Chapter 7: The Hidden Enemy
443 Words
Alexander stared at Vanessa, waiting for her to continue.
"Tell us who it is," he said, his voice calm but firm.
Vanessa lowered her eyes. Her hands shook.
"I... I can't."
"Why not?"
"They threatened me."
Maya exchanged a glance with Alexander. This wasn't the confident woman who had been trying to intimidate her just hours ago. Vanessa looked frightened.
Alexander stepped closer.
"No one here will harm you. But if you know something, now is the time to tell the truth."
Vanessa took a deep breath.
"It started three months ago. Someone contacted me anonymously. They knew everything about me—my debts, my family, even my younger sister's medical bills."
Maya listened carefully.
"They offered to pay all my debts if I helped get confidential information from Stone Global."
"And you agreed?" Alexander asked.
Vanessa nodded slowly, tears filling her eyes.
"At first, it was just small things. Meeting schedules. Client names. Then they asked me to frame Maya after you hired her."
Maya frowned.
"But why me? I had just joined the company."
Vanessa looked at her with guilt in her eyes.
"I don't know. They specifically said, 'When the new assistant arrives, make sure Alexander loses all trust in her.'"
Alexander's expression hardened.
"This wasn't just corporate espionage."
"No," Vanessa whispered. "It was personal."
Just then, Jordan rushed into the conference room.
"Mr. Stone!"
Alexander turned.
"What happened?"
"Our IT department has detected someone trying to access the company's confidential files remotely."
"Can they trace the location?"
Jordan nodded.
"Yes... and you're not going to believe it."
"Where?"
"The login attempt came from inside this building."
The room fell silent.
"The hacker is still here," Jordan added.
Alexander immediately gave instructions.
"Lock every exit. No one leaves until we identify whoever is behind this."
Security officers quickly moved through the building.
Meanwhile, Maya noticed something unusual.
One employee quietly slipped away from the crowd and headed toward the emergency staircase.
"Alexander," she whispered. "That man..."
Alexander followed her gaze.
Without hesitation, he and Maya ran after him.
The man pushed open the stairwell door and sprinted downward.
"Stop!" Alexander shouted.
The stranger ignored him.
As Maya reached the next landing, she saw the man drop a small black flash drive before disappearing through a service exit.
Alexander picked it up.
"It must contain something important," Maya said.
He nodded.
"Or it's a trap."
As they looked at the flash drive, neither of them noticed someone watching them from a parked car across the street.
The mysterious figure smiled.
"Phase one is complete," the voice said quietly. "Now let's see if Alexander is ready to lose everything."
To be continued
- Writer
