The File That Shouldn't Exist
894 Words
Some truths are hidden because they are dangerous. Others are hidden because they are priceless."
Emily stared at the single sheet resting on her desk.
It was different from every other document in the Orion Project file.
The paper had yellowed with age, its edges slightly worn, as if it had been handled countless times before somehow finding its way into a folder that should have contained only current financial reports.
Across the top, in faded red ink, three words were stamped:
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT ARCHIVE
She glanced around the nearly empty office.
The cleaning crew had already begun polishing the distant corridors. The soft hum of computers filled the silence.
Carefully, she lifted the page.
Instead of financial figures, it contained a list of land acquisitions dating back nearly twenty years.
Most of the locations meant nothing to her.
Until one name caught her eye.
Mooncrest Valley.
Her breathing stopped.
Her fingers tightened around the paper.
Why would Blackwood Global purchase land surrounding Mooncrest only months before the m******e?
A cold chill ran down her spine.
"Emily?"
She quickly slid the paper beneath the Orion file.
Nora stood beside her desk, holding her handbag.
"I thought you'd gone home."
"So did I," Emily replied with a small smile.
Nora yawned dramatically.
"I only came back because I forgot my car keys."
She noticed the mountain of documents covering Emily's desk.
"You're really planning to finish all that tonight?"
"I'd rather finish early than make excuses tomorrow."
Nora laughed.
"I like you."
Emily looked up.
"Why?"
"Because everyone else here pretends they're not terrified of impossible deadlines."
She leaned closer.
"You actually look excited."
Emily smiled politely.
"If I'm being honest..."
"I've faced worse."
She immediately wished she hadn't said it.
Nora tilted her head.
"Worse than Orion?"
Emily closed the file.
"Long story."
Nora didn't press further.
"Well..."
She jingled her keys triumphantly.
"I found these."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Emily waited until Nora disappeared before looking at the mysterious page again.
Someone had hidden it.
But who?
And why?
Across the executive floor...
Damian stood alone inside his office.
The city stretched endlessly beyond the glass walls.
He wasn't reading the quarterly reports lying open on his desk.
Instead...
He was replaying today's conversations in his mind.
A gentle knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Liam entered carrying a tablet.
"The Orion assignment."
Damian looked up.
"What about it?"
"You gave the impossible deadline again."
"It usually tells us who breaks under pressure."
Liam nodded.
"And Emily?"
Damian walked toward the window.
"Did she complain?"
"No."
"Ask for help?"
"No."
"Leave early?"
Liam smiled.
"She's still working."
For the first time that evening...
Damian allowed himself the faintest smile.
Ten minutes later...
Emily finally organized her notes into neat stacks.
She reached for the mysterious page one last time.
Something caught her attention.
Tiny handwritten numbers filled the bottom margin.
Not calculations.
Coordinates.
Someone had written geographical coordinates in pencil.
She copied them into her notebook before slipping the page back into the folder exactly as she had found it.
If anyone came looking...
They wouldn't know she'd seen it.
She switched off her desk lamp.
As she walked toward the elevators, every instinct told her one thing.
The Orion Project wasn't just about investments.
It was hiding something.
The underground parking garage was unusually quiet.
Emily unlocked her car.
Just as she reached for the door handle...
She sensed someone behind her.
She turned instantly.
Nothing.
Only rows of expensive vehicles reflecting the fluorescent lights.
She waited.
Silence.
"You're imagining things," she whispered.
Still...
She checked the back seat before getting in.
Old habits refused to die.
On the opposite side of the garage...
A figure stepped from behind a concrete pillar after her car disappeared up the exit ramp.
Hidden beneath a dark hood, the stranger calmly removed a small camera from a jacket pocket.
Several photographs appeared on the screen.
Emily leaving the office.
Emily studying the Orion file.
Emily copying notes into her notebook.
The stranger deleted every image except one.
The photograph of Emily smiling.
It was quietly uploaded to an encrypted server.
Then the figure vanished into the darkness.
The next morning...
Blackwood Global buzzed with its usual precision.
Emily arrived twenty minutes early.
She placed the completed Orion report on her desk.
Every chart had been verified.
Every risk carefully explained.
Every recommendation supported with evidence.
At exactly nine o'clock...
A company-wide announcement echoed through the building.
"Attention all Executive Strategy personnel."
"Mr. Blackwood has requested an immediate strategy review."
Employees exchanged surprised looks.
Nora leaned toward Emily.
"This isn't normal."
Before Emily could respond, an assistant approached.
"Ms. Carter?"
"Yes?"
"Mr. Blackwood would like you to present the Orion report personally."
The entire department fell silent.
Emily blinked.
"Personally?"
"Immediately."
Dozens of curious eyes turned toward her.
Nora whispered,
"On your second day?"
Emily slowly picked up the report.
Her heartbeat remained steady.
Whatever Damian Blackwood wanted...
She was about to find out.
As the assistant opened the boardroom doors, Emily stepped inside.
Twelve executives sat around a polished black table.
At the far end...
Damian looked up from his documents.
Their eyes met.
Then he spoke a sentence that made every executive in the room look at Emily in surprise.
"Ms. Carter..."
"I've been looking forward to hearing your opinion."
End of Chapter 4
- Writer
