Chapter 58-The Man Who Walked In
774 Words
Morning arrived at Sinclair Tower with its usual rhythm of footsteps, coffee cups, and elevator chimes. The building looked calm from the outside, all glass and steel and sunlight.
Inside, however, several quiet storms were beginning to form.
The Interview
Human Resources sat on the seventeenth floor, a quieter section of the building where the noise of the main departments rarely reached.
A woman named Mrs. Kang adjusted her glasses as she reviewed the file in front of her.
Daniel Voss.
Top cybersecurity specialist.
International experience.
Flawless references.
She nodded, impressed.
“Send him in.”
The door opened.
Daniel Voss stepped inside.
He looked ordinary.
Neatly dressed. Calm posture. A polite, professional smile.
The kind of man you would trust to fix your computer… or lead a team.
Mrs. Kang gestured toward the chair.
“Please sit.”
“Thank you.”
His voice was warm, controlled, pleasant.
He answered every question with confidence.
Technical knowledge flowed easily from him.
Cybersecurity frameworks.
Network vulnerability analysis.
Threat detection.
Every answer was perfect.
Too perfect.
Mrs. Kang leaned back thoughtfully.
“You’re overqualified for this position.”
Daniel smiled modestly.
“I prefer smaller teams. Less politics.”
That answer seemed reasonable.
After forty minutes, Mrs. Kang closed the folder.
“We’ll contact you soon.”
Daniel stood and shook her hand.
“Thank you for your time.”
As he walked down the hallway toward the elevator, his eyes quietly scanned the building.
Security cameras.
Emergency exits.
Employee badges.
He memorized everything.
Then the elevator doors closed.
And Daniel Voss smiled.
One step closer.
Across the Office
Meanwhile, Hana sat at a café across the street from Adrian’s apartment building.
Her sunglasses hid her eyes as she watched the entrance.
She had followed him after work the night before.
And she had learned something interesting.
Adrian lived alone.
No girlfriend.
No boyfriend.
No visitors.
No family.
Just silence.
That only deepened her suspicion.
Who are you really, Adrian Knox?
She watched as Adrian exited the building and started walking toward the subway station.
Hana waited ten seconds.
Then followed.
Sinclair Tower — Executive Floor
Damien Sinclair sat behind his desk reviewing financial reports.
His assistant knocked.
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a cybersecurity conference in Busan next week.”
Damien barely looked up.
“Send the team.”
“They’re requesting you personally.”
Damien sighed.
“Fine.”
Then he added casually,
“Adrian Knox will come with me.”
The assistant blinked.
“Just the two of you?”
Damien paused.
“…Yes.”
Later That Afternoon
Adrian sat at his desk reviewing system reports when Damien’s voice came from behind him.
“You’re traveling next week.”
Adrian turned.
“Excuse me?”
“Busan. Cybersecurity conference.”
Adrian frowned.
“And you’re telling me because…?”
“You’re coming.”
Adrian stared at him.
“You’re taking me on a work trip now?”
Damien crossed his arms.
“You’re the best analyst we have.”
Adrian smirked.
“Flattery doesn’t suit you.”
Damien leaned slightly closer.
“Neither does disobedience.”
Adrian rolled his eyes.
“How many bodyguards are coming this time?”
“None.”
That surprised him.
Adrian studied Damien carefully.
“Just us?”
“Yes.”
The air between them shifted slightly.
Something quiet. Tense.
Dangerous.
Adrian cleared his throat.
“When do we leave?”
“Monday.”
Adrian nodded slowly.
“Fine.”
But inside his chest something nervous fluttered.
A whole trip.
Just the two of them.
That sounded like a terrible idea.
Across the Street
Hana watched Adrian enter the Sinclair building again.
Her fingers tapped slowly against the steering wheel.
She had followed him all morning.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing suspicious.
Yet something about him still felt wrong.
Her phone buzzed.
The investigator.
“I found something strange.”
“What?”
“Adrian Knox’s records exist… but they only start about seven years ago.”
Hana’s eyes narrowed.
“What about before that?”
“Nothing.”
Silence.
Then Hana smiled slowly.
“Keep digging.”
Somewhere Else
Daniel Voss walked along the sidewalk across from Sinclair Tower.
He looked up at the tall glass building.
Soon.
Very soon.
His phone buzzed.
An email.
He opened it.
Sinclair Company — Job Offer
His smile widened.
Perfect.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned away calmly.
Soon he would walk through those doors not as a visitor.
But as an employee.
And somewhere inside that building…
Jade Whitmore was hiding.
He didn’t know which face she wore.
But he would find out.
Eventually.
- Writer
