Jonathan's POV
Me and my hacker friend had been on it for days.
But the system just wouldn't crack.
But ever since I began going through these files, drives…
God seems to be on my side.
Today I finally managed to crack the code.
System - Unlocked.
"Wow," my friend smiled. "Looks like you won't be needing me anymore."
"Cut the jokes," I said. "It was luck."
"Hey," he called out, turning his screen towards me.
Clara Hayes.
The name was staring back at me.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
I didn't recognize the name.
But it was there in the system.
And not once, but persistent.
"I don't recognize the name." I said in a flat tone.
"Whoever this person is…"
He paused for a brief moment.
"Is a person who knows her computer very well."
"Wait," I said leaning forward.
"Could she be the transfer person?"
He moved the screen back towards him.
"Wait," he said as he was typing away at the keyboard.
"Bingo!" He said, turning the screen back at me.
My eyes were wide open.
"She's the transfer person?"
"The logs show," he said. "She handled all final transfers."
After reviewing, I found out every completed file was sent to her.
She was the one who added the timestamp, Daniel's initials, and finalized the designs.
Then after Veronica delivered them to the clients, got them signed, brought them back..
Clara Hayes authorized them for the design department, who later on made the designs.
D. S. Studios - Later on in the evening.
I packed the laptop in my bag and drove off to meet Daniel.
Considering he and Imelda had a past, I had a hint he might know who Clara is.
From my office to the building…
I kept feeling uneasy.
But the moment I stepped inside the building,
I was engulfed with warmth.
Truly Daniel's and our office's atmosphere was so different.
I stopped in front of his office.
I took a deep breath and knocked.
The door opened and my eyes met with a smiling Daniel.
I was surprised to see he actually came to open the door and greet me rather than just call from inside.
"Jonathan," he said. " It's your office. Skip the formalities. Come on in."
"I couldn't wait for tomorrow morning," I said, removing the laptop.
"I had to show you now," I said, turning the screen towards him.
"Do you know her?"
His expression remained calm even after seeing her name.
But silence fell in the room.
At first I was confused.
His smile remained…
Meant she was in his good books.
The silence that followed…
Something happened that changed the relationship.
As expected he reacted subtly.
"Clara Hayes," he said.
"Yeah, I know her."
He acknowledged her.
But I still couldn't figure out his feelings towards the name.
There was no anger in his voice.
No surprise on seeing the name.
I knew he recognized her, but it felt like he was in a flashback.
Only …
Was he recalling the time he knew her…
Or the last time he saw her, and probably ended on a bad note.
Finally, he broke the silence as his smile faded away.
Not good at all.
I looked at him with a tilted gaze.
"She worked for me back when I was a designer."
A pause.
Followed by another silence.
Clearly he was trying to find words to say.
But…
Because it wasn't that easy to tell…
Or he could think of what to say to fabricate his lie.
"She admired me."
The silence broke.
He took a deep breath.
"I thought it was the idol type."
"Later on. I found out she liked me."
"But I didn't have any feelings for her. Apart from co-workers, I had nothing for her."
He let out a small laughter.
"You know, " he said. "She didn't know a thing about designing or jewelry?"
"So she did all and any paperwork she could."
His expression changed.
From relaxed to tense.
"She'd often stay back to complete file work."
Flashback
"Clara, this is the second time you've had to be hospitalized."
"It's okay," she said. "Are you worried about me?"
"Of course I am," I said. "You're here because of my work, shouldn't I be worried?"
Her expression changed.
Her smile faded away as her eyes turned empty.
"You don't have to work so late."
Daniel said in a casual voice.
"No, I have to. I want to."
"I'm doing it for us."
Present
"That day at the hospital, I did get a hint, but I thought she's a sensible girl and would soon understand."
His expression changed again.
From sad to grave.
"I began to lock the office myself making sure everyone left."
"Thats's when she began to change."
"Her family called me," he said, continuing. "They told me she's an honors student in software engineering and is wasting her time here in jewelry designing."
"I told her about this."
"That's when she said, she wants to stay so she can be with me."
"At the time," he said. "I thought it was the right thing."
His eyes' gaze turned towards the screen or rather her name.
Flashback
"Clara," Daniel said. "You shouldn't build your life around someone."
"But I —"
Daniel cut her words midway.
"Clara," he said. "You're a nice girl. But I don't have any feelings towards you."
She held onto his hands as if pleading.
"But honestly," he said, continuing. "It's been a while since I've been able to befriend a girl."
Daniel managed to release his hands from hers.
"I'm not interested in any relationship."
Daniel's voice was firm.
But, Clara….
She went quiet.
Because she couldn't accept it.
"It's best if you find yourself another job."
He walked away.
Present
"The next day," he said with sadness in his eyes. "I received her resignation."
"She resigned cause she understood or…" I trailed off, as I wanted his story not my assumptions.
"I never knew," he said.
"Till date, I never knew."
"Did she resign because I rejected her?" he said. " Did she feel I abandoned her?"
My gaze was steady on him as I needed to read his expressions.
"I knew she didn't take it well."
"She's the transfer person working with or for Imelda." I said taking my time in the words so he could absorb the fact.
A small hurt laughter left his mouth.
"Girls," he said. "They really know how to destroy a man."
I leaned back.
Not that I was relieved I got him.
But…
That he spoke his heart.
"Clara,"
Her name sounded like a curse coming from his mouth.
"People like her," he continued. "Don't need to be convinced."
"They just need a reason to follow you."
My grip tightened across the glass in my hand.
"And Imelda gave that to her."
"Now, it makes sense why she called me at the time," he said. "She called saying she had a lawyer friend who could help."
He took a deep breath.
"I declined."
"I told her I'd manage on my own."
"Cause even if she did, I'd be grateful but still my feelings would be the same."
"She cut the call."
"Thats's the last I heard from her."
"She knew all along," Daniel said quietly.
My eyes snapped at him.
"What?" I said, confused.
"Everything," his voice sounded disappointed.
"Don't you get it?"
His words settled heavily in the office.
"She knew everything about my designs."
"How and where I added my timestamp."
"She knew what my work meant to me. She knew how hard it was for me to set up.'
"Yet…"
He paused.
"The designs. The transfers. The consequences I'd face."
A pause.
"She still did help Imelda."
He leaned back.
His expression…
Clearly that of a lost person.
"It took me four years to get myself back on my feet," he said.
"I had given up," he continued. I began working as a waiter. "I just…"
He trailed off.
"I just lived for the day."
"I didn't care about the next day…it came or didn't."
"You didn't…" I leapt forward in fear.
"No," he said with a weak smile. "I may have been down, but not to lose my senses. I'm an orphan so I never had a family. Imelda did break me, not when she left me, but when she sued me. But I made it out."
"That's when I met Isabella. She's the one who made me pick myself up."
"Jewelry designing… was over for me."
"Painting came to my mind, and here I am."
As Daniel was telling me about his past life,
my mind was elsewhere.
I realized it was more than just stealing his designs.
Imelda wasn't just manipulating Daniel or Clara.
It was intentional.
This was her choice.
She personally found Clara, who had a vendetta against Daniel.
Enough…to destroy him.
This made me wonder…
Did she use Veronica the same way?
Did she want to destroy her or me?
"Why?"
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could realize it.
Daniel didn't hesitate to reply.
"Because she wanted to hurt me, just like Imelda wanted."
"Both believed," he continued. "I was at fault."
"With Imelda, she believes I walked away."
"With Clara, I rejected her."
"With Imelda," Daniel said quietly.
"She got what she wanted."
"For a while at least," He smiled.
"What do you mean by that?"
He held onto my gaze.
"People make choices based on what they think is right or wrong."
"Imelda chose to destroy me thinking that was right."
"Clara chose to help Imelda thinking she's getting back at me."
"Me…," he said. "My first choice was to leave it all behind."
"My second choice was to begin a new life with Isabella."
"Jonathan," he said, looking straight at me.
"We can't walk away from them."
My chest tightened slightly.
As that was my scenario as well.
But suddenly I realized.
I wasn't looking for only answers.
I was now looking for a person.
A person who had probably already paid the price of betrayal.