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In the end, Daron didn’t call Elnora himself. Instead, he handed the whole thing over to his assistant in the country
The assistant was quick to act. He called the Finley family, asked about Marina, and then reported back to Daron.
“They said Ms. Finley was worn out from work today. After dinner, she went straight to her room and turned in early, the assistant said.
“Got it,” Daron said, his voice indifferent, before hanging up.
Garret lay on the hospital bed, shifting uncomfortably before hesitatingly speaking up.
“Daron, love isn’t a game. It’s not about winning or losing,” she said softly.
Daron didn’t respond. His deep, dark eyes gave nothing away.
Garret parted her lips, about to say more, but Daron stood up from his chair,
Garret immediately raised her hand to shield her face.
“Don’t hit my face,” she said.
Daron gave her a look like she was out of her mind and said in a low voice, “Get some rest. I’m leaving.”
Garret just said, “Oh,” and muttered something under her breath.
“I thought you were gonna beat up an injured person,” she mumbled.
Daron looked down at her and let out a cold snort.
“You couldn’t even take me when you were in one piece. Why would I need to kick you while you’re down?” he said.
It was a blatant jab.
Garret silently flipped him off in her mind.
****
Marina slept straight through until dawn.
When she woke up, the sky was just starting to get light. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and saw that Daron had called her last night after she’d already turned in. She just stared at the screen, a bit surprised.
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She didn’t call him back right away. Instead, she opened their messages to check if he’d sent her any work–related notes.
Seeing that the last message was still from yesterday, Marina scrolled through her phone for a bit, then set it aside. She decided not to call Daron back after all.
Her sister had already given up her own happiness to marry Albert Campbell for the family. How could she just think about herself?
It was better to keep things between her and Daron just the way they were.
For the next few days, Marina was out the door before dawn and didn’t get home until late at night.
Ever since she started in the CEO’s office, every morning she’d walk in to find her desk piled high with unfinished analysis reports that needed to be submitted, along with annual business plans that still needed to be analyzed.
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Everyone in the office was swamped.
Since Marina had just joined Zamora Group and was working on analysis reports, she couldn’t afford to mess up a single number. For days on end, she was dreaming about data.
Thank goodness, the annual business analysis report was about to be ready.
She just needed to work overtime tonight at the office, and she’d have it finished.
By ten o’clock, Bella, who sat across from her, couldn’t hold out any longer.
She let out a big yawn, checked the time, got up, and whispered to Marina. “Marina, you’re still here?”
Marina glanced at her progress and shook her head.
“Just need a little more time,” she replied.
Even if the analysis report was only shown in internal meetings, it was still super important.
Plus, everyone knew she’d been personally recruited by Daron to join the Zamora Group. If she made a mistake in the data while presenting at an executive meeting, her competence would be called into question.
So she couldn’t afford to make even the tiniest mistake.
After replying to Bella, Marina buried herself back in her work.
By the time she finally finished the analysis report, it was already past midnight.
Everyone else in the office had already left.
The last fellow night owl had slipped out before Marina even shut down her computer.
Since she and Marina weren’t close, she left without saying a word.
Marina shut down her computer, stretched, and got up to use the restroom.
The restroom for the Zamora Group CEO’s office was tucked away in the far corner, right next to the leftmost emergency exit. It was super discreet and blended right in with the office’s modern vibe.
As soon as Marina stepped into the restroom, she heard a noise coming from the door behind her.
She frowned, her eyes flashed with unease. She immediately tried to push the door, but it wouldn’t move an inch. It was clearly locked from the outside.
Marina banged on the door, yelling angrily, “I don’t care who you are! Let me out right now, and I’ll forget this ever happened!”
No one answered. All she heard was someone rushing away outside.
Marina pressed her fingers to her brow, reaching for her phone, only to realize she’d left it back on her desk.
There was no one left in the office when she went to the restroom.
Marina let out a quiet sigh, her eyes growing colder.
Even if she screamed her lungs out, no one would hear her.
At first, she tried banging into the door, but all she got was a sore shoulder and a door that wouldn’t budge.
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Marina let out a long, frustrated sigh and had no choice but to give up.
She sat down on the toilet lid, exhaustion written all over her face.
She suddenly wished she’d grabbed a bigger lunch.
Then maybe she wouldn’t be sitting here freezing and starving.
Long, quiet nights like this were pure torture.
Marina was locked in the restroom all night long.
Early the next morning, the cleaning lady came in at six and spotted that one of the restroom doors had been wedged shur with a wooden stick. She looked puzzled and walked over to check it out.
Marina snapped awake from dozing and called out. “Is anyone there?”
The cleaning lady was startled, then hurriedly pulled the stick out of the door for Marina.
“Wait, you were really locked in here all night?” The cleaning lady stared at Marina, eyes wide in shock.
Marina just nodded, murmured a quiet thanks, and slipped out of the restroom. At the sink, she fixed her hair and straightened her clothes, making sure she looked presentable.
Since she hadn’t cried or lost her cool, her makeup hadn’t even smudged.
She quickly tidied up her hair, went back to her desk, checked the time on her phone, and then headed to the security room to check the surveillance cameras.
A few minutes after Marina entered the restroom last night, the colleague who had left earlier came back into the office and turned off the lights.
After that, she got into the elevator and left.
Every second of her night was on camera. She never vanished from the footage, not even for a split second. It was a flawless alibi.
Marina stared at the surveillance footage, her eyes turning icy.
If she had a flawless alibi, that could only mean she wasn’t working alone.
Marina reviewed all the security footage of her leaving Zamora Group, but there was no trace of anyone else.
Her actions were totally routine. She left Zamora Group, grabbed a cab, and headed home.
They covered for each other perfectly. Even if Marina was suspicious, there wasn’t a single clue she could pin down..
Still, if someone really pulled this off, how could there not be a single piece of evidence left behind?
Marina bit her lip, and just as she was about to pull up footage from the other floors, the security guy stopped her with a hand.
She looked up at the security guard standing next to her, her eyes full of confusion.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
