Patent Pending

It all became clear to me that Elias was less of a right-hand man and more of a conniving flatterer.

He had a talent for saying just the right thing to worm his way into Tania's good graces.

His whispers in Tania's ear certainly contributed to her view of me as a 'loser.'

Tania loved being adored, and playing into that was the easiest way to get on her good side.

I caught her eye and just felt drained.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

She gave an icy, mocking laugh. "I want you to call my mom and tell her you're the one who wanted to break off the engagement."

I nodded without hesitation.

"Fine."

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts as she watched, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"Be sure about this. Once you make that call, you can kiss any chance of Jones Group's fortune goodbye."

I ignored her and pressed Natalia's number.

"And that's not all. I want him to apologize to me publicly!" Elias piped up, his voice dripping with self-pity and pretense.

"Ms. Jones, I've been loyal to you for years, all thanks to my hard work. I can't take being pushed around and insulted by him like I was earlier.

"If he doesn't say sorry, I'll never let it go."

I could not help but laugh, though I was fuming inside.

The security guards were right there, clearly showing who the real bully was.

"Elias, you're quick to play the victim and twist the truth. Do you really think we're all that gullible?

"You had the guards on me, and you were ready to throw a punch. And now you're claiming I'm the bully?"

Tania positioned herself squarely in front of Elias.

"You're the one who started this with Mr. Holmes. He was just defending himself. If you have even a shred of decency, you'll apologize to Mr. Holmes.

"If not, I'll make sure you do."

Her eyes swept the room, and the security guards, clued in, fixed me with threatening glares.

"Simon's got plenty of dignity. It's you and your sidekick who seem to have lost all sense of shame," came a crisp voice from behind Tania.

Cecilia Baker, the head honcho of Baker Group, approached with an effortless grace, her signature teardrop mole beneath her piercing eyes catching the light.

Baker Group was the Jones Group's arch-nemesis, their business interests often clashing.

Cecilia had taken the reins of her family's empire early and had been giving Tania a run for her money.

However, with my latest tech giving Jones Group an edge, it looked like they were starting to outpace Baker Group.

Cecilia showing up at the engagement party was a curveball for Tania.

"Ms. Baker, you sure know how to enjoy your downtime. Crashing your competitor's party, and now butting into my personal drama?" Tania snapped.

I watched Cecilia's protective stance in front of me, equally taken aback.

We had talked shop before, and things had been going smoothly.

However, I never expected that midway through, she would hint at using a 'seduction scheme' on me, enough to scare me into running back to my lab that very night.

As for that patent, it was an easy decision: Melissa and Natalia had been close friends for years, so I handed it over to Jones Group without a second thought.

Never did I imagine Cecilia would step up to bat for me.