The day everything went wrong
1391 Words
“Did you hear that?”
Maya asked, holding her bag tightly.
“Everyone heard it,” Tasha replied on the phone. “Your first day and already drama?”
Maya stood outside the building, staring up at the glass walls.
“I’m scared,” Maya said. “I feel like something bad will happen.”
Tasha laughed softly. “Relax. It’s just work. Go in. You’ll be fine.”
Maya took a deep breath.
“I’ll call you later,” she said.
“Good luck,” Tasha replied.
The call ended.
Maya walked inside.
---
The office was louder than yesterday.
People were moving fast. Phones were ringing. Some workers looked angry. Others looked worried.
Maya stopped near the reception desk.
A man rushed past her, almost hitting her shoulder.
“Sorry,” he said without stopping.
Maya’s heart started beating fast.
Why does everyone look so tense?
She walked toward the elevator.
Before she could press the button, a woman grabbed her arm.
“You’re the new assistant, right?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” Maya said. “I’m Maya.”
“I’m Clara. The CEO’s senior secretary,” she said quickly. “Come with me. Now.”
Maya didn’t ask questions.
She followed Clara down the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Maya asked.
Clara sighed. “The company is in trouble.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “What kind of trouble?”
Clara stopped walking.
“There’s a leaked document,” she said. “Someone shared private company files online.”
Maya’s stomach dropped.
“That’s bad,” she whispered.
“It’s very bad,” Clara replied. “The board is angry. The CEO is furious.”
They reached the CEO’s floor.
The doors opened, and Maya felt the cold air again.
Clara turned to her. “Listen carefully. Stay quiet. Do only what you are told.”
Maya nodded.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said.
---
Inside the CEO’s office, the mood was dark.
Adrian Black stood near the window, his back to the room.
Three men in suits sat on the couch.
They were arguing.
“This is a disaster,” one man said.
“Our shares will fall,” another said.
Adrian turned around slowly.
“Enough,” he said.
His voice was calm, but it made the room silent.
He looked at Clara.
“Where is the assistant?” he asked.
Clara pushed Maya forward gently.
“She’s here, sir,” Clara said.
Adrian’s eyes moved to Maya.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he said, “Close the door.”
Maya closed it.
Her hands were shaking.
Adrian walked toward his desk.
“Someone betrayed this company,” he said. “And I will find out who.”
One of the men stood up.
“This leak came from your private office,” he said.
Maya felt dizzy.
Private office?
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“That’s impossible,” he said.
The man continued, “Only a few people have access.”
Everyone turned to look at Maya.
Her heart almost stopped.
“I—I just started,” Maya said softly. “I haven’t even touched anything.”
Clara stepped forward.
“She’s new,” Clara said. “She couldn’t have done this.”
Adrian raised his hand.
“Enough,” he said again.
He looked at Maya.
“When did you arrive today?” he asked.
“Twenty minutes ago, sir,” Maya replied.
“Did you enter my office before now?”
“No, sir,” she said quickly.
Adrian studied her face.
Then he turned to the men.
“Leave us,” he said.
The men looked shocked.
“Adrian—” one started.
“Now,” Adrian said.
They left.
The door closed.
The room felt smaller.
---
Adrian sat down.
He pressed a button on his desk.
“Security,” he said. “Lock the floor. No one leaves.”
Maya’s eyes widened.
“What?” she whispered.
He looked at her.
“Until I find the truth,” he said.
Maya’s chest felt tight.
She had never been locked in an office before.
Adrian stood up again.
“Maya,” he said. “Tell me everything you have done since you arrived.”
Maya took a breath.
“I came in,” she said. “I talked to Clara. Then she brought me here.”
Adrian nodded.
“Did anyone give you a file? A drive? A paper?”
“No,” Maya said. “Nothing.”
He walked closer.
His voice was low.
“Do you know who leaked the files?”
“No, sir,” Maya said, almost crying.
He stopped in front of her.
For a moment, he looked angry.
Then something changed.
He saw fear in her eyes.
“You’re telling the truth,” he said quietly.
Maya nodded fast.
“Yes, sir. I swear.”
Adrian turned away.
He looked tired.
“Someone wants to destroy this company,” he said. “And they chose today.”
Maya swallowed.
“Why today?” she asked.
Adrian looked at her.
“Because today, I made a big decision,” he said.
“What decision?” Maya asked.
He paused.
Then said, “I fired someone important yesterday.”
Maya understood.
Revenge.
---
Suddenly, the door opened.
A guard rushed in.
“Sir,” he said. “We found something.”
Adrian turned fast.
“What?”
The guard handed him a tablet.
Adrian read it.
His face hardened.
“The leak came from an internal email,” he said. “Sent from this floor.”
Maya felt cold.
“That means…” she whispered.
Adrian finished the sentence.
“Someone here did it.”
He looked around the room.
Only three people were there.
Himself.
Clara.
Maya.
Clara gasped.
“Sir, you don’t think—”
Adrian raised his hand.
“I trust you, Clara,” he said.
Then he looked at Maya.
Maya’s heart dropped.
“Sir, please,” she said. “I didn’t do anything.”
Adrian looked at her for a long time.
Then he said something unexpected.
“I believe you.”
Maya froze.
“You… do?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Because the person who did this wanted me to blame you.”
Maya frowned.
“Why?”
Adrian’s voice was calm.
“Because you’re new,” he said. “And easy to blame.”
Maya felt tears in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
---
The lights suddenly went out.
The room went dark.
Clara screamed.
“What’s happening?” Maya asked.
“Backup power,” Adrian said. “Stay calm.”
Then the fire alarm started.
Red lights flashed.
“Evacuate immediately,” a voice said.
People shouted outside.
Maya panicked.
Adrian grabbed her wrist.
“Stay close,” he said.
They rushed into the hallway.
Smoke filled the air.
Maya coughed.
“I can’t see,” she said.
Adrian pulled her closer.
“Don’t let go,” he said.
They reached the stairs.
People were pushing.
Maya almost fell.
Adrian held her tight.
“I’ve got you,” he said.
For the first time, his voice sounded human.
Not cold.
Not sharp.
Just real.
They got outside.
The fresh air hit Maya’s lungs.
She bent down, breathing hard.
Adrian stayed beside her.
Sirens filled the street.
Firefighters ran inside.
Maya looked up at him.
“Was this planned?” she asked.
Adrian nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “The leak. The fire. All of it.”
Maya’s hands shook.
“Why would someone do this?”
Adrian looked at the building.
“Because they want my fall,” he said.
He turned to Maya.
“And now, you’re part of this.”
Maya’s heart skipped.
“Me?”
“Yes,” he said. “You were there. You saw things.”
Maya felt scared.
And excited.
And confused.
“What happens now?” she asked.
Adrian looked at her.
“You stay close to me,” he said. “For your safety.”
Maya nodded slowly.
She didn’t know why.
But she trusted him.
As the fire lights flashed around them, Maya realized something.
Her first day at work was not just dramatic.
It was dangerous.
And her private affair with the CEO had not even begun
- Writer
