Arnold squeezed her hand, his gaze tender. "Don't worry, Stacy. I'm here."
My father surveyed the room. His eyes passed over Stacy, then Arnold, before finally settling on me.
He gave me a slight nod, then spoke. "Regarding the failed bid, I've reached my conclusion."
Stacy shot to her feet, tears glistening in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I was so stupid—I grabbed the wrong flash drive. But I didn't mean to! I only wanted to help Anita. I'll take full responsibility. Just please don't blame Arnold. He's innocent..."
She swayed weakly, and Arnold rushed to steady her. The two of them put on quite the performance of devoted love.
The room erupted in murmurs.
It was a masterful move—admitting fault while hiding behind her ditzy persona, all while showing off their relationship.
My father raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, who are you?"
Stacy froze. "I'm Stacy... your daughter..."
Arnold went rigid. "Chairman, you don't recognize Stacy?"
My father's expression turned icy.