Chapter 11: The Investigation
1513 Words
Layla Cooper hated mysteries, In the business world, every problem had a cause, Every action had a motive, Every secret eventually left a trail, and that belief had helped her become one of the most respected young businesswomen in Sue City.
But Theo was becoming an exception, and she hated it. The image of Theo refused to leave her mind,, everytime she could see him standing calmly on the executive floor of Apex Heights Holdings, walking through a restricted area as if he belonged there, being personally welcomed by James Obunga.
The powerful James Obunga everyone wanted to carry favor with ,the one person who could make a company worth million goes bankrupt with one word, he could influence stock with single decision,, he was indeed One of the wealthiest and most influential men in Sue City. yet that same man had treated Theo with obvious respect,,and seemed he feared Theo.
The memory disturbed her because nothing made sense,, Layla sat behind her desk in the Cooper Group headquarters, The office occupied the top floor of a luxury skyscraper, Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire financial district.
The afternoon sun reflected against neighboring towers, elegant furniture decorated the room, everything inside reflected wealth and authority,, Yet her attention remained fixed on Theo's photograph.
A simple image taken during a background investigation. His appearance looked ordinary.Theo wore a black jacket that hard already faded, simple jeans and sat in relaxed posture, nothing special or extraordinary,. Yet somehow... Nothing about him felt ordinary.
A knock interrupted her thoughts. "Come in." The door opened, Her assistant entered carrying a thick black folder,,, The young woman wore a professional gray suit that was perfectly with some sexy fishnet stockings and rectangular glasses, Her expression looked like someone exhausted.
Layla immediately noticed but desmise the idea of worrying about her."Report?" The assistant nodded. "We investigated everything." Layla leaned forward. "Everything?",,, "yes ma'am,,everything."
The folder landed on the desk ,the assistant exhaled deeply. "Our team worked all night but this everything we could find ma'am." Layla opened the file, Page after page filled the folder , financial records, employment history,academic information,
Address records, Background checks, phone records,, transaction etc
She began reading then frowned, because the first page looked ridiculous.
Theo Harper.
Age: Twenty two.
Status: Orphan.
Occupation: Delivery rider.
Part-time bar waiter.
University student.
Residence: Cheap apartment complex that .
No significant assets, influential connections, family wealth, political ties as she had assumed.
Layla continued reading. The deeper she went, the worse it became totally nothing to ammuse her , every page described an ordinary young man struggling to survive, Someone society barely noticed, someone completely insignificant. Her frustration grew even more, By the final page, she closed the folder sharply.
"This is impossible are you sure this is everything you got ,why can't I see something good." The assistant hesitated. "Madam we verified everything multiple times,, please madam don't fire us."
"No." Layla stood the expensive leather chair slid backward, "No, something is missing and something is fishy ." The assistant immediately adjusted her glasses nervously, "We searched everywhere,we even sent some private spy's."
Layla walked toward the windows, Outside, traffic moved through the city below, People hurried through their daily lives, unaware of the mystery consuming her thoughts.
She turned back, "Tell me something.", The assistant nodded."Then why would James Obunga treat a delivery rider like royalty?"
Deep silence,,,the assistant had no answer.because there wasn't one at least not a logical one,,she knew one if she answered wrong she could be fired or face insults.
Layla folded her arms, "James Obunga isn't a fool.",, "No.",, "He's one of the smartest businessmen in Sue City."
"Correct."
"Then explain it."
The assistant looked uncomfortable, "I can't.",,,,"exactly nobody like you can't even outsmart him ,,am I paying you guys slack off ,even simple a simple job you can't handle properly."
Layla stared at Theo's photograph again, His calm eyes seemed almost mocking as if he knew something nobody else did.
For the first time in years, Layla felt genuinely challenged .
And strangely...that only made her more determined,she always didn't want to be defeated by anyone, "Investigate again, I don't believe we can't find anything."
The assistant blinked.
"Again?"
"Again."
"We already did it Madam"
"I don't care,are you questioning me? ."
Layla's voice remained calm but firm. "Find what we're missing." The assistant nodded immediately. "Understood."
As the door closed behind her, Layla looked back toward the city, Somewhere out there, Theo was hiding something, and she intended to uncover it,no matter how long it took or methods he used.
Meanwhile, Theo's day was significantly less glamorous, his delivery bike rolled into the familiar parking area behind FlashGo Deliveries, the old warehouse building looked exactly as it always had, cracked walls,faded paint, broken signs
, nothing had changed.
Theo removed his helmet, For a brief moment, he enjoyed the normality, the familiar breeze ,No boring executives, no mysterious fiancées, Just ordinary life.
Unfortunately, peace lasted less than thirty seconds. A loud voice exploded across the loading area.
"Theo!"
Several employees immediately looked over in panic,,,Theo sighed,, Without turning around, he already knew who it was.,,,,, Manager Benson, The chubby delivery manager, the self-proclaimed king of the warehouse, a man who enjoyed humiliating employees almost as much as he enjoyed food, Benson waddled across the floor toward him, His round stomach strained against his company uniform, Sweat covered his forehead despite the cool weather.
His small eyes narrowed immediately. "Where have you been?" Theo just remained calm. "Working." Benson snorted. "Working?" Several delivery riders exchanged nervous glances.
Everyone knew what was coming. Benson loved public humiliation, especially humulating Theo, The larger the audience, the happier he became.
The manager pointed dramatically. "You disappear for days without any communication,do you think this is your home where you come and leave at your own will? "
Theo just remained silent."And suddenly you return?" Still silent,, Benson laughed loudly. "What happened?" His voice dripped with mockery. "Did being poor become too exhausting?"
Several workers lowered their heads, nobody laughed nor enjoyed these scenes, but mostly nobody dared interfere either.
Benson stepped closer. "Maybe you finally realized something." Theo raised an eyebrow. "What?" The manager grinned cruelly. "You'll always be poor."
Silence followed, the insult echoed across the warehouse. Benson seemed pleased with himself, Several employees looked uncomfortable,, Others watched Theo with alot of sadness in there eyes, They knew Theo couldn't defend himself he would always take all those insult,,but to there surprise ,,he just smilled
The manager frowned when he saw him smiling. "What's funny?" Theo looked at him calmly, Nothing in his expression revealed the truth. Nothing revealed that he now owned more wealth than Benson could imagine. Nothing revealed he could buy the entire company if he wanted. Nothing revealed he technically possessed enough influence to destroy Benson's career with a single phone call.
Yet he did none of those things because power wasn't about crushing people it was about using it wisely
Theo adjusted his delivery gloves. "You seem worried about my finances." The same answer he once gave Lucas, very simple and sharp
Several nearby employees almost smiled, Benson's face darkened."Don't get smart with me dude."
Theo shrugged. "I'm just here to work." The manager scoffed. "Work?" His eyes swept over Theo dismissively. "People like you spend their entire lives struggling,, and you'll never ever reach my level." The words carried genuine contempt.
Theo studied him quietly, for a moment, he almost felt sorry for the man, Benson believed money determined human worth, believed poverty made someone inferior and believed wealth made someone important,,such a sad way to live ,because if Theo revealed the truth right now... Everything would change instantly, the insults would become praise, the disrespect would become obedience, the cruelty would become flattery.
Not because Benson respected Theo, but because Benson respected money,and that difference mattered even in our today's world.
Theo picked up a delivery package. "Anything else?" The question surprised everyone Including Benson.
The manager expected Theo to ask for forgiveness, praise him like before Instead he received calm indifference, It felt strangely humiliating for him.
"You think you're clever?" Theo smiled faintly. "No." Then he walked away. Just like that. Leaving Benson standing alone trying to process everything.
The warehouse remained silent, Several employees watched Theo disappear through the loading entrance, Something about him felt different lately Like someone carrying an invisible secret.
Benson stared after him annoyed and confused Unable to understand why Theo no longer reacted, Meanwhile, Theo climbed onto his delivery bike.
The engine roared to life, as he pulled away from the warehouse, the city stretched before him, busy streets and crowded sidewalks
Suddenly his phone vibrated, a message from Obunga.important Meeting tomorrow Theo sighed, There was never a shortage of complications especially now. Yet as he rode through the afternoon sunlight, his thoughts drifted elsewhere, to Ashley, Naomi and the strange path his life had taken.
Inside Cooper Group headquarters, Layla continued investigating, and somewhere beyond both of them, fate continued moving invisible pieces across the board.
- Writer
