CEO’s Seduction Trap

Leila remained silent.

The management team’s gazes at Leila varied.

Mr. Coster smirked as if he had already confirmed Leila’s involvement in the collapse incident.

Seeing her reluctance to speak, he continued, “Miss Patel, are you still not prepared to tell the truth?”

Leila’s eyes turned cold. “Mr. Coster, what exactly do you want me to say?”

“Obviously…” Mr. Coster started, but was sharply interrupted by Mr. Lee’s loud voice, “Mr. Coster!”

Mr. Lee asserted, “Before we have concrete evidence, let’s not jump to conclusions based on personal assumptions.” His words were a form of protection for Leila.

“Mr. Lee, I still believe this matter should be reported to the police.”

“Fine, we’ll let the police handle this.” He smiled at Leila. “Leila, don’t carry too much burden. This is just procedural cooperation. Rest assured, if you’re innocent, I’ll make sure it’s clear.”

“Thank you.”

Exiting Mr. Lee’s office, Leila and Mr. Lee drove separately to the police station.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

From filing the report, giving statements, to the investigation process, Leila cooperated actively at every step.

The police station was humane; a young female officer conducted the interview.

“Is the bank account ending in 975 yours?”

Leila answered truthfully, “I’m not sure. I personally don’t have a bank account with that number.”

“Are you certain?”

“Absolutely.”

“Regarding SteelSource company, have there been any under-the-table transactions or bribery?”

“No, besides regular work dealings, I’ve had no private contact with them, let alone any bribery.

The interview lasted forty minutes, during which Leila fully cooperated, disclosing everything related to the project in question.

After completing the statement, while Leila wondered about the next steps, Daniel entered with a man carrying a briefcase.

Daniel immediately spotted Leila sitting in the corner. They exchanged a glance, and Daniel nodded slightly at her.

Leila was puzzled as Daniel and the man walked up to Mr. Lee. Daniel shook hands with Mr. Lee, and then the man did all the talking.

Whatever the man said caused Mr. Lee’s face to turn pale.

After about ten minutes, Daniel approached Leila and leaned down. “We can leave now.”

“Huh?”

“Boss is waiting for you outside.”

Leila intended to ask Daniel something, but he avoided her gaze intentionally, so she ended up not asking anything.

Just as Leila opened the car door, Mason turned his head towards her, “Are you okay??”

Leila got into the car as she replied, “Fine really.”

Mason squeezed Leila’s fingertips and said, “Don’t worry about this mess.”

Leila closed the car door, glanced at Daniel standing a meter away outside, and asked, “Who was the man Daniel took to the police station earlier?”

“A lawyer.”

“Oh?”

“I filed a lawsuit against Nova Group in your name.”

Leila’s suspicion deepened at Mason’s words. “What?”

Mason smirked lightly, “They pinned you for bribery before the investigation concluded. You can’t bear that blame.”

Leila stayed silent. Even without Mason’s intervention, she wasn’t prepared to be a scapegoat.

But their methods differed-Leila’s approach was to let the police handle it, while Mason’s was more ruthless.

After Mason spoke, seeing Leila’s silence, he leaned in closer, gently holding her chin and brushing her lips with his own. “Leila.”

Leila kept her eyes open, staring at him without blinking.

“I’ve got you.”

Daniel stood outside the car for a good twenty minutes until Mason finally raised his hand to knock on the window. He got in and start the car.

Leila sent a message to Dasha:[Mom, did you ever use my ID to open a bank account?]

Dasha replied promptly:[No, why? What’s wrong?]

Leila didn’t want to worry her mom further after yesterday’s scare:[Nothing much, I thought the commission had been deposited. I want to put it into a separate bank account, but getting a new card is a hassle now. Just checking if we already have one at home.]

[No, it’s not that complicated. Find time to get one done.]

After finishing her text exchange with Dasha, Shirley’s call suddenly came through.

Her voice was barely audible, “Leila…”

“Yeah?”

“I, um, something’s happened here.”

Leila initially thought Shirley was referring to the incident at Willow Bistro from the previous night when she got drunk. Just as she was about to mention it, Shirley stuttered, “I-I-I think I… I slept with Caleb…”

For a brief moment, Leila thought she might be hallucinating.

“What did you just say?”

Shirley’s voice now trembled, “I-I don’t know what happened. I just woke up and found myself and Caleb in bed together. I wasn’t wearing anything and he…”

Leila held onto a flicker of hope. “Was he wearing something?”

“No, he wasn’t either.”

Leila sighed deeply.

Shirley couldn’t hear Leila’s response, choked up as she continued, “Leila, what do I do? I-I’m so scared…”

Leila pulled her hand from Mason’s grip, rubbing her temples, and asked, “Are you two still at Willow Bistro?”

“Yeah.”

Shirley asked, “Leila, how did you know we were at Willow Bistro?”

Leila was in no mood to explain last night’s events to her now. She spoke up, “Send me the room number. I’ll come over right away.”

“Okay, hurry.”

Glancing at the message from Shirley, Leila turned to Mason. “Looks like we need to make a trip to Willow Bistro.”

“Shirley’s causing trouble again?”

Indeed, Shirley had caused trouble once more.

But this trouble, Leila couldn’t talk about.

When Leila and Mason arrived at Willow Bistro, Shirley and Caleb were in a standoff.

The scene wasn’t chaotic but definitely awkward.

Upon seeing Leila, Shirley quickly moved behind her.

Caleb, in a loose bathrobe, smirked slightly at the sight.

Shirley remained silent, clutching onto Leila’s clothing.

Leila reached back and gently held Shirley’s hand to reassure her. “Caleb, is there some misunderstanding here?”

Caleb sneered, “You ask her if there’s a misunderstanding.”

Leila sighed inwardly.

Mason, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low, serious tone, “Caleb.”

Caleb turned his head, his expression rare without a playful smirk, somewhat cool. “Don’t try to persuade me.”

Mason chuckled softly. “Let’s talk about business.”

At the mention of business, they left the room.

Once Mason and Caleb were out, Shirley leaned against Leila’s legs, nearly in tears.

Leila saw the messy bed, took a deep breath, and asked, “So, you two last night…”

Shirley slumped into the sofa, blushing. “Don’t ask me, I really have no idea what happened.”

“You don’t remember anything at all?”

“Just a tiny bit… I… I remember… I think I mistook someone else and kissed Caleb against the door.”

In the hallway outside the room.

Mason chuckled lightly as he handed Caleb a cigarette.

Mason watched him, smiling faintly. “Is this for real?”

“You guess.”

Mason squinted. “Did you deceive her?”

Caleb neither admitted nor denied it. After a pause of four or five seconds, he said slowly, “She did take advantage of me last night, I wasn’t lying about that.”

Mason teased, “Took advantage of you? Are you sure? You think you’re some innocent young lad?”

Twenty minutes later, Mason and Caleb returned to the room.

Mason had successfully persuaded Caleb. He stood with his hands in his pockets, about to speak, when Shirley stood up from the sofa, bowed ninety degrees to him, and then spoke seriously.

“Caleb, I’m sorry. What happened last night wasn’t intentional.”

“I know. No matter how many times I apologize now, it won’t make up for the pain you’ve endured, both emotionally and physically.”

“Leila already lectured me just now, and after intense mental struggle and careful consideration, I’ve made a decision. How about this…”

As Shirley spoke, she walked to the bedside, opened her bag, and took out a bank card. She held it out to Caleb with both hands.

Caleb glanced down at the bank card she offered. “?”

“There’s a hundred thousand here. Consider it my compensation to you.”

“Do I look like I need your money?”