The desk was cluttered with documents, but Marilyn ignored them and directly accessed Nelson’s computer.
It was locked with a dual-password system. A wrong entry would trigger an alarm, capturing her image and sending it to the staff, making escape impossible.
Marilyn’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. Her mind was blank. She had only one chance; a single mistake could ruin her completely.
Despite knowing Nelson well, she had no idea what passwords he might use.
Time passed slowly, and the sky grew darker. Marilyn’s heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t delay any longer.
Closing her eyes, she typed a series of numbers with a do-or-die determination.
She held her breath.
After what felt like an eternity, she dared to open her eyes. To her astonishment, the computer unlocked-the password was correct!
A bitter smile appeared on Marilyn’s face. After a brief moment of distraction, she quickly began typing, navigating to Nelson’s email. She scrolled through the messages, searching for their article.
Then she deleted it.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Marilyn found the article, and Nelson hadn’t opened it yet. She felt a mix of joy and anxiety, her breathing slowing down.
Just as she clicked on the file to permanently delete it, a cold voice suddenly sounded beside her, “What are you doing?”
Marilyn froze, her actions halted, her face flushed with embarrassment, unable to turn around.
Nelson… Why is he here…
How long had he been watching her?
He was supposed to be out dining…
Nelson had been sleeping in the small room behind the study since he returned and hadn’t left. Perhaps even the staff didn’t know he was still here; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let anyone in.
The man looked tired but his eyes were clear. He walked step by step behind Marilyn, forcing her to turn around, lifting her chin with his hand. Marilyn saw a just-awakened Nelson.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
Nelson removed her mask with a slight movement and raised an eyebrow, “Marilyn, this is the first time someone seduces me in a cleaning uniform.”
Marilyn’s face turned red and white with embarrassment, not knowing how to respond. She was terrified, “…Nelson… I…”
Nelson’s eyes glanced at the open computer screen before focusing back on Marilyn, “You have two choices: confess to me or be taken away by my men.”
Both options were extremely humiliating for Marilyn.
Even just waking up, his presence and pressure were suffocating.
Marilyn was smart and quickly made a decision between the two options.
“…The analysis report from Vanco sent to you had errors. I was afraid of being punished, so I came uninvited to try to fix it this way. I’m sorry.”
Nelson seemed to understand. All his sleepiness vanished as he sneered, “You know that using such means to access my domain and tamper with my things constitutes stealing trade secrets. Do you know what you’re facing?”
Marilyn restrained herself from trembling and apologized again, “I’m sorry.”
Such matters were meant to be hidden achievements; being discovered meant total defeat.
Marilyn wasn’t prepared to lose but she had indeed lost.
Nelson was clearly not a kind person. His tone was mocking, “Marilyn, you’re becoming more and more low-class.”
Such words, criticizing both her actions and work, hurt Marilyn more than any insult could.