Chapter 3: The File That Shouldn't Exist
1246 Words
Lena barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the message again.
Stay close to Adrian Wolfe.
Don't let him discover who you really are.
She had searched her phone three times before finally giving up.
No message.
No unknown number.
Nothing.
It was as though it had never existed.
Yet she remembered every word.
She rubbed her temples as the taxi slowed to a stop outside Wolfe Empire.
The building looked even taller in the morning light.
Yesterday, it had been a place she wanted to escape.
Today, it was where she had to prove she belonged.
She paid the driver, adjusted her oversized blazer, and stepped inside.
The marble lobby buzzed with quiet conversations.
Employees hurried toward elevators, balancing coffee cups and laptops, each moving with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where they were going.
Lena didn't.
She walked toward the reception desk.
"Good morning," she said politely.
The receptionist smiled.
"Miss Hart?"
Lena blinked.
"You know my name?"
"We've been expecting you."
The smile was warm.
Almost too warm.
Before Lena could respond, another voice interrupted.
"This way."
She turned.
A tall woman in a charcoal suit stood beside the elevators.
Her blonde hair was tied into a flawless bun, and not a single emotion crossed her face.
"I'm Victoria Hale. Head of Human Resources."
Lena offered her hand.
Victoria looked at it for a second before simply turning toward the elevator.
"We're already behind schedule."
Lena awkwardly lowered her hand and followed.
Great.
Not exactly the welcoming committee.
---
The executive floor was unnervingly quiet.
The carpets softened every footstep.
The walls displayed paintings worth more than Lena could earn in a lifetime.
Victoria stopped outside a glass office.
"This is your workspace."
Lena stared.
"You mean... this entire office?"
"You'll be working directly with Mr. Wolfe."
"I thought executive assistants sat outside."
"They usually do."
"So why am I in here?"
Victoria's expression didn't change.
"Mr. Wolfe requested it."
A strange knot formed in Lena's stomach.
Why?
---
Inside, the office was elegant without feeling extravagant.
A large desk overlooked the city.
Shelves lined one wall.
A smaller workstation sat opposite the main desk.
Victoria handed Lena a digital tablet.
"Today's schedule."
Lena scanned it.
Meetings.
Board reviews.
Investor calls.
Contract negotiations.
She looked up.
"Does he always work this much?"
Victoria answered without looking at her.
"Mr. Wolfe works more than anyone in this building."
Before Lena could ask another question, the office door opened.
Adrian Wolfe entered.
The room changed.
Not because he demanded attention.
Because everyone instinctively gave it.
His navy suit was immaculate.
His expression unreadable.
His eyes landed on Lena.
For exactly one second.
"You're early."
She glanced at the clock.
"It's eight fifty-five."
"I know."
"You said nine."
"I did."
Silence.
Lena frowned.
Was that... a compliment?
Adrian walked past her and placed a thick folder on her desk.
"Your first assignment."
She opened it.
Hundreds of invoices.
Payroll summaries.
Vendor payments.
Bank transfers.
Her confidence wavered.
"I thought I'd be organising meetings."
"You are."
He paused.
"When you're finished."
She looked back at the mountain of paperwork.
"This could take all day."
"It shouldn't."
He continued toward his office.
Then stopped.
Without turning around, he added,
"One more thing."
"If you find something that doesn't make sense..."
"...don't tell anyone except me."
The door closed.
Lena stared at the folder.
A chill crept down her spine.
Why would he say that?
She looked around.
Victoria had already disappeared.
The office was silent.
Outside the glass walls, employees worked as though it were just another ordinary morning.
But somehow...
It didn't feel ordinary anymore.
Lena opened the first file.
Five minutes later...
Her heartbeat stopped.
One payment appeared twice.
Same amount.
Same approval signature.
Different account numbers.
She frowned.
Maybe it was a typo.
She checked another file.
Then another.
And another.
The same pattern.
Tiny.
Hidden.
Easy to miss.
Someone wasn't making mistakes.
Someone was stealing.
And judging by the dates...
They had been doing it for years.
A shadow fell across her desk.
Lena looked up.
Standing on the other side of the glass wall...
A man she'd never seen before was watching her.
He smiled.
But it never reached his eyes.
The man didn't move.
He simply stood behind the glass wall, watching Lena with an expression so calm it was unsettling.
Then he lifted one finger.
Not to wave.
To point.
At the file lying open on her desk.
Lena instinctively closed the folder.
The man's smile widened.
A second later, he turned and disappeared into the maze of offices.
"What was that?" she whispered.
Without thinking, she hurried toward the glass door.
The corridor outside was empty.
No footsteps.
No elevator chime.
Nothing.
It was as though he had vanished.
A voice behind her made her jump.
"Looking for someone?"
Lena spun around.
Adrian stood a few feet away, one hand in his pocket, his expression unreadable.
"I..."
She hesitated.
"I thought someone was watching me."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the corridor before returning to hers.
"What did he look like?"
She blinked.
"You believe me?"
"I asked you a question."
She swallowed.
"Tall. Dark suit. Maybe early forties."
"What else?"
"He smiled."
Adrian waited.
"But it didn't feel friendly."
A strange silence settled between them.
For the first time since they'd met...
Adrian looked genuinely concerned.
"Come with me."
---
He led her into his office and closed the door behind them.
The click of the lock echoed through the room.
Lena frowned.
"You lock your office?"
"I do today."
He walked to a cabinet hidden behind one of the bookshelves.
Using a fingerprint scanner, he unlocked it and removed another folder.
Unlike the others, this one was black.
No company logo.
No title.
Just a silver stripe running across the cover.
He placed it on the desk.
"Open it."
Inside were photographs.
Rows of them.
Employees.
Executives.
Consultants.
Security personnel.
Each photograph had handwritten notes beside it.
Promoted.
Transferred.
Resigned.
Deceased.
Lena's breathing slowed.
"Why are you showing me this?"
Adrian slid one photograph toward her.
The man in the picture smiled politely at the camera.
Grey suit.
Dark eyes.
Perfectly combed hair.
Lena's blood ran cold.
It was him.
The man who had been watching her.
"That's him."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Are you certain?"
"I've never seen him before today."
He remained silent for several seconds.
Then he quietly said,
"His name is Daniel Cross."
Lena looked back at the photograph.
"He worked here?"
"He was Head of Internal Audit."
"Was?"
"He disappeared."
She frowned.
"What do you mean disappeared?"
"No resignation."
"No body."
"No trace."
"The police found nothing."
A chill crawled down her spine.
"Then how..."
Adrian looked directly into her eyes.
"Because Daniel Cross vanished three years ago."
Silence.
Lena stared at the photograph again.
"No."
She shook her head.
"I just saw him."
"I know what you said."
"I'm not imagining this."
"I don't think you are."
That answer frightened her more than if he'd dismissed her.
---
A knock sounded on the office door.
Three short knocks.
One long.
Adrian's expression changed instantly.
He closed the black folder.
"Come in."
Victoria entered.
"Sir."
Her voice remained calm, but Lena noticed the tension in her shoulders.
"The board has arrived."
Adrian nodded.
"I'll be there shortly."
Victoria's eyes drifted toward Lena.
For just a fraction of a second...
Something unreadable crossed her face.
Pity?
End Of Chapter 3
- Writer
