After they left, David sank into his chair. He looked out the window at Chicago, the city he’d called home for most of his adult life. Now it felt cold and unfamiliar.
His phone rang. It was Anna. «David, I’m arriving at the building. Is everything ready for the meeting?»
David closed his eyes. If he told Anna the truth, he’d be putting her and Maria in danger. But if he lied…
«David? Are you there?»
«I’m here,» he said, his voice rough. «Anna, about the meeting…»
«Yes?»
David looked at the folder with the evidence on his desk. Then he looked at the forged documents Sophia had left—two versions of the truth, one that could save his company, the other that could protect the woman he was beginning to love.
«I need to cancel it.»
«Cancel? Why?»
«Legal complications. We need more time.»
There was silence on the other end. «David, are you okay? You sound strange.»
«I’m fine,» he lied, hating himself for it. «Just a change of plans.»
«All right. Talk later?»
«Of course.»
David ended the call and buried his face in his hands. For the first time in his adult life, he felt completely defeated. Leandro and Sophia had won, and he didn’t know how to fight people who were willing to threaten the innocent.
Outside, Anna stood on the sidewalk in front of the Miller Technologies building, looking up with a strange feeling that something was very wrong. Inside the office, David stared at the contract from Sterling Corporation. In a few hours, he would sign away everything, but at least Anna and Maria would be safe. Or at least, that’s what he hoped.
Anna knew something wasn’t right. The sudden cancellation, the strange tone in David’s voice, and the way he avoided eye contact when they finally saw each other in the lobby—after years of working with people, she had learned how to read signs.
That night, Anna decided to investigate on her own. As a former cleaning staff member, she knew every entrance and exit of the Miller Technologies building. At 9 p.m., with only the night security staff on duty, she used her knowledge of access codes, which were rarely changed, to enter through the basement. She took the service stairs to the executive floor. Her goal was simple: to find out why David had changed his mind so suddenly.
In Leandro’s office, she found what she was looking for. There were unlocked drawers, papers scattered across the desk—signs of someone in a hurry. Anna took pictures of everything with her phone: fake contracts with David’s signature, fabricated emails, and manipulated bank records. But what made her blood run cold were printed photos of her and Maria leaving the hospital, with handwritten notes in the margins: «Secondary target» and «Pressure point.»
Anna understood immediately. Leandro had found out about David’s investigation and was using her and Maria as leverage. She quickly searched for recording devices. Inside a pen holder on Leandro’s desk, she found a small digital recorder, probably used to capture incriminating conversations.
Anna checked the audio files. There were dozens of recordings, including conversations between Leandro and Sophia planning the betrayal. But the most recent one, from earlier that afternoon, made her heart race. It was the recording of Leandro threatening David, using her and Maria as blackmail.
Anna copied all the files to her phone and left the building just as quietly as she had entered. At six in the morning on Tuesday, Anna rang the doorbell at David’s apartment in Lincoln Park. He answered in a bathrobe, looking like he hadn’t slept.
«Anna, what are you doing here so early?»
«I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.»
David let her in, clearly nervous. «Anna, about yesterday… there are complications you don’t understand.»
«I understand perfectly.» Anna pulled her phone from her purse. «I know Leandro’s blackmailing you because of me.»
David stared at her, shocked. «How did you…?»
«I heard the recording.» Anna pressed play, and Leandro’s threatening voice echoed through the apartment.
When the recording ended, David sat heavily on the couch. «Anna, you don’t understand the danger. He threatened you and Maria. I can’t take that risk.»
«David,» Anna sat beside him. «Leandro made a fatal mistake. He recorded his own threats.»
David lifted his head, a spark of hope in his eyes. «What do you mean?»
«I have proof of everything: the recordings, the forged documents, the surveillance photos.» Anna showed him her phone. «We have enough to bring them down completely.»
«But what about the threats?»
«They can’t hurt us if they’re behind bars.» Anna took David’s hands. «Trust me, we have to act today before they realize we’ve uncovered their scheme.»
David looked at her for a long moment, at the courage in her eyes and the determination in her voice. «What do you suggest?»
«Reschedule the board meeting for today. Two o’clock,» Anna stood and paced the room as she thought. «But this time, we’ll be ready for them.»
At two in the afternoon, the Miller Technologies auditorium was full. All board members were present, along with representatives from Sterling Corporation and several company executives. David stood on stage, visibly nervous. Leandro and Sophia were seated in the front row, confident smiles on their faces.
«Ladies and gentlemen,» David began. «I’ve called this meeting to make some important announcements about the future of Miller Technologies.» Leandro gave him an encouraging nod, clearly expecting David to announce the merger. «First, I’d like to introduce our new Vice President of Operations, Anna Santos.»
A ripple of surprise moved through the auditorium as Anna stepped onto the stage. Many recognized her as the former cleaner who had been fired for spying.
Leandro stood up abruptly. «David, this is ridiculous. You can’t…»
«Please sit down, Mr. Vega,» David interrupted firmly. «You’ll have your chance to speak soon.»
Anna stepped up to the microphone. «Good afternoon. I know many of you remember the unfortunate circumstances of my last appearance in this auditorium.» Her voice was steady and clear. «Today, I’m here to reveal the truth behind those events.»
Anna turned on a projector, and the first image appeared on the screen: the forged Sterling Corporation merger contract. «This is the version of the merger agreement that was shown to Mr. Miller.» Anna pointed to the numbers on the screen. «According to this document, David Miller would retain 65% control of the company after the merger.»
She changed to the next slide. «And this is the actual version of the contract, the one they intended to use at signing. Here, David Miller would retain only 15% control.»
The room erupted in murmurs. Leandro had gone pale. «This is outrageous!» Sophia stood. «These images are fake.»
«Are they?» Anna gave her a cold smile. «Then maybe you’d rather hear this.» She pressed play on the sound system. Leandro’s voice echoed clearly throughout the auditorium.
«David is completely naive. Fifteen years of friendship blinded him to any possibility of betrayal. By the time he realizes what’s happened, we’ll have full control of the assets and be out of the country.»
The room fell completely silent. All eyes turned to Leandro, who was clearly panicking. «That… that was taken out of context,» he stammered.
«Was it?» Anna moved on to the next recording. «And this.»
Sophia’s voice filled the auditorium. «It’s not hate; it’s ambition. David was a good boyfriend, but he was always limited, too small for my dreams. With you, I can have everything I ever wanted.»
Sophia was furious but tried to stay composed. «These recordings are illegal. They were obtained without consent.»
«Actually,» Anna turned to her, «they were taken from a recording device found in Mr. Vega’s office, a device he used to record his own conversations.»
David stepped back up to the microphone. «There’s more.» He nodded to Anna, who projected the bank records onto the screen. «$23 million transferred from Miller Technologies accounts to Mr. Vega’s personal accounts,» Anna pointed out. «Money that was supposed to be used for legitimate merger preparations.»
Leandro stood up, desperate. «David, we’ve been friends for 15 years. Are you really going to believe this… this…»
«This brave woman who risked everything to save me from betrayal?» David interrupted. «Yes, Leandro, I’m going to believe her, because unlike you, she never lied to me.»
Mr. Roberto, the main representative of Sterling Corporation, stood up. «Mr. Miller, Sterling Corporation had no knowledge of these irregularities. We are a legitimate company that was deceived by dishonest representatives.»
«We completely understand,» David nodded. «In fact, we’d like to discuss a legitimate merger with you in the future, on honest terms.»
Leandro looked around the auditorium, seeing only faces full of disapproval and disgust. At last, his mask of being a respectable executive had fully dropped. «You know what?» he said with a bitter laugh. «I don’t regret a thing. David, you were always too weak to do what needed to be done. You deserve to lose everything.»
«And you deserve what’s coming to you,» said a new voice echoing through the auditorium. Everyone turned to see Detective Johnson from the Chicago Police entering with two other officers.
«Leandro Vega and Sophia Delgado, you are under arrest for corporate fraud, document forgery, and attempted extortion.»
As Leandro and Sophia were handcuffed, the auditorium broke into applause. Anna smiled at David, who returned the look with deep gratitude and something more.
«How did you know to come here?» David asked the detective.
«Ms. Santos contacted us this morning with the evidence,» the detective replied with a smile. «Cases like this, with such clear proof, are a prosecutor’s dream.»
As Leandro and Sophia were escorted out, Leandro shouted at David, «This isn’t over! I have lawyers! I have contacts!»
«You had them,» David replied calmly. «Now all you have is a jail cell.»
When the auditorium finally emptied, David and Anna were left alone on stage. «So,» Anna said with a smile, «how was my first day as Vice President?»
«Unforgettable.» David pulled her into his arms. «Anna, you saved me in every possible way.»
«We saved each other,» she said, gently touching his face. «Together.»
David kissed her right there on the stage where just hours earlier his life had nearly been torn apart. Now, with Anna in his arms, he felt like he was finally building something real.
«And now?» Anna asked when their kiss ended.
«Now,» David smiled, «we have a company to rebuild and a life to build, together.»
Outside the building, the sound of police sirens faded into the distance, carrying away 15 years of false friendship and two years of fake love. But inside the building, something true and beautiful was just beginning.
Two weeks after the confrontation, Anna was finishing her review of the financial reports in her new office—a spacious room on the same executive floor as David’s, with a view of Lake Michigan. As Vice President of Miller Technologies, she had already implemented changes that were showing impressive results.
A soft knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. «Come in,» she said without looking up from the documents.
«Madam Vice President, do you have a minute for your CEO?» David’s playful voice made her smile.
«I always have time for my boss.» Anna finally looked up and was surprised. David was holding a bouquet of red roses. «What’s this?»
«An apology,» David said as he walked over to her desk. «I know you’ve been working nonstop these past two weeks, and I haven’t shown enough how much I appreciate everything you’ve done.»
Anna stood up, touched by the gesture. «David, you don’t have to.»
«I do,» he said, handing her the flowers. «Anna, you didn’t just save my company; you saved my life. You helped me see the man I truly want to be.»
«You are already a good man. You just needed to learn to trust the right instincts.»
David smiled and checked the time. «It’s 5:30. How about we get out of here? I have a surprise for you.»
David drove through the streets of Chicago in silence, a mysterious smile on his face. Anna tried several times to guess where they were going, but he simply said it was a surprise. Finally, they stopped at North Avenue Beach. The October sun was setting over Lake Michigan, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
«What are we doing here?» Anna asked as they walked along the sand.
«Do you remember the first time we really talked?» David stopped and turned to her.
«In the break room, when you showed me the evidence? Of course. You said if I was lying, it would be my last day at the company.»
«And you said if you stayed silent and I lost everything, you’d never forgive yourself.» David took her hands. «Anna, that night you showed me what real courage looks like.»
