Chapter 5

At 2:00 PM, Allison swiped her still-active security badge and pushed open the glass doors of the Lindsay Group's Planning Department.

She carried an empty cardboard box.

The open-plan office was loud. A crowd of employees was gathered around the center desks, laughing uproariously.

Sitting on top of a desk in the middle of the crowd was Cody Pierce.

"I'm telling you, Kason finally threw the trash out," Cody boasted loudly, swinging his legs. "She's probably sleeping on a park bench right now."

A few employees snickered.

"Honestly," Cody sneered, his voice dripping with sleaze, "the only reason a nobody like her got into this company was because she knew how to spread her legs for the boss."

The laughter peaked. No one noticed Allison standing right behind them.

Allison's face remained completely blank. She didn't reach for any makeshift weapons. Her mind shifted instantly into a tactical assessment of the room. She walked back, stepping right in front of Cody, invading his personal space with a chilling, predatory silence.

Before he could even register the danger in her eyes, Allison moved. Her left foot swept out, striking the back of his knee with pinpoint, bone-jarring precision.

Cody's leg buckled instantly. As he tumbled backward off the desk, Allison grabbed his collar, redirecting his momentum to slam him face-first into the hard floor. Cody let out a sharp, breathless scream. He clutched his bruised face, disoriented and gasping for air.

The employees shrieked and scattered in pure terror.

Cody scrambled to his knees, his face flushed red with humiliation and fury. Blinded by rage, he roared, pulling his fist back to punch Allison square in the jaw.

Allison didn't flinch.

As his fist flew forward, her left hand shot up, blocking his forearm with bone-jarring force. Her right hand snapped out, gripping his wrist.

She twisted her hips, applying a brutal, calculated downward pressure on his joint.

Cody screamed again, his knees slamming into the carpet as the joint threatened to snap. Cold sweat poured down his neck.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened. Kason strode out, flanked by three senior executives and Griffin Castro, who was visiting for a consultation.

Kason saw the chaos. He saw Allison pinning Cody to the floor.

"Allison! Are you out of your damn mind?" Kason roared, sprinting into the room.

He shoved his way through the crowd. "Let him go! You crazy bitch!"

Allison released Cody's wrist in disgust. She pulled a tissue from a nearby desk and wiped her fingers, as if touching him had soiled her hands.

Kason knelt beside Cody, checking his face. He glared up at Allison. "Call security! Throw her out! I'm pressing assault charges!"

Allison let out a cold laugh.

She walked past Kason, stepping up to the massive presentation screen at the front of the room. She pulled the black USB drive from her pocket and jammed it into the console.

She hit three keys.

The massive screen flashed. Bank records, routing numbers, and Cody's name appeared in massive, undeniable font. Two million dollars.

The entire department went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

The executives stared at the screen, their mouths falling open. They looked from the data to Cody with absolute disgust.

Cody's face went pale beneath the humiliating red welts forming on his skin. "Kason... I... it was project expenses..."

Kason stared at the screen. His chest heaved. The humiliation of having his company's dirty laundry aired in front of everyone-especially Griffin Castro-burned him alive.

Instead of turning on Cody, Kason twisted his Patek watch. He glared at Allison.

"Turn that off!" Kason shouted. "You forged these documents because you're jealous of Haylee! You're pathetic!"

Standing at the back of the room, Griffin Castro watched Allison. A spark of genuine admiration lit up his dark eyes.

"Security!" Kason yelled. "Unplug that drive and get her out of here! If you spread these lies, Allison, I will destroy you!"

Allison looked at Kason. The man was defending a thief just to protect his mistress's brother.

She calmly pulled the USB drive out. She picked up a single pen from her old desk, dropped it into her empty box, and walked toward the elevator.

The crowd parted for her like the Red Sea.

As she passed Griffin, their eyes met for a fraction of a second. A silent, deadly understanding passed between them.

Allison stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the top floor. The CEO's office.