It's Not My Fault

While Roland was worrying about Anna at the presentation venue, Veronica was still in her room. However, she was no longer on her computer, that had long been shut down.

Instead, Veronica was curled up in a ball in the corner, not knowing what to do.

Outside her room, her attendants were wondering why it had gone so quiet.

"She was cackling manically a moment ago, what happened?"

"I don't know… I heard cackling, laughing, and then a low whimper. There's only been silence since."

"Something must've happened in one of her games; she'll be fine if we leave her."

…

In the dark corner, Veronica was silently sobbing to herself.

"I didn't mean to… I just wanted to stop her…"

Everything she tried to say was broken up by a hiccup or a sniff. The snot and tears running down her face made for a stark contrast to the make-up which had covered her face during the board meeting.

If any of the board members saw her now, they wouldn't doubted if the two were the same person at all. Her previous elegant demeanor was long gone, and she appeared to be a sniveling wreck now.

"I thought she'd notice the lights change…"

Hiccup!

"How was I to know that the truck driver would be looking at his phone?"

Sniff.

"I can't be to blame for that!"

Yet as much as she said this to herself, she knew in her heart that she was lying to herself.

The unending sobs were proof enough of the guilt Veronica felt.

"I don't even dislike her that much; it's hard to hate someone you don't even know. I was only trying to help Roland."

It's true that her actions appeared to be spiteful and aimed at Anna, but Veronica truly was doing all of this to help Roland, in her own way.

"Everything I've been doing was to aid Roland's success."

'Everything' might have been stretching it slightly—she didn't need to tease and confront Anna during the board meeting—but she really was looking out for Roland!

"I showed him the flaws in his system using the girl he likes as bait.

"I incited those wastrels in Anna's old department, so she wouldn't waste time during this important period for Roland.

"And I was trying to stop Anna from appearing publicly when she's not qualified to do so. The reporters would have a field day if someone like her represented the company publicly, and Roland would take all the blame for it."

Venting helped her slightly, but then she remembered the sight of the ambulance and got upset again.

"It's not my fault; I really didn't mean it."

Although Veronica hadn't seen the accident—she'd looked away at the last moment—that ambulance couldn't have been for anyone else; no one else had been crossing the road at the same time as Anna.

"Ah, it's all my fault…"

Veronica curled back up and started sobbing again. Even though she'd gone about it in a twisted way, she was a kind-hearted girl who never meant any real harm.