leo pulled up photos of my ruined outfits on his tablet, I watched Edwin’s face carefully. His eyes widened, and he let out

agap.

Suddenly, Edwin’s demeanor changed. He stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound that made me flinch

“How dare you?” he shouted, his voice booming in the small office. “After everything we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us? With this… this hate?”

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Chapter 120

“Edw

“That is Moks to you!

I winced at his words, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks. I had never seen Edwin this angry, especially not toward me. and.. it terrified me. My whole body was shaking, and I felt like night collapse at any moment.

“1-I didn’t-

“Leo, leave us,” Edwin commanded, his eyes burning holes into my skull. His gaze was so intense, so filled with what looked like genuine anger, that I felt like I might genuinely be sick now.

But as soon as the door closed behind Leo, Edwin’s entire demeanor changed. He rushed toward me, pulling me into a tight embrace. The sudden shift left me reeling, but I found myself instinctively leaning into his warmth, my body wracked with

s**bs.

“Edwin, why-

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I didn’t mean any of that. I would never yell at you like that. I had to make it convincing for Leo.”

I was stunned for a moment, then anger rushed through me. I pounded my fists against his chest, even as I cried into his shirt. “You b**rd,” I choked out. “You scared me half to death. How could you yell at me like that?”

“I know. I know,” Edwin murmured, not letting go. His hands rubbed soothing circles on my back. “I deserve that. I deserve worse for everything I’ve put you through But please, Audrey, let me explain. Did he hurt you?”

“My arm”

“B***rd,” he hissed, pulling me closer against his warm body. “I could kill him for that.”

For the first time in almost two months, I let myself be held by Edwin. Despite my anger, despite everything that had happened, there was still comfort in his arms. I could smell his cologne, feel the steady beat of his heart against my cheek.

When I finally calmed down and no longer felt like I might vomit from terror, Edwin guided my trembling form to a nearby chair. He gently lowered me, then dropped to one knee in front of me, placing his hands on my legs

“Audrey, I need you to listen carefully,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “When you leave this room, I want you to pretend that I fired you.

“What?” I blinked in confusion, trying to process his words through the fog.

Edwin took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been doing some digging these past couple of weeks. You remember Mr. Black, right? The CEO of Black Textiles?”

I nodded stifly, snilling. Edwin handed me his handkerchief, which I used to dab my teary eyes and blow my nose.

“Well,” he continued, “I cut ties with his company after what he did to you. And he was angry. Very angry. He knew what Linda had done to you, and he knew how.. special you are to me. So he bribed Leo to get in**a into the internship program without my knowledge.”

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. The room seemed to spin for a moment as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. All this time, I had thought that Edwin had either taken a bribe, or that he simply didn’t care that Linda was here and harassing me.

But all this time, he was trying to find out how it had all happened.

“Leo!” I breathed. “But… I thought he was a good guy. How?”

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“He was passed over fora promotion recently.” Edwin explained. He wanted to get back at me, and so when he was presented with an opportunity, he took it. And so, for the past month, Leo and Linda have been working together to torture

you.”

I sat there numbly, trying to process this information. My mind was reeling, partially from what had just happened and partially from what I had just learned. Suddenly, it all made sense: all of the turmoil this summer, all of the disciplinary measures, even the CCTV footage.

1 had a suspicion that Linda had someone on the inside tampering with footage. I hadn’t considered that it might be our

mentor.

“So… all of this was to get back at you? By hurting me?” I whispered.

Edwin nodded grimly. “I’m so sorry, Audrey. I never meant for any of this to happen. I should have seen it sooner, should have protected you better.”

“What happens now?” I asked, my voice wavering.

“I’m going to handle it.” Edwin assured me. “But I need you to play along for now. Can you do that? Can you pretend that I fired you, just until I sort this out?”

I nodded stilly, still feeling overwhelmed. “U-Um.. Yeah, I muttered, wiping my tears one last time. “I.. I can do that.”

Edwin let out a soft sigh of what sounded like relief. “It’ll be over by the end of the day, I promise,” he said gently. “Just play along, and I’ll handle everything. Do you trust me?”

swallowed hard. “I do.”

“Good”

As I stood to leave, Edwin grabbed my wrist gently. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver through me, despite everything.

“Audrey, there’s more I need to explain. About us. About everything.” His eyes were pleading. “Can you meet me tonight? In the utility closet on the 18th floor?”

I hesitated, unsure. Part of me wanted answers, desperately needed to be close to him, to hear him out once and for all. But another part was scared of what those answers might be, of being hurt again.

Edwin seemed to sense my uncertainty. “If you don’t come, I’ll understand. But I’ll be there waiting at eight o’clock, just in case. Please, Audrey. Give me a chance to explain everything.”

I left his office without committing either way, my mind whirling from everything I had just learned. Leo was waiting in the hallway with a cruel sneer on his face. Seeing him now, knowing what Edwin had told me, made my stomach churn.

“Well?” he demanded, pushing away from the wall.

I summoned my best fake tears, letting out a choked s**b. “He… he fired me,” I managed to get out, my voice breaking.

Leo’s sneer turned into a satisfied smirk. As I walked away, I heard Edwin call out, “Leo, a word.” The steel in his voice made me glad I wasn’t in Leo’s shoes.

I kept up the act as I made my way back to the design department. I could feel the eyes of the other designers on me, their gazes burning fiery holes into my head. They whispered as I passed, hateful comments that made my skin crawl.

“D***n human….”

“I told you we couldn’t trust her kind…”

“They’re all hateful. All of them.”

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If only they knew, I thought jo myself. Well, they would learn soon. But for now, I kept my head down, letting tears stream down my cheeks. I was still so stunned from the whole ordeal that the tears came easily; they had never really stopped.

ow did it go?” she asked, her

Linda looked up as I entered the design department, a smug smile playing on her lips. “Well How c voice dripping with false concem.

I let out a s**b that was only half-fake. “You win, Linda,” 1 choked out. “I’ve been fired.”

Linda’s smile widened as I gathered my things, pretending to cry the whole time. I could feel her eyes on me, watching me, reveling in my apparent downfall.

Just as I was about to leave, the office phone rang. One of the designers answered it, listening for a moment before turning to Linda.

“Linda, Mr. Brooks would like you to come to his office.

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