Jonathan's POV
I had left the file work for a few days as an order was ready to be dispatched.
Today, after a week's lapse, I was back scanning the hidden files.
I let out a deep breath..
The silence took over me.
As my eyes fell on the files and folders on the table.
I was shocked at how much Imelda was hiding from me.
I was almost afraid to open them.
I found another hidden folder in another USB drive.
This one was labelled: TRAITOR.
This was the only folder that didn't have any number or any code.
My cursor stilled.
I was hesitating for the first time ever since I began going through the files and USB drives.
It was the only folder that stood out from the rest.
And the label made it impossible to skip.
My jaw tightened as I clicked it open.
His name was staring back at me.
Daniel Staf.
Now seeing it had no code or number, it made sense.
The label itself was enough.
Flashback
"Daniel's again filed a case against us."
Imelda's voice was laced with annoyance as she was flipping through the summons.
"Same accusations as before," it was a casual ask, as I wasn't really interested at the time.
She let out a soft scoff.
"Yes," she said. "Saying Harmon Designs is copying his."
"The nerve of that man."
Present
I just brushed it off like I always did.
I never questioned..
Why did I never question her?
At the time…
My mind was busy.
Because of Veronica, I was always emotionally distant.
But…
Why was he always targeting her?
For a brief moment the screen blurred in front of me before becoming sharp again.
To me it seemed like this Daniel Staf had nerves of steel.
According to the files in front of me,
Daniel had sued Imelda more than twenty times.
Each time she sent a summon.
Each time she proved him wrong.
Then I noticed a pattern.
The lawsuits were frequent.
The timeline gaps were more shocking.
But somehow all of this didn't sum up in my logic.
If someone keeps losing a case, why would they keep on suing?
What was he up to?
Somehow, all of this didn't seem documented.
It was repeated and persistent.
My eyes moved down to the list of the designs.
Then to the clients names the designs were delivered to.
They weren't just random names.
I knew most of them.
Five of them were business families who often bought jewelry from me, and Imelda.
Some were repeat clients, while some were occasional.
I suddenly felt discomfort the moment I realized the work was overlapping with my work.
Some of them were prominent jewelry houses who occasionally took designs from both of us.
And every time—
The fact appeared in front…
Most of the designs that came from Harmon Designs, were claimed to be Daniel's.
Not the ones who sought out designs for themselves, but the Jewelry houses.
The one's Rollings Designs was directly involved in.
Flashback
I entered Imelda's office and saw her staring at a file.
The file was thick.
As I came over, sat and was about to pick the file up.
She put her hand on top stopping me.
"I'll handle this," Imelda said, as if claiming the file.
"You don't need to bother about these things."
"These things?"
This was the only time I questioned about this.
"Yes," she said. "This Daniel guy is suing us for using his designs. It's nothing. Just a small designer trying to get attention."
She threw the file into the drawer on her side.
"Dad has his lawyer on this."
Present
And that's that.
I went back to my work.
I never questioned her again.
I was curious at the time, and almost had reached for the file, but she stopped me.
I did feel odd at the time, but I never questioned her.
Every time the thick summons would come in…
I never asked again.
I never needed to.
One day I would know the summons came in.
The next time I'd know it's been dealt with.
But now on seeing these hidden files.
And recalling about Imelda.
My fingers curled around the file I was holding.
What if…
I had seen the file?
Maybe it would have led me to finding out about Veronica and I could have saved her from so much suffering.
I clenched my hand in a fist.
A person could sue once or twice, but so many times?
Was he mad or…
I sighed.
At the time I chose to believe whatever Imelda said.
I didn't even question her why she spoke so rudely to Veronica considering she was my real wife, and Imelda and I were just a compromise.
Then I opened the folder with the designs.
Again I was looking with wide shocked eyes.
As a designer, I had a sharp eye.
While designing, there are places where you need precise strokes.
At times, small strokes that a normal eye cannot see.
Another fact was the timestamp, or signature.
Every designer had his or her own way of writing a timestamp or their initial to protect their designs.
We designers have the tendency to hide out initials or signatures somewhere in the design as a copyright gesture.
And it's not just writing simple alphabets, or just signing somewhere in the design.
I even looked back into an older discarded draft.
It was a discarded design in which Imelda tried to copy my signature, but failed.
After scanning Daniel's and Imelda's designs…
One thing was crystal clear.
Imelda always put her initials as her claim on her designs, like me. She used timestamps when she would give final touches to Fredrick's designs.
Daniel also used timestamps in his previous designs.
From the designs Daniel claimed as his, and the ones Imelda claimed as hers:
Imelda's were…
Fake.
I scanned the designs by myself and used online tools as well.
The denial phase was long gone.
I stopped rechecking the designs.
Daniel's timestamps were earlier than hers.
Some months, years before hers.
The last design that Imelda stole from Daniel was two years back.
After that, he began to use his initials as claim.
It was right in front of me, I never thought of going through the files on my own.
My eyes fell on the label of the file:
Traitor
I scoffed.
Were these business betrayals?
But Imelda is the one who was copying from Daniel.
Was this a personal betrayal?
They would have to know each other more than just two people in the same field.
Another thing that came to my sight.
Was…
Imelda's designing went from beginner, middle to a workable designer.
Daniel on the other hand…
Has been professional.
The type whose hands are born for designing.
The word kept echoing in my mind.
Now, after seeing the timestamps…
I felt there was more to this than just copying his designs.
The label felt…deliberately assigned.
And now the label didn't fit him.
I was about to open another file as my secretary walked in.
"Mr. Rollings,"she said. "Mr. Daniel Staf is here to meet you."
"What?"
I said, a little surprised.
"Yes, sure," I said. Regaining my senses. "Let him in."
"Jonathan," he said, coming up from behind my secretary.
Daniel entered the office wearing a warm smile.
He looked fresh, more fresh than last time he came over.
I observed him with care, as a subtle tension did take over.
But the moment he spoke up, it relaxed.
"I thought you'd call me over," he said, taking a seat.
"But it looks like you didn't look up into anything."
I closed my laptop's screen, as I had found more than I thought I would.
But I was still skeptical.
I still didn't know the Daniel labeled as traitor in the files is the same Daniel sitting in front of me.
I looked up with a smile.
The last time we met, we decided to skip the formalities.
"Daniel, tea-coffee?"
"Tea," he said. "I always have coffee at night. I'm a late night designer."
I smiled as I went over to the side table and poured him a cup of tea while I myself poured a cup of tea.
A small silence followed us as I poured the coffee.
My eyes occasionally observe him.
This time I was more comfortable with him being here than last time.
"Here,"
I felt odd as I barely knew him, yet I was more comfortable with him around than I am usually with Imelda.
Today, in contrast to when he came before, his aura was different.
That day, he was intimidating.
Today…he felt relaxed.
It felt like he also realized the same thing.
We both are on the same page.
He removed a file out of his bag and pushed it forward.
"I need your hand on this design."
He said with a bright smile.
"I know you have this uniqueness when you design wings. Could you fix the lines?"
My eyes instantly fell on the initials in his designs.
My eyes literally zoomed in on them.
I recalled the designs in the files, and then the designs Imelda talked about.
My face relaxed.
Not in a calm way.
But a way one confirms a thing.
The initials were the same as the ones in the designs Imelda had in her files.
Meaning…
The Daniel Staf who sued Imelda…
Was the Daniel Staf sitting in front of me.
And from the design that was in front of me, I could see he had clearly improved a lot.
His eyes fell on a file so he picked it up.
It was a file I made to pen down things I found out about Veronica and Imelda.
"You finally decided to get to the bottom of things."
His voice was calm.
Too calm for something so shocking.
"You should have begun years ago."
My jaw tightened.
Why…I knew he was right.
"I would have," I said. "If I had known at the time."
He kept the file back.
What he said next shocked me to no end.
"I presume you might have found a folder labeled 'traitor, ' and my name must be in it."
"Do you think it's only because of business?"
I didn't reply, rather only looked at him.
Then…
I replied.
"No."
His gaze locked onto mine.
"You can ask her, I think you have the right to ask her."
"Ask her…" He paused.
"Why did she label me a traitor?"
"You won't tell me?"
I questioned him.
"I could, but it's best you hear her part of the story first."
He paused again.
"Then I'll tell mine."