Chapter 256: The Price Of Betrayal

"I was good to you, Claire."

Morgan’s voice was calm.

It was too calm that it scared Claire.

There was no shouting, no accusation in his tone—only a flat, controlled disappointment that somehow felt more threatening than anger.

"I trusted you. I never thought you would betray me like this."

Claire sat stiffly across from him, her fingers twisting the hem of her jacket until the fabric wrinkled beneath her grip.

She opened her mouth, but no words came.

Morgan lowered his gaze to his cellphone.

With one casual tap, he played a recording.

A familiar voice filled the room.

Claire froze.

Her blood seemed to drain from her face.

For a moment, she could hear nothing except the faint ringing in her ears. Then her heartbeat began pounding against her ribs like a war drum.

No.

It couldn’t be.

Her eyes widened as she listened to herself talking—carelessly revealing information about Project Lexan to the man sitting across from her in that private room.

That room had been secure. She had checked. She also asked the man and he ensured the room was clear.

No one was supposed to be listening.

No cameras.

No recording devices.

Nothing.

Then how the hell had Morgan gotten this?

Her stomach tightened.

"I was drunk that night, Morgan." Claire forced out the words, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound composed. "I honestly didn’t know what I was saying."

Morgan didn’t even look up.

"You didn’t sound drunk to me."

The recording continued.

Claire listened in horror as her own voice exposed more and more of what she had said. Every word felt like another piece of rope tightening around her neck.

Then another sound came through the speaker.

Charlotte’s voice.

And she was moaning.

Claire’s face burned with humiliation.

"Turn it off!"

"Turn it off!"

Her voice cracked as she lunged forward.

"That’s private."

Morgan calmly stopped the recording.

Silence swallowed the room.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Morgan placed the phone on the table and leaned back against his chair. His expression remained unreadable.

"What can you say now, Claire?"

Claire swallowed hard.

"It wasn’t my intention," she said quickly. "I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking clearly."

Morgan studied her.

"You keep saying you were drunk."

His eyes hardened.

"But you haven’t denied saying any of it."

Claire’s fingers tightened around the edge of her jacket. She knew she was trapped.

Morgan leaned forward slightly.

"Then let’s make this simple."

His voice dropped.

"Who was that man?"

Claire’s breath caught. She knew little of the man, other than he was a charmer.

"He... he is a nobody."

"Nobody?"

"He’s just a director of a small company."

Morgan’s gaze sharpened.

"You did not answer. What is his name and what company?"

Claire hesitated.

Morgan waited.

The silence became unbearable.

Finally, she whispered, "His name is Marcus."

Morgan’s eyes narrowed.

"Marcus what?"

Claire’s lips parted.

No answer came.

The hesitation lasted only a few seconds, but Morgan noticed it.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You’re hesitating."

Claire swallowed.

Morgan leaned back in his chair, studying her with an unreadable expression.

"Then let me tell you who he is."

Claire’s face paled.

"He’s Marco Pollus," Morgan said evenly. "CEO of Pollus Real Estate."

He paused.

"But real estate is only one part of his business."

Morgan’s gaze hardened.

"He is also the man behind Galaxy Technologies."

Claire’s eyes widened.

Galaxy Technologies. A startup that focused on AI.

For a moment, she could only stare at him.

She hadn’t known.

She believed Marco was merely a real-estate executive—a wealthy businessman who had shown an interest in Project Lexan.

She had never imagined that he was connected to Galaxy Technologies.

"I—I didn’t know, Morgan."

Her voice became frantic.

"I honestly didn’t know. I thought he only worked in real estate. If I had known who he really was, I would never have—"

"You would never have what?"

Morgan cut her off.

Claire fell silent.

Morgan’s expression remained cold.

"Whether you knew his identity or not doesn’t change what you did."

He picked up his phone and placed it on the desk.

"You disclosed confidential information about Project Lexan to an outsider. That decision was yours."

Claire’s eyes filled with tears.

"Morgan, please..."

He raised a hand, stopping her.

"I’ll give you two choices."

Claire stared at him.

"You can submit your resignation voluntarily..."

He paused.

"...or I can terminate you."

The words landed with brutal finality.

Claire shot to her feet so suddenly that her chair scraped violently across the floor and nearly toppled over.

"Morgan, you can’t do this to me!"

Her composure finally shattered.

"Please. Give me another chance. I know I was wrong. I made a mistake. I swear it won’t happen again."

Morgan didn’t move.

"Choose, Claire."

His voice was flat.

There was no anger in it.

No sympathy either.

Just a decision that had already been made.

Claire stared at him through tear-filled eyes.

For several seconds, she seemed unable to breathe.

She had spent years building her position in the company. She had fought for her place, endured office politics, and carefully protected her reputation.

And now, with only a few sentences, Morgan had reduced everything to a choice between leaving with what little dignity she had left—or being publicly fired.

Her shoulders trembled.

Finally, she lowered her gaze.

"I’ll... send my resignation to HR."

Morgan said nothing.

Claire wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned toward the door.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

Her hand had already reached the doorknob when she stopped.

For one brief moment, Claire looked back.

Some small, desperate part of her was still hoping Morgan would look up, call her name, and give her one last chance.

After all, she had devoted years of her life to the company. She had worked late nights, endured pressure, and given everything she had to earn her place.

Surely, that had to mean something.

But Morgan didn’t look at her.

His attention was already on Dean, discussing the matter as though Claire had never been standing there.

Her heart sank.

She slowly turned back toward the door.

This time, she didn’t look back.

Her lips pressed together as the realization settled on her.

Morgan had already moved on and it hurt more than the dismissal itself.

She opened the door and walked out.

The door closed softly behind her.