My Mommy Became A Billionaire After the Breakup

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Captivated

"I see." Byron said to Ruby.

She quickly hid behind him, pretending to be terrified. Athena was at a loss for words.

"If Ruby can't blame you, then what about me?" His words felt like a sharp knife stabbing her heart.

For a moment, she froze, her eyes slightly turning red. Byron didn't believe her…

He took out a few pages from the file and handed them to Athena. "Even if someone else manipulated

the data, the signature on these pages is yours, isn't it?"

"...Yes," Athena replied.

"Then you need to take responsibility," he said coldly, shifting all the blame to her. "I'll give you three

days to resolve this issue. Otherwise, our company will follow the proper procedures and involve the

police."

Athena glanced at him, her jaw to the floor.

She felt something like betrayal swirl inside her, but she quickly suppressed the feeling.

She wasn't surprised; she knew Byron was petty and would make things difficult for her.

He must be mad since she decided to quit being his secretary and lover and firmly rejected his

attempts to change her mind. At least he was kind enough not to kill her.

But she wasn’t the one to blame for the mistake with the data. She had to find who did this!

"Okay…" Athena said quietly.

Byron's eyes suddenly darkened.

He was getting irritated by her recent stubbornness.

He didn't say a word more and returned to his office.

Before Ruby followed him, she turned to Athena with a victorious grin.

Soon, rumors of Athena betraying the company spread throughout the building.

Athena took her computer and went to the company's library.

She had been in charge of Eric's project during the whole process, and she was flawless in every

respect.

Moreover, she had done in-advance research in Maxwell Electronics.

If there were no problems with the data, Maxwell Electronics would have accepted it as expected.

She let out a heavy sigh.

At noon, Athena bought a sandwich and found a secluded place to be alone. She messaged Evie while

eating, telling her what happened.

As soon as she read the message, she immediately called.

"We have to find that bastard! No matter what it takes!" Evie was boiling with rage.

"What do we do after we find them?" Athena asked.

"Clear your name!" Evie replied, "And skin that asshole alive!"

"But we just lost this huge order," she grumbled in frustration. "So many people put in months of hard

work. It shouldn't have ended like this."

"Got any plans brewing in that head of yours?" her friend inquired.

"I'm gonna track down the person that did this and retrieve my original order!" Athena declared with

determination.

She may be forgiving, but she wouldn’t stand for being treated unfairly.

"Anything I can do to help?" Evie offered.

"There's gonna be a fancy cruise ship party tomorrow night. Brad Maxwell, the big boss of Maxwell

Electronics, is gonna be there too. I'll need to meet with him and show him my plan."

"Oh, I heard about that shindig. I should be able to score an invite letter, but... I heard my step-dad

talking about Brad before. The guy is notorious for being a hard-ass. And if your date was sabotaged..."

Evie trailed off, hesitating to tell Athena that he might not give her another chance.

"How will I know if I don't give it a shot?"

"Okay! I got your back."

"After I finish this, I'll treat you to the nicest restaurant in town!" Athena laughed.

"Of course!" Evie said excitedly, "By the way, the dress code for the party is very formal. I'll pick you up

now and we can go shopping!"

Then, Evie couldn't take it anymore and complained about Athena's plain clothing.

"Sweetie, you've got a killer body with the fashion of an old lady. You can’t dress like usual tonight,

okay?"

Athena responded with a giggle, gathering her things to walk out front and wait for her friend., "Alright."

She didn't need to pretend to be a sweet and delicate lady anymore.

Up on the third floor of the library, Byron stood tall in front of a large window, his eyes fixated on

Athena, who was standing outside, smiling while on the phone.

She had never smiled at him like that before…

He started sulking again without even knowing it.

"Byron, don't you think you're taking this too far? You know Athena best, right? She never makes rookie

mistakes," Gideon appealed to him. “I mean, look at the poor girl out there in the cold!

But he remained cold, always keeping people at a distance.

"She insisted on leaving my protection. Why should I feel sorry for her?" Byron said, "She brought this

on herself."

Gideon stayed silent. Arguing with Byron was pointless.

At that moment, a sleek black Mercedes pulled over on the side of the road.

Athena ran over with excitement.

Gideon was shocked. He had never seen Athena so full of life.

He glanced at the car and then back at Byron, teasingly asking, "Does Athena have a new beau? Is

that why she's so determined to dump you?"

Byron just turned around and walked away without saying a word.

The next evening, Athena prepared herself for the party.

A fancy cruise ship was docked at the pier as the sun was setting.

Wealthy and influential people from all walks of life, even some well-known celebrities, were boarding

the ship one after another, dressed to the nines.

Athena and Evie had managed to get on the cruise ship earlier, but instead of having invitation letters,

they were holding staff cards.

"Sorry, all the high-profile individuals in Girard City wanted to attend this party. The best I could do was

get us some staff cards instead of formal invitations," Evie explained apologetically.

"It’s okay. We got on the ship anyway!" Athena replied. She double-checked her plan, making sure

everything was in order.

"Once the reception starts, change into your dress and go find Brad," Evie advised, patting the bag that

contained Athena's dress. "You’ll look stunning. I'm sure you'll turn heads. And who knows, maybe we

can take down Brad and find ourselves a wealthy man along the way!"

She chuckled at her friend's words and shook her head.

Those wealthy men wouldn’t want a woman who had a child. After a short while, the reception began.

Athena changed into a formal dress and climbed through a low window.

Just as she slipped on her high heels, she heard laughter behind her.

Curious, she turned around with a furrowed brow.

It was a handsome guy with a charming smile and short curly hair. He held a champagne glass and

stared at her.

"Sir? Can I help you?" Athena hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask.

"You..." The man glanced at the small window, then back at Athena.

She had been caught the moment she stepped out!

Just as Athena was about to come up with an excuse, the man said, "You're gorgeous, like a princess

out of a fairy tale!"

She was taken aback by his response.

But really, it wasn't surprising. She was wearing a tight golden dress, her wavy hair cascading down to

her waist. With her fair complexion, her makeup was delicate and highlighted her natural beauty. Evie

said she almost looked like a mermaid.

In the moonlit night, as she turned around, a gentle breeze tousled her long locks.

Her otherworldly beauty captivated the handsome man beyond belief.