Chapter 225
The security guard flashed an apologetic smile, pressed the remote to exit the playback, and went all business.
“Sorry, Ms. Finley, but if you want to see footage from other floors, we need a call from management first. We’re just employees here, hope you can understand and not make things tough for us.”
Marina’s brows knitted as she replied coolly.
“Isn’t it okay if I just take a quick glance?” she asked.
The security guard shook his head. “Nope, sorry.”
Marina furrowed her brows. “If I‘
not allowed to check, then why did you let me
see it earlier?”
The security guard was stumped, unable to answer her question.
She let out a cold laugh, thinking to herself, ‘So that’s it… Someone must’ve slipped you something and told you to let me watch the footage, huh?‘ Then she said aloud, “Did someone put you up to this?”
The security guard retorted, “Ms. Finley, you shouldn’t accuse people without any evidence.”
Marina gave a slight nod, stood up with a faint smile, and said in a calm voice, “Do me a favor and tell that person to cover their tracks. Wouldn’t want me catching them slipping up.”
With that, she turned and walked out of the security room.
Once she was out, she immediately texted Kara, asking her to hook her up with a private investigator who could track someone’s location in real time.
They made me sleep in the bathroom, so of course I’m going to make them pay for it, Marina thought to herself.
Marina returned to her desk, sat down, and fired up her computer. She double–checked the data analysis report she’d worked on yesterday, making sure everything was spotless.
‘They’re smart. I’ll give them that. They know better than to mess with my work, Marina thought to herself.
Their little stunt hadn’t actually hurt her in any real way. Even if she reported it, it’d probably just get swept under the rug.
After shutting down her computer, Marina sat quietly, waiting for the first colleague to walk into the office.
Sure enough, just after eight, the first colleague arrived.
As soon as she stepped inside, her eyes immediately landed on Marina
When Marina looked up at her, she hesitated for a second.
“Good morning,” Marina said.
Marina greeted her with a smile.
While reviewing the security footage earlier, Marina had made sure to remember what the last few people leaving were wearing and their overall style.
This colleague was still rocking the same suit from yesterday, and there was a smudge of lipstick left on the collar of her
white shirt.
Daron was a stickler for appearances, so he held everyone in the executive office to the same high standards, especially those
HOME
Chapter 225
Jan 27
working right under his nose.
That lipstick mark on her collar was so obvious, there was no way anyone could’ve missed it, unless she hadn’t gone homme at all last night.
The Zamora Group’s office building had plenty of high–ranking executives, but only the top brass had private lounges in their offices.
Other than Arnauld, Marina hadn’t crossed any of the Zamora Group’s higher–ups.
‘No wonder the security guard wouldn’t let me check the footage from other floors, Marina thought to herself
“Good morning,” the colleague said, her voice polite.
She gave a faint smile, but it was tinged with disappointment.
Obviously, whatever she’d been hoping for didn’t happen.
Marina gestured to the collar of her shirt with a smile.
“Looks like you’ve got a lipstick mark on your collar,” she said.
The colleague glanced down, spotted the stain, and her brows furrowed in frustration.
Marina smiled and teased, “Didn’t make it home last night? Still in yesterday’s outfit?”
Her expression flickered with surprise, but she dodged the question and hurried off to her office.
Marina arched her brow, a sly smile playing on her lips. She already knew what was up.
‘If I’m right, Marina thought, ‘the next person to walk in will be the one who left right after me last night. The security footage shows they’re totally in the clear. No way they’d be a suspect.‘
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, that colleague showed up in the office.
When she saw Marina sitting at her desk like nothing had happened, there was a subtle look of disappointment in her eyes.
She didn’t even glance Marina’s way, just went straight to her own desk, not interacting with her at all.
A subtle smile tugged at Marina’s lips as she checked her phone. Kara had already sent a few texts, all wanting to know what happened.
She knew Kara wouldn’t let it go until she got the whole story.
Kara said: [Got bullied at work and ended up spending the whole night locked in the bathroom.]
Kara fired off a bunch of rage emojis, then shot over: [So, what are you gonna do about it?]
Marina replied: [Give them a taste of their own medicine, obviously.]
Kara sent an “OK” emoji, basically saying she’d take care of it.
Kara was always the queen of mischief, and with business slow lately, she’d been climbing the walls at home. Now that someone was messing with Marina, there was no way she wouldn’t jump right in.
In just one day, Marina pulled off two schemes targeting both of them.
She had some long–lost classmates reach out and invite each of them separately to dinner at an upscale restaurant.
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Chapter 295
Right after the food hit the table, those classmates slipped away to the restroom and never came back, ditching them withi
the check.
Marina and Kara were upstairs, watching as the two girls stayed totally clueless about what was coming, just busy slapping photos of the food and editing them for their Instagram.
Kara grinned. “You called it. These two are real food addicts.”
Marina laughed. “If they weren’t so obsessed with food, they wouldn’t still be holding a grudge against me over just one meal.”
They waited for about half an hour, but their classmates still hadn’t come back.
Watching them keep texting, their expressions growing more and more strained.
Seeing them visibly panicked, Marina and Kara shared a smile.
Both of them had gone all out with their outfits for tonight, trying their best to play it cool and not let anyone see how nervous they really were.
By this time, most of the customers had already left the restaurant.
Kara waved over a staff member, leaned in, and said quietly.
“Go let those two girls know we’re about to close, and while you’re at it, print out their bill and hand it to them. Give them a nudge to settle up,” she said.
The staff member did exactly as Kara instructed.
When the bill landed on their table, both girls looked super uncomfortable. The one who’d locked Marina in the bathroom dragged her feet, making an excuse about needing to hit the restroom again.
The other just paid with her card and got out of there.
As soon as the girl headed into the restroom, the door got locked from the outside. With a signal jammer installed, her phone was dead weight. She couldn’t do a thing, totally cut off from the outside world.
About half an hour earlier, Kara had already asked a staff member to snap a pic of the “Out of Order” sign Instagram, just in case the girl tried to stir up trouble later.
and
post
it on
Marina played a creepy recording right outside the bathroom door.
Kara reached up and flipped the breaker, killing the lights in the restroom.
The instant the lights went out, both Marina and Kara heard frantic cries for help from inside the bathroom.
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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.
