Her eyes locked with his, full of heat and challenge.“Well, isn’tthata lovely little tidbit,” she said crisply.“I’ll be tendering my resignation first thing in the morning.”
She turned on her heel.
It was a bluff.A bad one.She had no other job prospects, no safety net.But pride demanded shepretend.Her salary kept a roof over their heads and food in her brother’s mouth.Without it, they were done.
She took two confident strides toward the door before his voice dropped like a blade behind her.
“If you resign, I’ll have your brother arrested.”
She stopped cold.
The air rushed out of her lungs, and she slowly turned back to face him, her eyes blazing.
“You have no proof that Jasper did that,” she snapped.Her hand flicked toward the trashed office.
Even as she said it, she knew it was useless.
Saif didn’t answer.He didn’t argue.
He just walked back to his damaged desk, picked up a sleek tablet, and tapped play.
The screen came to life.
And there was Jasper, clear as day.
Fury twisting his features, spray can in hand, painting the wordcheapskateover the wall, the desk, the furniture.Ripping down curtains.Kicking over lamps.It went on and on.The footage was timestamped, high-resolution, and damning.
Jemma felt her knees go weak.
He hadn’t just vandalized a room.He’d committed multiple felonies.Breaking and entering.Destruction of private property.The amount of damage alone could land him a prison sentence.
And he was sixteen.
She stared blankly at the tablet as the video looped, then went still.Saif’s face, when she looked up, was a wall of triumph.
She swayed slightly but didn’t fall.Didn’t cry.
Instead, she inhaled slowly and lifted her chin.
“What do you want?”she whispered, her voice flat with the horror she was trying to hide.
He didn’t answer right away.
For a moment, the silence pulsed between them like something alive.
Then Saif turned away, casually tossing the tablet onto his desk.“We’ll talk tomorrow.I’m touring Sinstack Designs in the morning.”
Huh?She blinked, startled.“You’re what?”
He didn’t even glance at her.“The company’s been underperforming for years.It’s up for sale.The Overstock board was hoping to find a buyer before the employees found out.”
Jemma’s heart stopped.
Her job—already hanging by a thread—was about to disappear.There would be no references, no bridge left unburned.
Mark would never vouch for her.
Her resume would become dead weight.
