Lionel remained silent, his face a dark mask as he stared down at him.


    "I saw how badly Ms. Woods was hurt, and I felt terrible for you. When I saw the surveince footage, I was afraid that if you heard what was said, you would me her, especially when she was already in such a state. I was worried you''d watch it, get swept up in anger, and do something you couldn''t take back. I was only thinking


    of you."


    His noble-sounding excuses did nothing to sway Lionel. If anything, the rage simmering inside him grew hotter.


    "You don''t need to say another word. Report to HR, collect your final paycheck, and leave."


    At those words, Owen''s world came crashing down. He looked up at Lionel in disbelief, his voice trembling.


    "Mr. Rosenberg, I''ve been with you for three years. I made one mistake. Please, just give me one more chance. I''ll fix it, I promise. It will never happen again."


    But Lionel ignored his pleas and turned, walking out of the office.


    Owen remained kneeling on the floor, shaking uncontrobly, a look of utter terror on his face. Was this it? Was he finished?


    Lionel drove to the hospital. As he walked into the ward, he saw Sandra hastily end


    a phone call, her face etched with the guilt of someone caught red-handed.


    "Lionel, you''re here."


    Expressionless, Lionel walked in and sat down on the sofa.


    "Lionel, the doctor said I can be discharged this afternoon. I was just calling my parents to ask them to pick me up."


    "That was Owen, wasn''t it?"


    As soon as he said it, he saw Sandra''s expression turn ugly.


    "The two of you must have worked together quite a few times. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been so quick to delete the end of the video from the USB drive without even asking you, Lioner said, histone t and devoid of emotion.


    Sandra fought to keep herposure, trying to look less panicked.


    "Lionel, I... I don''t know what you''re talking about," she said. "I know Owen, but only through you. You often gave him instructions to pass on to me but we barely ever contacted each other directly As for that USB drive, I was so injured back then, how could I have told him to delete anything?"


    She had been frantic, terrified that Lionel would find out what was on the video. She never expected Owen to show up.


    That damn Owen! He took matters into his own hands and now he''d ruined everything for her!


    "Sandra, it''se to this. There''s no point in lying to me anymore. Owen has


    confessed everything. He''s been fired. I assume he didn''t tell you the whole truth on the phone just now."


    Sandra''s face darkened even further.


    "Sandra, you did me a great service, so I tried to grant all your


    unreasonable requests. But my


    audacious. When it came to the


    arranged marriage, I asked you if


    said no


    you were willing, and you that you wanted me to be happy. So why, after I was married, did you try to destroy my marriage again and again?"


    Lionel''s brow was furrowed as he looked at her. The person before him felt like aplete stranger.