Chapter 4 – Something Leaks
492 Words
Friday morning hit like a slap.
Emily was barely halfway through her coffee when her phone buzzed—again and again. Messages. Notifications. Missed calls. Her heart sank before she even unlocked the screen.
WildNote campaign video leaked online.
The full version.
Unedited. Unapproved.
And already going viral.
She stormed into the office, where the tension in the air was thicker than usual. Her team stood around in clusters, whispering, eyes darting to her as she passed. When she entered the main conference room, Jake was already there—arms crossed, jaw tight.
“You saw it?” he asked.
“Of course I saw it,” she snapped. “I’ve been getting tagged all morning.”
Chloe stepped in, holding a tablet. “It was uploaded at 3:47 a.m. From an anonymous account.”
“Someone from inside,” Emily said, pacing. “Someone who had access to the raw files.”
Jake rubbed the back of his neck. “Could be sabotage. Could be a mistake.”
She shot him a glare. “Don’t you dare call this a mistake. You know how much work went into this. Now it’s out in the wild without final approval—no launch strategy, no client sign-off, no control.”
He held up a hand. “I’m not saying it’s okay. I’m saying we need to think clearly.”
Before she could respond, the door burst open. Mr. West, the company’s senior partner, stormed in with a face like thunder.
“Who authorized this release?” he barked.
Emily stepped forward. “No one. The video was leaked. We're still investigating.”
Mr. West’s eyes narrowed. “It was uploaded from your department’s shared drive, Emily. Your credentials were used.”
The room went still.
Emily’s blood ran cold. “That’s impossible.”
Jake spoke up. “Sir, I’ve worked closely with Emily. If she says she didn’t do it—she didn’t.”
Mr. West wasn’t convinced. “Until we know for sure, you’re both off the WildNote account. Effective immediately.”
“What?” Emily gasped. “You’re pulling us off our own campaign?”
“It’s not personal. It’s damage control,” West said before storming out.
The door slammed. The silence that followed felt suffocating.
Jake turned to her. “We’ll fix this.”
Emily’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Someone wants me out.”
Jake stepped closer. “Then we find out who. Together.”
She looked at him, eyes clouded with fury and disbelief. “I don’t need your pity, Jake.”
“It’s not pity,” he said. “It’s loyalty.”
But Emily was already walking out—shoulders squared, heart cracked.
She had fought her way to the top of this company, only to watch it slip away from under her feet… and she couldn’t help but wonder:
Was someone trying to break her?
Or was she breaking all on her own?
- Writer
