Page 55 of Breaking
Maggie's breath hitched.
"I know you're a carer for your disabled child," Troy continued voice still level. "Is this correct?"
The game was up.
Maggie hesitated for only a second before words tumbled out in a nervous confession. She spoke of how she had conveniently 'forgotten' to pass along Jenna's calls and messages, deleted call history, and manipulated Troy's schedule to align with Lila's. It all seemed harmless at first, a little something she could do for her idol. She had provided Lila with information about his whereabouts, subtly orchestrating business trips and meetings. She had done it all under the assumption that she was helping him, giving him what he wanted.
Troy listened, his expression blank. When she finished, he let the silence stretch once more. Then, he leaned forward.
"The gala," he said, his voice quieter now. "What a circus that was. Would you like to tell me your role in it?"
Maggie hesitated. She didn't have to answer. But she knew she had already lost.
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Troy sighed dramatically. "Oh dear. I seem to have forgotten something." He reached down and pressed a button on his phone. "Mrs. Susanna Davies in HR has been listening in. My mistake. Forgot to turn that off. And, as you know, all calls are recorded. You don't mind, do you?"
Maggie's shoulders slumped. Her face paled, and her lips pressed together before she finally exhaled. "No, I don't mind."
"Good." Troy leaned back again, his gaze never leaving hers. "Now, Susanna Davies is going to join us, and I'm going to ask Mack to come in here as well. Let's finish this, shall we?"
Chapter 45
Troy
Troy sat in his office, staring blankly at his computer screen, his fingers drumming against the desk. He had handled Maggie. Now, it was time for Lila. And this was going to be much worse. He had suspected manipulation, and deceit, but what he had uncovered went far beyond office politics. If he did not handle things carefully, he was looking at a lawsuit.
His phone buzzed. HR had compiled everything he needed-emails, financial records, and the buried criminal charge. Lila had used her company expenses card to pay a reporter. And by company policy, all communications through corporate emails were accessible. The damning trail of correspondence had started with Maggie, who had known the journalist, but it was Lila who had taken control of the narrative. Maggie had volunteered her personal emails, but Lila... Lila had thought she was untouchable.
Troy pressed the intercom. "Send Lila in."
A moment later, Lila strode in, her confidence radiating like the sun. She was always composed, always in control. Troy knew she assumed she could talk her way out of anything. That assumption was about to shatter. Susanna Davies from HR was already seated in the room, ensuring that everything was done by the book.
"Sit down," Troy said coolly.
She did, crossing one leg over the other, her smile faint. "I assume this is about the ridiculous noise HR has been making."
Troy leaned back, regarding her with cold amusement. "Oh, it's not noise, Lila. It's evidence. Evidence that you funnelled company funds to pay a journalist. You paid him ten thousand pounds, Lila. Evidence that you failed to declare a DUI conviction from Australia. Evidence that, frankly, puts you in a very awkward position legally."
Lila's composure flickered. "How-?"
The door opened, and Mack stepped inside. That was the moment Troy saw it-the realization in Lila's eyes. She knew.
"You," she hissed at Mack, rising to her feet, her composure crumbling into something feral. "You told them!"
Mack remained impassive. "I did what needed to be done. You are out of control. This needs to stop."
She was seething now, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "How dare you-"
"Sit down," Troy interrupted, voice sharp. "This isn't a negotiation, Lila. You've crossed the line, and you know it."
Lila turned back to him, her eyes bright with rage and something else-desperation. "I did it for you, Troy. I have always loved you. And don't you dare deny that you've shown, in every way possible, that you prefer me over Jenna. Ever since I started here two years ago!"
Troy exhaled, shaking his head. "Lila, you were never an option. Not once. And the fact that you thought this... desperate attempt at 'winning' me over would work? It's laughable. You thought you were in control, but you were nothing more than a spectacle."
Susanna cleared her throat. "Lila, you not only manipulated business dealings, but you also deliberately spread misleading information to the press. That newspaper article you helpedmanufacture didn't just damage reputations-it irreparably impacted Troy's marriage. The fallout from your actions is severe."
Troy's jaw tightened as he leaned forward. "Do you have any idea what you did? What that article did to Jenna and me? The lies, the insinuations, the well-placed barbs? It drove a wedge between us that you knew exactly how to exploit."
Lila smirked, though her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Jenna trapped you, Troy. She got pregnant on purpose because she knew it was the only way to keep you tied to her. You are pathetic, running after a cheap whore like her."
