Chapter 8: The Flash Drive
372 Words
Alexander turned the small black flash drive over in his hand.
"Don't plug it into the company's network," Maya said quickly. "If it's infected with malware, it could compromise everything."
Alexander looked at her with approval.
"Good thinking."
He handed the flash drive to Jordan.
"Take this to our cybersecurity team. I want it analyzed on an isolated computer. No one opens it until the experts say it's safe."
"Right away, sir."
---
An hour later, Alexander and Maya sat in his office, waiting.
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Jordan returned.
"The drive is clean," he said. "No malware."
"What's on it?" Alexander asked.
Jordan placed a folder on the desk.
"It contains emails, financial records, and voice recordings."
Alexander opened the first file.
His expression darkened.
"They've been stealing information from Stone Global for months."
Maya leaned closer.
"Do you know who's behind it?"
"Not yet."
Jordan opened another file.
"There's something else."
He clicked on a voice recording.
A distorted voice filled the room.
«"Keep Alexander distracted. When the merger fails, Stone Global will collapse. The girl is the key. Make sure he trusts no one."»
The recording ended.
Maya felt a chill run down her spine.
"The girl..." she whispered. "They're talking about me."
Alexander nodded slowly.
"They've been planning this since before we met."
---
Just then, Alexander's phone rang.
It was Ethan.
Alexander answered.
"Hello?"
A frightened voice replied.
"This isn't Ethan."
Alexander stood instantly.
"Who is this?"
The caller laughed.
"If you want to see the boy alive... come alone."
The line went dead.
Maya's face turned pale.
"That was Ethan's phone."
Alexander looked at her.
"They've kidn*pped your brother."
Without another word, Maya grabbed her bag.
"I'm coming with you."
"No," Alexander said firmly.
"It's too dangerous."
"He's my brother!"
"And they're using him to lure us into a trap."
Tears filled Maya's eyes, but she refused to back down.
"I'm not leaving him."
Alexander met her gaze for a long moment.
Finally, he nodded.
"Then we do this together."
As they rushed toward the elevator, neither of them noticed a small tracking device hidden beneath Alexander's car.
Someone knew exactly where they were going.
And this time...
The enemy was waiting.
To be continued
- Writer
