Your Scapegoat that Brought You Down

Sapphire's POV

In that instant, a bad feeling rose in my chest.

I quickly asked, “Herman, didn’t I tell you to drive me home? Why are we here?”

When Herman turned to look at me, the respectful expression he’d worn for years was gone. In its place was something cruel, something that made my blood run cold.

“Sorry, Miss,” he said flatly. “But as an elder of this family, I feel it’s my duty to teach you a lesson that when you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility for it.”

The moment I saw his face, I finally understood why Melinda had seemed so familiar.

She was his daughter.

I immediately reached for my phone in my bag, wanting to call the police, but Herman was faster. He snatched the bag straight out of my hands.

“Don’t waste your time, Miss Sapphire,” he sneered.

I glared at him, my voice low. “Herman, aren’t you afraid my father will find out about this?”

Yet he only gave a cold laugh and said, “Mr. Shillingford’s been tied up with overseas expansion for years. He barely spends any time in the country. Do you really think he cares about a minor issue at a branch office? On the other hand, you laid a hand on my daughter. That means you have to pay the price.”

With that, he yanked open the car door, grabbed me by the arm, and dragged me out.

I tried to struggle free, but his strength was frightening. Luckily, I managed to press the emergency button on my watch without him noticing.

“What exactly do you plan to do with me?” I asked, stalling for time, trying to assess the situation so I could figure out a way out.

But he didn’t answer. Silent and stone-faced, he shoved me toward a private room and pushed me hard inside.

The room reeked of smoke. A fat, balding man sat at the head of the table, while Sylvester hovered nearby, pouring his drink and laughing along like some eager lackey.

Herman bowed obsequiously to the man. “Mr. Webster, I’ve brought her for you.”

Melinda rose proudly from her seat, pointing at me like she’d just won a prize.

“Mr. Webster, she’s the one who leaked the project data. I made sure to bring her here so she could make amends.”

Mr. Webster?

My stomach sank as I remembered who he was. Ted Webster, CEO of our company’s biggest competitor. He was in his fifties, twice divorced, and notorious for his sleazy reputation.

“Haha, Miss Shepherd, how thoughtful of you.”

Ted set down his glass and gave me a slow once-over. “So this is the woman who leaked the data? Pretty little thing, isn’t she?”

He got up and walked toward me, smiling like a predator. “Tell me, sweetheart, do you realize how much money your little stunt cost my company?”

I gave a sharp laugh. “And when exactly did I ever leak anything?”

Melinda pulled out the compensation agreement and waved it smugly.

“Still denying it? Don’t forget, you already signed this.”

I glanced down and froze. It was the exact same document I’d signed earlier. But instead of the name I had written, which was “Melinda Shepherd,” the signature now read, “Sapphire Shillingford.”

“You forged it!” I snapped.

“Forged?” Sylvester sneered. “Don’t slander us. You signed it yourself. We have surveillance footage to prove it.”

And he wasn’t wrong. The cameras in the office would’ve caught me signing, but they wouldn’t have shown whose name I wrote.

“Mr. Webster, you see? She’s not only unrepentant, she’s arrogant too,” Melinda chimed in, her voice dripping with malice. “Just earlier today, she even threw a cup of coffee all over me at the office. She’s completely out of control.”

Ted studied me with a grin that made my skin crawl.

“Well, sweetheart, when you make a mistake, you have to face the consequences.”

His eyes roamed over me shamelessly, lingering in ways that made me sick to my stomach.

“You’re even prettier in person than in the pictures Sylvester showed me. Fresh and delicate,” he said, licking his lips slowly.