The elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Debra stepped out into the glass-paneled lobby of Tech Haven, her boots echoing against the polished floor. Her father was already there, standing by the reception desk, arms folded, jaw tight.
"You okay?" she asked.
He nodded once. "He's in the conference room. Said he'd only talk if we met here."
Debra's stomach twisted. "Of course he did."
They walked down the corridor together, past the humming server rooms and the quiet hum of keyboards. The company was quieter than usual-like it knew something was off.
Inside the glass-walled conference room, her uncle (ex' girlfriend's father) sat at the head of the table, legs crossed, sipping from a branded coffee mug like he owned the air.
"Debra," he said, smiling. "You look well."
She didn't sit. "Cut the act."
Her father closed the door behind them. "We know what you did."
Her uncle raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific."
Debra dropped the folder on the table. "You used his name. You rerouted funds. You tried to erase the trail, but we found it."
He leaned back, unbothered. "You've always been dramatic."Aries said looking unbothered
Her father stepped forward. "Don't. Don't insult her. She's the reason we caught this in time."
Her uncle's smile faded. "You're making a mistake."
"No," Debra said. "You did."
He stood suddenly, the chair scraping back. "You think you understand how this works? You think this company runs on good intentions and clean hands?"
Her father moved between them. "Don't raise your voice."
But her uncle shoved past him, finger pointed. "You let your daughter dig through our books like a little spy. You think that's loyalty?"
Debra's heart pounded. "You forged his signature. You put our family at risk."
He laughed bitterly. "You think I did this for me? I did it to keep us afloat. To keep this place alive."
"You stole," her father said, voice low. "And you lied."
Something snapped.
Her uncle lunged-not at Debra, but at her father. A shove. A fist. Years of resentment boiling over in one brutal second.
Debra screamed, rushing forward, trying to pull them apart. The conference table rattled. A chair toppled. Her father's lip split, blood blooming red.
Security burst in seconds later, pulling them apart. Her uncle's face was twisted with fury, her father breathing hard, fists still clenched.
Debra stood between them, chest heaving.
"This is over," she said, voice shaking. "You don't get to hide behind family anymore."
Her uncle stared at her, eyes cold. "You think you've won?"
"No," she said. "I think I've started."
And as security led him away, the silence that followed wasn't peace.
.....
The conference room was a mess-papers scattered, a chair on its side, a smear of blood on the glass wall. Security had taken her uncle down the hall, and the door clicked shut behind them like the end of a chapter no one wanted to write.
Debra stood still, her breath slowing, her hands trembling now that the moment had passed.
Her father wiped his lip with a tissue, wincing. "Well," he muttered, "that went about as badly as it could've."
Debra looked at him, eyes wide. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, but his voice was raw. "I will be. I just… I didn't think he'd actually hit me."
Her mother entered then, having just arrived from a separate meeting upstairs. She took one look at the room and froze.
"What happened?"
Her father gave a tired smile. "Your in law happened."
Debra sat down slowly, her legs finally giving out. "He snapped. Said we were betraying him. That he did it all to save the company."
Her mother's face hardened. "He's always had a savior complex. But this? This is criminal."
They sat in silence for a moment, the hum of the air conditioning the only sound.
Then her father spoke again. "We'll need to go public. Carefully. Control the narrative. We can't let him spin this."
Debra nodded. "I'll write the statement. I want to be the one to say it."
Her mother looked at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Debra said. "He tried to use my silence. I want people to know I wasn't part of it."
Her father reached across the table, resting his hand over hers. "We're proud of you. No matter how this plays out."
She squeezed his hand. "I know."
.....
Later That Night
Back in her studio, Debra sat at her desk, the city lights flickering outside. Her phone buzzed.
Lean: "Heard what happened. You okay?"
She smiled faintly, thumbs moving fast.
Debra: "Shaken. But steady. You were right. I showed up."
Lean: "You always do. I'm proud of you."
Debra: "Come home soon?"
Lean: "Soon as I can. I owe you pancakes and a thousand kisses."
Debra laughed softly, the sound catching in her throat.