Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 66: The truth unfolds [3]

Chapter 66: The truth unfolds [3]

Knox went back to work after the call. Even though he was worried about Steve and Knoa’s encounter, as the child hadn’t been introduced to the former yet, he put his mind at ease in order to work properly.

However, an hour had passed already and he hadn’t yet received a message from Franz, who always informed him whenever Knox had arrived in their custody. He stopped scrolling and typed a message on his phone to send to his friend. After it was sent, he received a call instead.

Franz frantically exclaimed as soon as he answered, "What do you mean, Knox? Oh, my god! You didn’t ask me to pick him up, so I thought you did already! Is he still there? I’ll go right now!"

"Wait, Franz!" Knox butted in, confused at the beta’s reaction. "Knoa’s not there? He was picked up by Shawn’s uncle, and I told him to drop Knoa at your place. He didn’t come?"

"Sheesh, Knox, no! Are you sure that’s Shawn’s uncle? What if he gets kidnapped?!"

Knox bit his lower lip. He started to ponder why the secretary hadn’t come yet. He breathed in to calm himself. "Look, calm down. I’ll call Steve. I know him, so don’t worry. I’ll message you again. Sorry for worrying you."

"My god, go ahead, then. You scared me there for a moment," Franz responded, sounding relieved. He ended the call and Knox reached out to the secretary next.

"Yes, Sir Knox, he’s with me. I will just bring him home after your work is done," Steve said through the phone. From the background, Knox could hear his son’s melodious laughter.

He furrowed his brows and asked, "Where are you, Sir Steve?"

Silence answered him. He knew right away. He felt like the secretary had dropped a bomb inside him, exploding him into tiny pieces of raging embers. Just thinking how his son could be treated in that huge mansion where cold and unsympathetic people reside, his knuckles were already bursting from anger.

He stood aggressively, picked up his bag, and was about to inform Athan about his sudden leave when he suddenly heard another bout of spirited laughter beyond the phone. His body froze unconsciously. The tiny laughter was harmonized with occasional deep and short chuckles. Steve was on the phone with him, so there was only one person he could think of who was laughing with his son.

At that moment, all the words he wanted to shout at Steve for taking Knoa in that place without his permission were caught in his throat. It was as though a simple grunt or cough was forbidden, breaking that harmonious atmosphere felt like a crime to him.

The intercom in his office beeped and a deep voice resonated within the room, pulling Knox from his wandering thoughts, "Knox, set up a meeting with all the department’s supervisors, along with the team leaders of the design teams right now."

"Y-Yes, sir."

Athan lifted his head from the monitor and glanced at Knox beyond the glass partition with his brows knitted. From his small office, Knox was focused on sending urgent emails to all parties involved while his phone was between his ear and shoulder. He heard his voice break, was he mistaken? He brushed his worry away and continued working.

Knox, on the other hand, ended the call with Steve after ensuring that Knoa was doing fine. For once, in that moment, he trusted his father to not involve the child in their emotional warfare.

The company group chat popped up in the lower right part of his screen, asking about the agenda of the meeting. But Knox was also clueless, so he simply replied that he didn’t know. They even said that they were already in the conference room, yet Athan showed no sign of standing up in his seat.

His serious face screamed ’Do not disturb’, so Knox could only wait until Athan knocked on his door and stepped in. "Let’s go."

Knox pushed his chair and stood. Grabbing his tablet, a small notepad, and a ballpoint pen, he scurried behind the president’s long strides. Everyone called was already present. The security team inside stood after Athan took his seat and nodded at them.

A young man whose age doesn’t seem too far from Athan began explaining, "We identified the source where the culprit used to leak the file to the rival company. We ran an ability test on all technical channels within the company, the company’s network, cloud storage, etc., and it resulted in all channels being securely protected."

The team leader of the security team, the man explaining in the front, looked at the president with a serious face, "Therefore, the suspicion falls on the employees, Mr. President."

Murmurs erupted within the room. The team leader continued, "So, we checked the recent activities of all computers used by those who have access to the leaked file, and we found the source. One of the computers in the marketing department, and used by Luigi Mallory. We asked for his presence but it seemed that he took a leave."

The marketing department’s supervisor lifted his hand. Everyone turned their heads at him. "Mr. Mallory had asked for a week’s leave since his wife had just given birth. He didn’t come to work that day, Team Leader Vince. But someone did use his desk," he cleared his throat and furtively glanced at Knox who was blankly staring at the desk. He sighed, feeling reluctant to speak the truth out of pity for the young omega.

However, he knew that it would soon be revealed anyway, so he continued, "Sec. Arden was the one who used it. We asked for his help when he delivered the files the president asked him to. Since Luigi’s desk was the only one vacant, we allowed him to use it as the necessary files were already saved on that computer as well."

"Then we have the culprit," a woman who kept checking her nails while leaning laid back on her chair proclaimed. She looked uninterested in the issue and was forcefully obliged to attend as it was her job. She was the supervisor of the styling department. From her hand, she lifted her head and turned to Knox sitting a few seats apart from her left, next to the president. "So, why did you do it?"

She asked, intending to finish the discussion already.

Knox stared back at her, and spoke with emphasis to every word, "I didn’t do it."

Georgia, the styling department’s supervisor, was stunned at his blatant refusal, and then she cackled after. She sarcastically responded, "Oh, I guess that security team’s investigation isn’t as reliable as they claim, huh! Our famed little secretary says he’s innocent."

Athan tapped his finger on the table, cutting the whispers and the sarcastic remarks Georgia was about to spit. He barely glanced at her and asked Team Leader Vince directly, "So, Sec. Arden is the only suspect?"

Vince shook his head, "There are four who used them. Sec. Arden was the last person."

Athan fumed. He glared at the people stabbing Knox with their obvious accusing gazes, "Then, why are you all looking at him as though it was already determined? Keep your accusations to yourselves unless it was proven. Besides, Knox had no rea—

Knox faked a cough. If Athan takes his side, then they will only think that he’s getting out of it because of his support. He needs to prove his innocence without relying on him. Athan looked at him and he simply gave him a meaningful look before turning to the security team leader.

He asked, "If you check the recent activities, then you must have known what time the file was sent."

Vince nodded, "It was between the time you used it."

Exasperated gasps filled the room. Someone even snickered and whispered how audacious and shameless he was. They were all convinced, but Knox just ignored them and casually responded, "The email could have been sent on schedule."

"That...is something we couldn’t determine. The company mail does not specify whether a delivered message has been scheduled or not, once it has been sent from the outbox folder," Vince answered.

Rona butted in, giving Knox a confronting look, "Or it could also be sent manually, Sec. Arden. The other three suspects had been working here long before you, and yet nothing happened. Isn’t that enough indication that you’re the one who did it?"

The supervisor of the marketing department expressed his opinion, "Team Leader Rona has a point..."

Sean, the design team leader in the menswear category looked away from Knox as he agreed and remarked in a low voice, "We can’t keep such a person around."

Georgia showed her agreement as well and even suggested, "Further investigation over this will only postpone the launch more. The company trusted you, Sec. Arden, but disciplinary action won’t cut this off easily. You’re literally an accessory for design theft or maybe you’re a spy from the rival company," she turned to Athan and added, "Aside from firing him, Mr. President, we should take legal action—

"Enough!" a thunderous voice reverberated, flinching all of them seated inside the room. Athan seethed in subdued anger, he closed his eyes as his fingers pinched his forehead. With a voice laced with dismay, he spoke, "Nothing is yet proven. I will handle this with the legal team. Moving on, show your new layouts regarding the new outfit."

Knox wanted to explain further, but he couldn’t think of anything to prove his claim yet rather than firmly denying the accusations. He was determined to clear his name, yet he still felt hopeless.

Athan dismissed the security team, but even after a few minutes passed, none dared to lay their drafts on the table and on the screen, baffling Athan and Knox. The president turned to the creative director of the design department, throwing her a questioning look.

Dalia sighed. She looked at Knox coldly, then turned to Athan, "I’m sorry, Mr. President, but my team doesn’t want to exhibit their drafts for the new outfits in the presence of...Secretary Arden. We’re being cautious right now. If something like this happened, then the launch will be completely ruined. We can’t risk it, even though it isn’t proven yet that he’s the culprit."

Everyone agreed, pushing Knox into the corner.