Trapped in Chain Love
Indecency.

...Elise could not answer anything but an apology, she cursed her own negligence. He should have been more careful, he should have been more thorough, he should not have lost it....

...————...

"Nothing"

Elise ransacked the contents of her bag to look for small objects that she believed were already stored there. Twenty more minutes of meetings will start, so Elise is back to preparing everything for the smooth meeting—but the most important thing she is responsible for has disappeared at this time.

"How's this? I'm sure I kept it there."

He's panicking. Time continues to run while the flash contains material for the percentage has not been found, he can not ask for help to others but if it continues like this then it is certain the meeting will run chaotic.

"Elise? What's up?"

Elise turned around, looking at the figure of Nicolas approaching her.

"I'm sorry, I came in right away because the door wasn't locked. What are you looking for until you panic like that?"

"I—searching for the lipstick I just bought, it looks like it's gone haha"

Lies. Elise is unable to tell Nicolas her negligence, she is afraid to upset him and does not want to see his reaction when she finds out that he lost the flash.

Unsuspecting Nicolas believes him, he asks nothing more and leaves the hotel room.

"We need to get ready. The meeting will start soon, spirit"

He even encouraged Elise, making her heart feel uncomfortable because she had lied to Nicolas.

Elise returned to search after Nicolas had left, but how hard he searched for the object he could not find. Strange—when Elise sure has saved it properly, but why is it missing now?

"I don't have much time."

Just twenty minutes before the meeting starts, if Elise doesn't find her then she has to be honest with Julian and Nicolas, even though that will get her in trouble.

Eliminating the results of everyone's hard work is a bad thing, Elise condemns her own negligence—ia blames herself for eliminating that important object.

Now he has to endure the consequences, confessing to Julian which means screwing things up.

"Elise? You haven't left yet?"

Elise tense. Just this time he was afraid to hear Julian's voice, the man had only come after talking to Fiona—from Fiona's already somewhat friendly expression, it seemed like their conversation was going smoothly.

Fiona also entered the room with Julian, she looked at Elise with an indifferent gaze.

'It's okay Elise, you can do it'

He took a deep breath before answering Julian's words. Calm himself and accept whatever reaction Julian gave, even though he was scolded all-out or slapped even though he would accept this—toh was indeed his fault for being negligent.

"Mr Julian, sorry, I lost it"

Julian scrunched his forehead in surprise, not understanding Elise's words while Fiona looked at him with an angry look.

"Don't you remove the flash containing data for the present percentage!?" Fiona. Guessing precisely made Elise stiffen in place.

Elise turned her face away, staring at whatever origin was not Julian's hardened expression preparing to vent her anger.

"True, I lost it. Forgive me—"

Plaque!

Fiona slaps Elise right on the cheek. Bruising the former slap this morning was not healed, now the bruise is getting worse again.

The pain began to feel, but Elise did not sound anything and just accepted it.

"Fiona, stop. Stop slapping him"

Julian held Fiona's hand that was about to throw another slap.

"But!—dia has already eliminated that important thing! Meetings with potential investors will fail because of him!"

Her voice rose by several octaves, too angry because of Elise's negligence to their detriment.

Julian was still silent, saying nothing like judging Elise. Maybe outside he looks calm, but actually he is currently struggling with his own heart.

Fiona said right. Meeting with potential investors at this time will fail because Elise eliminates the flash, and Julian has absolutely no solution to solve this problem.

Moreover, these were projects given by his father, what would Benjamin say when he knew his favorite son-in-law would even make a mess?

Elise looked at Julian carefully, since she had not spoken anything to make Elise more agitated.

"Mr Julian, I—"

"Stop. Don't talk anymore."

Elise silences. He lowered his head to look at the wall, his heart was gone because he wanted to cry at that moment because it messed up the situation.

"Have you looked for it?" Julian asked briefly. Her hands were massaging her dizzy temples, while Fiona looked at Elise with a judgmental look.

Elise answered quickly with a trembling voice.

"I'll take responsibility."

"the way? You've lost the fruits of Elise's hard work, you know it's the same as messing things up, right!?"

Julian's voice rose by several octaves, it seemed that he was really angry right now. Even the veins on his neck were visible.

Elise could not answer anything but an apology, she cursed her own negligence. He should have been more careful, he should have been more thorough, he should not have lost it.

Fiona let out a breath of air. He draped his hands together on his chest, the look of intimidation still not spared in his eyes— stared at Elise as if she was the most wrong person in the world.

"I knew this was going to happen."

Fiona's short speech made Elise flinch. Why is Fiona talking like that?

"What do you mean?" Julian asked.

Fiona held Julian in her hand, her face hesitant but she forced herself to speak while hiding her face on Julian's arm.

"You remember that design? Elise didn't do well and instead claimed the design belonged to the design department right?"

Fiona brought back the past. When Elise is treated unfairly, but she is not the one who imitates.

"But it's not me who—"

"That's you. It was obvious that it was you who imitated it!" He paused his speech for a moment "You really want to mess this up so that the company's image is tarnished, right?"

"I don't understand what you mean"

Elise answered firmly. He used to want to do it, but now he had completely forgotten his bad intentions.

Fiona laughed, scoffing at Elise's reply.

"Don't pretend you don't know! I have proof you really want to screw up Julian's company!"

Fiona reached into the device in her bag. Meanwhile Julian noticed what Fiona was going to do, while Elise looked at him with a trembling look. What's he gonna do? He thought he didn't know what evidence Fiona meant.

But, from Fiona's confident expression it made her worry instead.

Fiona played a recording of the sound, although faint but it sounded like Elise was on the phone with someone.

Julian has yet to find the location of the discrepancy of the tape and Elise rounds her eyes because the tape Fiona has is when she talks to her best friend, Hana.

["Destroying the company Eldi Group from within, huh? That's my goal"]

As the recording ended, Fiona looked back at Elise. He smiled, then spoke without a voice to her.

"Think of that Elise Anderson"

deg.

"Haaa—it's like this." It's Julian. He rubbed his head violently, while his anger again overflowed like before.

though he wanted to start trusting Elise, but the tape that Fiona played earlier sounded very real and managed to stab her in the heart. He should not have put his trust in Elise from the beginning, now Julian felt disappointed and angry at the same time.

Elise didn't mean to say that. Destroying the company is just a bluff, originally Elise always tried hard for the company as long as she worked there.

"Mr Julian, I can explain—"

"What are you going to explain, huh? YOU'RE DESTROYING OTHER PEOPLE'S DREAMS NOW! don't you realize that your stupid recklessness messed things up!?"

Elise thought Julian would listen to her, at least after she had done all the company chores together for one Week, she thought Julian had changed a bit towards her but it turned out Elise was wrong.

Julian still believes blindly in Fiona, he doesn't want to find out more about the matter and blames Elise completely.

Elise's hands clenched with trembling. He bit his lower lip, trying not to cry at that moment.

"From now on I fire you. Go, I don't need someone as careless and incompetent as you"

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Yes, if I were Julian would be upset anyway, but that still does not justify Julian's rude attitude to Elise.

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