The phone slipped from my fingers and fell softly onto the carpet. Damian's picture, with the date and time, seemed to make fun of me from the bright screen. A cold, hard knot formed in my stomach, much worse than the fear I felt about Bianca earlier. That fear was about a business fight; this was about a terrible personal mistake. I was so sure. So completely, sadly, stupidly sure.
The public shame I thought I had given him was nothing compared to what I had just done to an innocent man. Damian's face, shown on TV for everyone to see, was now stuck in my mind. It was a sign of my own blind anger and strong wish for revenge. I hadn't wanted fairness; I had wanted to get even. And by doing that, I had become an unwilling tool in Bianca's much darker game.
The cleverness of Bianca's plan hit me hard. She hadn't just stolen my ideas; she had used my past pain as a weapon. She knew about Damian's betrayal from before and knew how much it had hurt me. She had set a trap, not just for my information, but for my good sense, my feelings. She had counted on me seeing Damian's face in that blurry picture and reacting exactly like I did.
And I had walked right into it.
I stumbled to my desk, my mind racing. What had I done? How could I fix this? The news was still buzzing, mostly about Bianca's fall and my company's success. But underneath it was the picture of Damian, the "traitor." I had to act, and act fast.
First, Liam. He had only followed my orders, and his technical work was perfect. He couldn't have known I was being tricked. I called him, my voice tight.
"Liam, get back to the office. Right now. And bring every piece of that IT room video you have. Every single part."
His voice on the other end was happy, still feeling good about our "win." "On my way, Ms. Hilly! What an amazing win! We totally beat them!"
"Just come," I cut him off, unable to hide how sad I felt. "It's not what we thought."
Next, Damian. My heart ached at the thought of facing him, of telling him about my awful mistake. But I had to do it. I had to apologize, to explain, to try and fix the harm I had caused. I wasn't sure if he'd even talk to me. After all, why should he? I had just ruined his reputation on live television.
As I waited for Liam, things started to make sense horribly. Bianca wasn't just after "Guardian Shield." She was after something much bigger: control. If she could frame Damian and make me look like I had carelessly accused an innocent man, it would hurt my trustworthiness even after she was exposed. It would cause confusion, doubt, and give her a chance to maybe say I was unstable, or even that my "stolen" technology reveal was somehow faked. Her goal wasn't just to win; it was to completely destroy.
I looked at the IT room video again, this time with new eyes, taking away my strong feelings. The person in the hoodie. The way they moved. It wasn't just not Damian; it was on purpose. Someone who knew the layout of the IT room, the exact angle of the camera, and the precise moment of a system problem. This wasn't just a random hacker. This was someone from inside, or someone who knew a lot about Hilly Enterprises.
The truth had exploded, yes, but its real target hadn't been Bianca. It had been me. And Damian was just hurt in a game I was only just beginning to understand.