Single Dad Bought an Old Bakery after Losing Everything—Then the CEO Who Fired Him Walked In
Chapter 4
Daniel spent the entire morning trying to understand.
One hundred and twenty million dollars.
A fake report.
A ruined career.
And a CEO who claimed she had fired him to protect him.
None of it fit.
Victoria sat across from him at a small bakery table.
No assistants.
No laptop.
Just two cups of coffee.
“You could have told me,” Daniel said.
“I tried.”
“When?”
“The day before I fired you.”
Daniel frowned.
“I came to your office.”
“You were supposed to come.”
“You canceled the meeting.”
“I didn’t.”
He stared at her.
“What?”
“I was there.”
Daniel remembered.
He had arrived at eight.
Her assistant had told him Victoria was unavailable.
He had waited for forty minutes.
Then left.
Victoria looked genuinely confused.
“My assistant told me you never showed.”
“I was there.”
She leaned back.
“Someone intercepted both of us.”
Daniel slowly understood.
“Someone inside the company.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I’m still not certain.”
“You fired me without knowing.”
“I knew the report was suspicious.”
“Then why?”
“Because the report included information that only four people had.”
Daniel frowned.
“Who?”
Victoria counted on her fingers.
“Me.”
“The CFO.”
“The head of security.”
“And you.”
Daniel realized.
“That means one of us was involved.”
“Exactly.”
“Did you suspect me?”
“No.”
“Then why me?”
Victoria looked at him.
“Because someone made it look like you.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“I spent six months believing I’d destroyed my own career.”
“I know.”
“I lost my house.”
“I know.”
“I had to tell my daughter we were moving.”
“I know.”
He stared.
“How?”
Victoria’s eyes dropped.
“I paid for the apartment you moved into.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
“I kept the payment anonymous.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t undo what happened.”
She swallowed.
“I could at least stop you and Lily from becoming homeless.”
Daniel didn’t know what to say.
The anger remained.
But something else appeared beneath it.
Understanding.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because if you knew I was helping you, someone might realize I was protecting you.”
Daniel looked away.
Victoria continued.
“Your dismissal was supposed to isolate you.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever stole the money believed you had copied the evidence.”
Daniel’s heart raced.
“I copied something.”
Victoria looked up.
“What?”
“Before I left the company, I made a backup.”
She leaned forward.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Victoria frowned.
Daniel thought.
Then remembered.
An old external drive.
He had stored it inside a box of personal belongings.
A box he had kept in his old house.
The house was gone.
So was the box.
He looked at Victoria.
“It’s missing.”
She stood.
“Then we find it.”
Daniel shook his head.
“It’s probably gone.”
“No.”
She looked at him.
“I know where your storage unit is.”
His expression changed.
“How?”
Victoria answered quietly.
“Because I was the one who rented it for you.”
Daniel stared at her.
The woman who had fired him had secretly been protecting him the entire time.
But then Lily ran into the room.
“Daddy!”
She was holding an envelope.
“I found this under the door.”
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
The bakery.
Taken that morning.
On the back were six words:
You should have taken the money.
