chapter3
1538 Words
Chapter 3 The Betrayal
Daniel alighted from his car and quickly walked to his office. Seated in his office he began to go the pile of files awaiting his attention.
He picked the file for the Manhattan project. He flipped few pages, the discussion had with Amelia flashed.
He felt like a hammer knocked him on the head. “Amelia should be in control of the Merger.” He muttered to himself.
He almost collapsed. His heart bit quickened. “This is a tall order from Amelia.” He thought but remained speechless.
At the same time Victor’s message last night flashed. “watch your back.”
Claire, his assistant greeted. “Good morning, Mr. Carter. You have a meeting with the board at 10, and...”
“Cancel it,” Daniel interrupted without giving it a thought “And get me everything we have on Victor Steele—business, personal, everything.”
Claire nodded. “Of course, sir. Anything else?”
Daniel stared at him violently. “Lock down the upcoming merger files. No one accesses them without my approval.”
Claire nodded, sensing the tension. “Understood.”
As he walked into his office, Daniel’s phone buzzed. It was an unknown number. He hesitated before picking the call.
“Carter,” he said tersely.
“Still as sharp as ever,” Victor’s smooth voice taunted. “Good morning, Daniel.”
Daniel gritted his teeth. “What do you want, Victor?”
Victor chuckled. “Relax. I just wanted to check in. Thought you might be interested in a little... insider information.”
“I’m not playing your games.”
“Oh, but you already are,” Victor countered. “I wonder—does Amelia know the full story about what’s happening? Or are you keeping her in the dark like you used to?”
Daniel’s fist clenched. “Get to the point.”
Victor calmed down. He laughed loudly.
With a smirk he remarked. “Let’s say someone close to you isn’t what you think. And when the truth comes out, you would wish you had listened to me.”
The line went dead.
Daniel stared at the phone, frustration set in. Who was Victor talking about? Amelia? Someone in his company?
The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Carter, Mr. Peterson is here to see you.”
Daniel sighed. Peterson was his trusted CFO and closest confidant in the business. “Send him in.”
Peterson entered. His disposition was calm and cool. And his expression welcoming.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you. Mr Peterson sat in from of him.
*I hope there is no problem?”
Mr Peterson relaxed a bit, cleared his throat and said. “Daniel, we’ve got a problem.”
“What now?” Said worriedly.
“There’s a leak,” Peterson said bluntly. “Someone’s been feeding information to Steele Industries. I’ve traced discrepancies in our financials and project timelines. It’s too precise to be a coincidence.”
Daniel’s stomach tumbled. “Do you have any idea who?”
Peterson shook his head. “Not yet. But the timing aligns with the merger. Whoever it is, they’re trying to sabotage us from the inside.”
Daniel leaned back, his mind raced. “Victor called me this morning. He hinted at something similar. Said someone close to me can’t be trusted.”
Peterson frowned. “You think bluffed?”
“No,” Daniel said firmly. “Victor doesn’t bluff. He had played with us, and he’s good at it. But I’m not letting him win this time”
Peterson nodded. “We need to act fast. I’ll tighten access to sensitive files and monitor communications. But you should know—if the leak is someone high up, this could get messy.”
“Do what you need to,” Daniel said, resolutely. “I want a name, Peterson. And I want it now.”
Peterson stood and said. “I’ll keep you updated soon.
Immediately Peterson walked out and the door closed behind him, Daniel’s phone buzzed again. This time, it was Amelia.
“Daniel,” her voice came through, calm but strong.
“Amelia,” he replied with softened tone. “What’ happened?”
“I heard something happened” she said cautiously. “Victor has been reaching out to people in my team. He ha tried to undercut the merger.”
Daniel’s heart dashed. “I know. He’s playing dirty, and there’s a leak in my company.”
A pause. “Do you think it’s connected?”
“I don’t know yet,” Daniel admitted. “But I’m not taking any chances.”
Amelia sighed. “This is bigger than us, Daniel. If Victor gets his way, it’ll destroy everything we’ve been working for.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Daniel assured. “We’ve come too far.”
Her voice softened slightly. “I hope you meant that. For both our sakes.”
As the call ended, Daniel’s resolve hardened. He wouldn’t let Victor win—not in this business and not with Amelia.
He picked up the phone and dialled Claire. “Get me Peterson again. And find out where Victor is. I don’t care how you do it—just find him.”
“Right away, sir.”
Daniel stood by the window, stared out at the space. He couldn’t stop having the feeling that the walls were closing in.
He remembered Victor’s games and the leak, Amelia’s involvement. It all felt like pieces of a puzzle he couldn’t get solved.
Daniel paced his office non stop. His frustration was evident. Victor’s cryptic warning, Amelia’s concerns, and Peterson’s revelations churned in his mind. He needed answers—and fast.
He picked up the phone. “Claire, get me Chris Meyers on the line immediately.”
Chris was an ex-FBI investigator Daniel had worked with during a past corporate scandal. If anyone could uncover the truth, it was Chris.
Minutes later, the call connected.
“Chris,” Daniel said sharply. He skipped pleasantries. “I need your help.”
“Always a pleasure, Daniel,” Chris replied calmly.
He turned and looked at Daniel closely. “What happened” He inquired.
Daniel shook his head worriedly and replied “There’s a mole in my company,”
Daniel continued. “Victor Steele is feeding on inside information. I need you to find the leak and shut it down.”
Chris was silent for a beat. “Steele, huh? He’s a piece of work. This sounds serious. What’s the scope?”
“High-level sabotage,” Daniel replied. “Merger files, financial discrepancies—everything points to someone close to me.”
Chris exhaled. “I’ll need full access to your records. Communications, staff profiles, recent activities. And I’ll need to bring in a couple of my people.”
“Done,” Daniel said without hesitation. “Send me a list of what you need.”
“I’ll be at your office by noon,” Chris said. “And Daniel—be ready for this to get ugly.”
After the call ended, Daniel turned to Claire. “Chris Meyers is coming in. Make sure he has everything he needs.”
“Yes, sir,” Claire said.
Daniel leaned against his desk as his mind raced. Trust had always been his weakness.
He gave too much to the wrong people. And too little to those who deserved it. Now, it had worked against him.
The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Carter, Peterson is asking for an update.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Tell him I’m handling it.”
Peterson was loyal—or so Daniel had always believed. But Victor’s warning echoed in his mind. “Not everyone in your circle wants you to win.”
Chris came in the afternoon as he promised. He carried a leather briefcase in hand.
He is a no nonsense detective. He knows his onions.
“Let’s get started,” Chris said, wasting no time.
Daniel led him to the conference room. Claire followed with a stack of files.
“This is everything we’ve flagged so far,” Daniel explained. “Peterson’s team is monitoring communications, but I need deeper intel.”
Chris nodded. “We’ll start with the key players. Anyone who’s had access to the merger files or sensitive accounts.”
Claire handed Chris a list. “Here are the names.”
Chris scanned it quickly. “I’ll have my team run background checks and monitor activities. Daniel, you need to keep things business as usual. Don’t tip anyone off.”
“I can handle that,” Daniel said.
Chris’s expression turned serious. “And one more thing—who do you trust the least on this list?”
Daniel became confused. “Peterson. He’s been with me for years, but something feels off.”
Chris made a note. “Understood. I’ll start there.”
As Chris and his team dove into the investigation, Daniel returned to his office, his thoughts a storm of suspicion and frustration.
Victor had played a dangerous game, and Daniel was determined to beat him at it.
But one thing was certain: if someone in his circle was betraying him, they were going to regret it.
- Writer
