Jonathan's POV
Harmon Designs
After Daniel left, I couldn't wait any longer, and drove off straight over to Imelda's office
My head was held high, not that I usually didn't but today my head was held high cause I was ready to confront Imelda.
Something I had never done before.
The folder in my hand was heavy.
On my way over, I ignored the traffic.
I even ran over two red lights.
As I was walking over to Imelda's office,
Daniel's and Veronica's faces kept flashing before me.
My jaw was tight, and my heartbeat was fast.
Not from the weight of the papers, but the weight of reality it held.
Every step I took echoed against the walls like drumming calling for war.
Daniel's voice kept running in the back of my mind as I moved forward.
"Ask her."
His voice just wouldn't get out of my mind.
My grip tightened on the folder in my hand.
I went straight in without knocking, pushing the door open.
Even as I barged in, Imelda kept on scribbling on the paper before her.
She seemed to not notice I came in.
Her office was neat, yet suffocating.
I could even hear her pen scratching in the silence of the office.
Seeing her pretending, my irritation was boiling up.
Imelda forgot the time I wasn't with Veronica, I was with her.
And, I have a canny habit:
Able to read people.
Veronica was honest and open like a book.
Whereas Imelda,
She had layers around her.
Always in control.
With Veronica, if I could have gotten only a week straight, I would have known.
With Imelda, most of the time, breaking her layers wasn't that hard.
But the reality…
I wasn't bothered about what, where, who she does.
She knew about this, yet…
Imelda was pretending not to be bothered by my entrance.
The reason she kept scribbling away.
She didn't even look up as she spoke.
"You're early," she said, placing a paper on the side.
Her face was calm.
As if everything was normal.
"I don't recall we have a meeting today."
So she forgot, or is pretending what I said last time is under the carpet.
Means…
I'm still under her control.
"Meeting?" I scoffed. "I think you forgot, I told you last time I won't have any concern with Harmon board meetings and you won't have any concern with Rollings meetings. As I'm not your board member, and you aren't mine."
"But I'm not here to discuss our board members list."
I pulled the chair back and sat without waiting for her.
My composure was controlled, not explosive.
I needed answers.
Imelda was the last person who spoke under threat.
"Daniel."
One word:
She gripped the pen tighter, barely visible.
Her face flexed for a brief moment.
Her breath paused, as her fingers stiffened.
She opened her mouth, but stopped as no word came out.
This was my first.
Imelda having trouble finding words to speak.
Then she continued,
without looking up.
"He's a nobody, don't bother with him."
I pushed the folder towards her.
It slid across the surface and fell into her lap.
The word was staring back at her:
TRAITOR.
This time…
She looked up.
She picked the file as it bit her and threw it back at me.
She began to lose her composure, and her body began to tremble a bit, barely visible.
Now I was certain, she was hiding something from me.
"This was in a USB—"
I cut her words.
"Well, now it's physical."
Her hands were trembling.
Composure…cracked.
Sweat droplets were forming on her forehead even in an air conditioning office.
Her eyes sharpened…smiles faded away.
"Where did you get this USB?"
Her voice was calm.
No anger.
No fear.
Something odd.
Careful…calculative.
My focus was only on Imelda.
On her every move.
Her every gesture.
"Why is his name in every project of Fredrick?"
I paused.
"Why is he labelled traitor?"
Pause again.
"He stole your designs, that makes him a cheater, not traitor."
"You said he was the one who was copying,"
I leaned forward.
My voice was steady.
Too steady, even she paused for a brief moment.
I spoke again.
"You said he was the one copying your designs,"
I leaned in a little more.
"Why do his designs have earlier timestamps, some months, years earlier?"
"Some…" I trailed off a bit, as I leaned back.
"Initials, clearly copied from his style."
"Care to explain."
Imelda regained her composure.
As expected of her.
She took a deep breath.
"Don't just believe any data that comes your way."
Her tone softened…strategically, calculative.
Her ever so perfect manipulation pattern.
She did her best to regain her composure.
"You know data can be manipulated."
"You never interest yourself in legal matters."
"That's why you don't understand these legal procedures."
I leaned back into my chair.
"Explain."
"Well, there's nothing to explain."
"Jonathan, this…all of this is just incomplete information."
She leaned back.
And looked calmer than before.
She crossed her arms.
Her gaze held mine.
"Jonathan, you're way smarter than this."
"How could you let a USB drive derail you?"
"Okay," My emotions were exploding.
But I controlled my anger and didn't shout loudly at her.
At least not now.
The words came out sharper than I intended.
"Explain why he's the only one suing you and Fredrick for copying his designs."
I pushed the folder over to her again.
This time I placed my hand hard on the file.
"…Some designs were even sold under Rollings Designs. My company, not yours."
Silence fell in the room.
This was a personal violation.
If it came out,
Not only would my reputation be at stake,
But my business integrity as well.
And, I never knew anything about this.
She was using my company for her own agenda.
Silence fell in the office.
Again another crack in her composure.
Her voice also changed from being calm to defensive.
Then…
"Fine."
One word…heavy…yet quiet.
Too quiet as it held a lot of meaning.
"The truth….that's what you want to hear, right?"
She leaned back.
"It has nothing to do with designs."
"He robbed me."
"I met him…I was young."
"I trusted him…all girlfriends do."
"A mistake all young girls make…"
"And regret."
My chest tightened.
"He left with my money and jewelry."
I frowned.
Even though her voice was steady.
I couldn't feel trust in her voice.
My logic said she was betrayed. He knew even if he didn't tell, she would bring cash and jewelry.
He'd run off.
Instinct from what I know after meeting Daniel, said elsewise.
He didn't want her money…at all.
Even if he did leave her, he had a reason.
Why…
Her words didn't align with her tone.
She knew something, maybe after he left, but isn't telling me.
"You never questioned Veronica like this…"
She faked wiping her eyes.
"I never had to."
I leaned forward.
"She never did anything that would make me question her. Rather she was the one who was supposed to question me."
Her expression changed.
As if she herself wasn't sure what she's saying is really the truth.
Like even she wasn't sure what she was saying was the truth.
"He robbed me, and…" she said again.
I looked at her.
"What?"
"He left me," Her voice hardened.
"I even left father for him," she said.
No tears in her eyes.
No remorse in her voice.
"I left everything for him."
I relaxed a bit as now I knew.
Daniel wasn't a business rival.
He was a personal rival.
I clenched my fist in anger.
I was disgusted at how she used me and my company for her vendetta.
My eyes narrowed as she sat composed.
"Yes," she continued.
"It was never about his designs."
My chest tightened again.
"Don't tell again he walked away, robbed you stuff."
Normally,
I should sympathize with her.
But after what she's done to Veronica,
She's lucky her face is white.
"That's all there is."
"He betrayed me."
"Harmon Designs only daughter?"
"He told me he would be bigger than father."
"He said he didn't need money."
"Rather I was the one who took some cash and my jewelry along with me."
"The next morning, gone."
A small humorless laugh slipped her lips.
"He thought he would just leave me sleeping."
"Walk away, begin a new life as if he never met me."
"I also lived on," she said in a steady voice.
"Only I made sure he lives with consequences."
My stomach tightened.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I made sure he never forgets me."
She paused.
I took the time to interpret what she meant.
Emotionally:
She wanted him to remember whom he betrayed.
Logically:
She was obsessed with him, he might have found out.
Or, what she's good at:
Control.
He didn't want to be controlled anymore.
I broke the pause.
"So, you found out he's also in jewelry designing and began copying his."
"With Fredrick's money, you always won."
The room suddenly felt colder than it should have.
This wasn't a mere misunderstanding.
It was a pre-planned business strategy.
In plain words…
This was a planned theft.
A manipulation.
And Veronica was involved as she was the one who delivered the designs late at night.
Now my anger shifted from confusion to clarity.
It was deliberate, and I knew who was behind it.
And who was only a pawn.
"Jonathan, you're overreacting," she said in a calm voice.
"Everything I did…taking his designs…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…was for us."
I laughed inside.
"For us, when I didn't even know anything about him or his designs."
"From the beginning she knew she was nothing more than a responsibility for me. Do something for me, would be to let go. Not use my company and my customers."
Now…
She made me doubt what 'us' meant for her.
Because it more sounded like fulfilling my anger.