Chapter 534
Troy immediately turned to Lauren, his face full of desperation. “Ms. Rhodes, please, I’ve worked tirelessly for you in the past. I’m begging you–just this once, grant me mercy!”
Lauren crossed her arms, giving him a cold glance. “I can consider it, but there’s one last question you need to answer. What exactly have you done with Ruby besides sleeping with her? Any other shady dealings I should know about?”
Troy hesitated, his face paling. After a moment, he clenched his teeth and confessed, “I… I showed her three of the Pharmaceutical Division’s formulas. But please, Ms. Rhodes, understand–I only showed her. She didn’t copy them, so it shouldn’t be a big problem… right?”
Before Lauren could respond, an enraged voice boomed from the doorway. “Troy, you’re asking for death!”
The furious shout echoed through the office, followed by the sharp, rapid clack of dress shoes on the tile. Moments later, Michael stormed in with several high–ranking executives, his face twisted with fury.
Without a word, Michael lashed out, kicking Troy hard in the chest. Troy collapsed to the floor, gasping in pain.
“You idiot!” Michael bellowed, his face red with rage. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The Pharmaceutical Division’s formulas are the product of decades of research. Each one is priceless! And you… you gave them to Ruby just like that? Do you realize what you’ve done? I could kill you right now!”
Michael’s voice was nearly a roar, his fury blinding him. He had come here intending to defend Troy and figure out why he was groveling to Andrew, but hearing Troy confess to leaking the company’s trade secrets was a blow that felt like a death knell.
As the CEO, Michael knew the gravity of the situation. This was not just a minor blunder–it was catastrophic. The thought of those formulas being leaked could mean devastation for the Pharmaceutical Division, perhaps even the entire Rhodes Corporation.
Worse, it reflected directly on him, the leader of the company. If the family found out about this, his position–and his dreams of becoming the family head–would be over.
Grabbing Troy by the collar, Michael’s face contorted with rage. “I’ll ask you one last time. Did you or did you not leak the Pharmaceutical Division’s formulas to Ruby?”
Troy was trembling as he stammered through sobs, “Mr. Rhodes… I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t thinking straight… Please, let me explain!”
Michael responded with two vicious slaps, the sound of which echoed through the room. “Explain? Explain what, you moron?” Michael shouted, his voice raw with fury. “The only thing I want to know is did you give the formulas to Ruby or not?”
Troy broke down completely, wailing like a child. “I… let her see them, but I swear, it was just curiosity! I don’t think she memorized them or had any ulterior motives!”
Michael was seething, his breath coming in harsh gasps. “You don’t think? You imbecile! You’re telling me you thought she wouldn’t betray us? You’re a damn fool–you deserve to die!”
His bloodshot eyes darted around the room, scanning for something he could use to finish Troy off right then and there. He was trembling with rage, on the verge of losing complete control.
Fortunately, the other executives stepped in, holding Michael back before he could act on his murderous intent.
“Mr. Rhodes, please, calm down! This isn’t the time to lose your head,” one of them urged.
“Yes, Mr. Rhodes,” another chimed in. “Troy has made a grave mistake, but punishing him now won’t solve anything. Our priority should be apprehending Ruby and preventing her from leaking the formulas.”
Michael froze for a moment, his anger giving way to fear. “You’re right… we need to catch Ruby immediately. We can’t let those formulas leave the hotel!”
Turning back to Troy, Michael barked, “Where is she? Which hotel?! Tell me right now!”
Still trembling, Troy quickly gave up Ruby’s hotel location. Without wasting another moment, Michael ordered a team to head to the hotel and capture Ruby.