Chapter 212

Chapter 212:

Late at night, the Radiant Technologies building lay cloaked in silence.

The corridors and offices were swallowed by darkness, broken only by the faint red glow of emergency exit signs. The main door eased open, and a slim silhouette slipped through, moving with cautious precision toward Gracie’s office.

“Huh?” A low murmur broke the quiet as the intruder noticed the door wasn’t locked. It swung open without resistance.

Crossing the room, the figure stopped behind the leather swivel chair, brushed a hand over the desk, then pressed the computer’s power button.

The bluish light from the monitor washed over Dylan’s tense face, hollowing his features into a ghostly mask.

A ragged breath escaped him as his trembling fingers guided the mouse, slotting in a sleek flash drive with deliberate care. From the shadows, two unseen figures watched every movement in eerie silence.

Seconds dragged into minutes. Beads of sweat rolled down Dylan’s temple, his pulse hammering in his throat. His grip on the mouse tightened until his knuckles whitened, lips pressed into a grim line.

Without warning, he yanked the flash drive free and shoved back the chair, ready to bolt.

Just then, light blazed across the office, erasing the shadows in an instant.

Gracie and Phoebe filled the doorway, their presence sharp and unyielding.

Caught mid-act, Dylan went rigid. The flash drive slipped from his damp fingers, clattering onto the floor.

“M-Ms. Sullivan…” he muttered, eyes darting, shame twisting his features.

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Phoebe’s face hardened. “Dylan Thomas, what do you think you’re doing? You swore you were sick, and this is where you show up in the middle of the night? You’re stealing our research data!” Her voice rose, sharp as glass. “Say something! You’ve been with us for years—how could you do this p>

“Don’t—please don’t…” Dylan’s face went ashen, his features twisting in panic. “I swear I didn’t copy anything. Not a single file p>

Phoebe drew in a breath, ready to tear into him again, when Gracie lifted a hand, silently cutting her off.

“Run the drive.” In an even, measured tone, Gracie added, “If it turns out he really didn’t take anything, then we can still sit down and negotiate p>

Without hesitating, Phoebe strode to the computer, shoved the flash drive into the port, and pulled up the drive. “Let’s hear what excuse you come up with after this. We saw everything with our own—” The rest of her sentence died in her throat as the screen refreshed; shock flashed across her face. “How is this possible p>

Rooted to the spot, Dylan kept his hands balled into fists at his sides, head bowed as his shoulders trembled.

On the screen, the folder lay empty. Not a single piece of research data remained.

Gracie lifted her eyes to Dylan, her expression tangled and unreadable. “You really didn’t copy anything… why p>

Slowly, Dylan raised his head, only then realizing that hot tears were already coursing down his cheeks.

Off to the side, Phoebe watched with a conflicted look, the earlier sharp accusation gone from her eyes.

Lowering herself into the swivel chair, Gracie asked quietly, “Can you tell me why p>

“Ms. Sullivan…” Dylan bit down on his lower lip, his voice rough. “I just couldn’t go against my conscience. Ever since finishing grad school, I’ve been at Radiant Technologies, working for you the whole time. This place, this team… they mean everything to me. Given any choice at all, betraying everyone here would never be an option p>

“Then tell me—where did it all go wrong?” A realization clicked into place for Gracie; only now did she understand why Dylan had suddenly yanked out the flash drive. Caught between choices, he had finally let go and surrendered.

A humorless laugh scraped out of Dylan’s throat. “My mom’s in the hospital, really sick,” he said hoarsely. “Those hospital bills keep piling up, way more than I can handle. Then Theo Stanley came to me with an offer—one million dollars in exchange for your research data p>

“Yet you still backed out in the end p>

“Yeah, I did,” Dylan admitted quietly. “When it came down to it, I just couldn’t go through with it. Tossing away the company—and everyone’s trust—for my own selfish needs would’ve made me no better than a thief p>

With a deep bow toward Gracie, he added quietly, “I’ll give the check back to Theo and submit my resignation p>

Once the words were out, he turned on his heel and walked out of the office without a single backward glance.

Confusion creased Phoebe’s brow as she asked, “Gracie, are you really letting him quit like that p>