The Virelle Lounge.

Inside the VIP room, Sienna sat comfortably on the velvet couch, one leg crossed over the other, a glass of sparkling drink resting loosely in her hand.

Across from her, Mia leaned back with a relieved sigh. At the same time, Ava calmly picked at a plate of calamari with a relaxed face, as if the chaos from earlier today had never happened.

And then there was Riley, sitting like a king in the middle of it all, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just saved two careers.

Sienna narrowed her eyes at him.

"Really, Riley?" Sienna said, her tone laced with disbelief and irritation. "Are you trying to torture me with your secrecy? Tell me, tell us what evidence you gave the HR Manager?"

"Absolutely, I will tell... But not now," Riley replied without hesitation, lifting his glass with a grin that clearly showed he had no shame.

Mia was speechless. She sighed deeply before saying, "Mr. Davis, please have mercy on us. If you don’t start talking, we might lose our money in the emergency room from stress."

Ava didn’t even bother to look up from her plate. "Riley," she said calmly, chewing, "speak now, or you will be disbanded from our gang."

Riley nearly choked on his drink.

"Gang?" he repeated, coughing slightly as he set the glass down. "Since when are we a gang? And why do I feel like I’m the only one not informed about this promotion?"

"You’re not promoted," Sienna replied dryly. "You’re on probation."

That earned a soft laugh from Mia, while Ava nodded as if it made perfect sense.

Riley placed a hand over his chest as though deeply wounded. "I risked my life, my job, and possibly my handsome face, and this is how I’m treated?"

"Yes," all three women answered at once.

For a brief moment, silence filled the room before Riley let out a defeated sigh and leaned back against the couch.

"Fine, fine... I’ll talk," he muttered, though his expression still carried a hint of mischief. "But don’t expect something too dramatic. I’m not a movie hero."

"Well, you already act like one," Sienna shot back.

Riley ignored her and began, "After we found out about the incident, I had a bad feeling. Something didn’t sit right. So..." He paused, scratching the back of his head casually. "I installed a small CCTV camera near Mia’s desk."

That sentence alone was enough to make all three women freeze.

"You did what?" Mia’s voice rose in shock, her eyes widening as if she had just discovered he was secretly a spy.

Riley raised both hands in defense. "Relax! It’s not illegal if it’s for justice... probably."

"That doesn’t sound convincing," Ava muttered.

"But it worked," Riley continued quickly. "Well... partially. I did catch Anna placing a document on Mia’s desk."

Sienna leaned forward immediately, her curiosity spiking. "Then that’s it! That’s the evidence, right?"

Riley shook his head, his expression turning slightly serious.

"Unfortunately, no. That’s the problem. The footage wasn’t clear enough. I could see her placing something, but I couldn’t prove what document it was."

The excitement in the room dimmed slightly.

"So... that wasn’t what you showed the HR Manager?" Sienna asked, her brows knitting together.

Riley didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at his glass for a moment, as if replaying something in his mind.

"Well..." he finally said slowly, "someone sent me something."

That immediately caught their attention again.

"Someone?" Ava repeated, now fully interested.

Riley nodded.

"I have no idea who. Completely anonymous. This anonymous person sent an email. I tried to trace the sender, but it’s a dead end, as if the email came out of nowhere. No name, no trace, nothing. Just an email with several attachments of a complete set of evidence." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Mia gasped softly, her hand flying to her mouth. "Complete evidence? Like... everything?"

"Everything," Riley confirmed. "Email logs, original files, timestamps... even proof that the documents were tampered with. And a few CCTV clips when Anna gives you the real document. And when someone uses your computer to erase the email..."

The room fell silent.

Sienna’s fingers tightened slightly around her glass. Her mind began to race, connecting pieces that didn’t quite fit together.

"How could that person know your email? And how could they access our CCTV footage?!" she asked slowly.

"Yes," Riley replied. "But I tried to trace it. Nothing. It’s like it came from nowhere. The only thing written in the message was..." He paused, then smirked faintly. "’Good luck.’"

A strange silence settled over the room again.

Mia looked stunned.

Ava frowned slightly, deep in thought.

And Sienna...

Sienna felt something else entirely. A quiet, lingering suspicion that brushed against her thoughts but refused to fully form. ’Who would help us like that? Why?’

Riley suddenly clapped his hands together, breaking the heavy mood.

"Alright, girls! Enough thinking. Whoever that mysterious hero is, we should thank them by enjoying life properly."

He raised his glass high. "Tonight, we celebrate survival! Food, drinks, and zero stress. And—" he added proudly, "I’ll cover the bill."

No one moved.

Not a single glass was raised.

Riley frowned, confused, then looked around. "Wow, tough crowd." He shrugged and started cutting into his T-bone steak instead. "Fine. I’ll celebrate alone. More food for me."

Ava finally let out a small chuckle and leaned back. "You don’t have to pay, Riley. Let me handle it tonight."

Riley immediately shook his head. "No way, Ava. I picked this place. The bill will be terrifying. I refuse to let you regret your life choices."

Ava raised an eyebrow, amused. "Do you think I’m poorer than you?"

Riley froze for a second, then sighed. "No. Unfortunately, you are the richest among us. But still...not tonight. Save it for next time."

Ava stared at him for a moment before finally nodding. "Fine. But next time, I’m not asking."

"Deal," Riley replied, satisfied.

While they continued their playful argument, Sienna quietly leaned back against the couch. The noise around her faded slightly as she reached for her phone, almost absentmindedly.

The screen lit up, and a new message appeared there.

Her breath caught the moment she read the name.

Her heart began to beat faster, louder, as if trying to draw all her attention to those simple words.

"Hi, long time no talk to you. How’s your day?" From: Zach