I Stopped Fighting For My Husband and He Panicked Chapter 08

I was about to find Tristan and demand an explanation when Paige suddenly caught me by the sleeve.

“Vivian,” she whispered in my ear, “I know who tampered with your PowerPoint!”

Her answer was exactly what I’d expected.

According to Paige, Ivy had stopped by my desk while I was in Finance. She’d claimed she was helping me

locate an electronic invoice and had used that as an excuse to access my computer.

Ivy was the only person who’d touched anything at my workstation.

Paige also told me this wasn’t the first time Ivy had targeted me. She’d repeatedly come up with excuses to

lower my performance ratings and hold up my expense reimbursements.

But Hailey had always stood up for me, and Ivy had never gotten her way.

The guilt hit me even harder.

Without another word, I headed straight for the executive floor and stormed into Tristan’s office.

He was looking down at some documents. When he heard the door open, he didn’t even bother to look up.

“Get out.”

I ignored him and walked straight to his desk.

“Tristan, what happened at the project kickoff meeting was my fault. Hailey had nothing to do with it.”

The moment he recognized my voice, his expression softened slightly. He finally raised his head.

“Vivian, firing you is already more lenient than you deserve. Otherwise, the company could hold you

financially responsible for the losses. As for Hailey Brooks, we’re simply following company policy.”

“What if I told you someone sabotaged me?” I shot back. “Shouldn’t the company investigate and hold the

person responsible accountable?”

Tristan laughed.

“Vivian, everyone hired by Hayes Group has at least a master’s degree from an Ivy League school. You’re the

only person here with just a bachelor’s degree. Everyone else is more qualified than you. Why would any of

them bother sabotaging you?”

“Because someone is jealous of my relationship with you,” I said coldly.

After I’d caught Ivy with Tristan outside her apartment building, she’d probably figured out at least part of the

truth about our relationship.

Since then, she’d found every opportunity to flaunt what she had with him.

She’d bragged about how Tristan had bought her an expensive jewelry set at an exclusive auction. She’d also

made a point of mentioning that he personally drove her to and from work every day.

I’d barely paid attention to any of it.

There were so many things I still had to learn, and I was swamped with work. I didn’t have the time to waste

on petty games like hers.

Tristan’s expression darkened.

“Vivian, when you screw up, you need to take responsibility. Stop letting jealousy get the better of you and making baseless accusations against other people.”

“I’m not making baseless accusations. My computer has a record of my work, and I’d already sent Hailey earlier versions of the presentation. We both have copies.”

“I was reviewing the PowerPoint right before Finance called me away, and Ivy Vance was the only person who accessed my computer while I was gone. If you don’t think that’s enough evidence, check the security footage. It’ll confirm everything.” I laid out the facts as calmly and clearly as I could.

Tristan had joined the company as soon as he’d turned eighteen. Even while he was in college, he’d been involved in management and balancing his studies with his responsibilities at the company.

There was no way he didn’t understand how office politics worked.

All I had to do was explain what had happened. He’d see reason.

Or at least, that’s what I’d thought.

After listening to everything I had to say, Tristan simply replied, “There’s no need for an investigation, Vivian. We judge our employees by their results. And the result is that your kickoff meeting was a complete disaster. You ruined a business deal for the company.”

A chill spread through my entire body.

He knew.

Tristan knew exactly what had happened, and he was still choosing to protect Ivy.

Hurt, anger, and resentment surged through me all at once. I stared at him, my eyes burning with unshed

tears.

“Didn’t you just say the company was following policy? When something goes wrong, shouldn’t we investigate what caused it and hold the person responsible accountable? Why does that rule suddenly stop applying when Ivy’s involved?”

Tristan’s expression didn’t change.

“Vivian, you and Ivy are different. You’re my wife. We have to avoid any appearance of favoritism, and frankly, you’re not cut out for the workplace. Wouldn’t you be happier staying home like you used to? Buying designer

clothes, traveling, enjoying yourself? Why put yourself through all this?”