Chapter 15: Whispers in the Dark
1326 Words
The Cole Empire buzzed with the kind of energy that wasn’t just corporate—it was ominous. Ever since Victor Cole stormed into the building and left a crater of tension behind, things hadn’t been the same. Everyone walked on eggshells. The executive board had meetings behind closed doors, emails were being triple-checked, and Zara... Zara felt like she was back in a glass box.
Only this time, the cracks were visible.
It started with a look. Xavier had walked into the office that morning in a black button-up, sleeves rolled, sharp as ever—but his eyes? They searched for someone. And when they landed on Zara, standing by the copy machine like it was her only lifeline, something softened.
He didn’t smile.
He just nodded.
But to everyone watching, that nod was a full-blown confession.
Gabriella, who still hadn’t gotten over her dismissal, had wormed her way back through Celeste’s influence, now working with the PR department under the guise of “corporate image consulting.” She watched the exchange from the corner of the hallway, lips curling into a smirk.
“So obvious,” she whispered under her breath, flipping through a fake press report she’d designed the night before.
Meanwhile, Zara felt the heat of every gaze in the office.
“They’re waiting for me to fall,” she muttered, back at her desk.
Tasha, leaning against the wall with a toothpick in her mouth like some streetwise sage, shrugged. “Then don’t. Simple.”
Zara arched a brow. “You make it sound easy.”
“I mean... you survived Celeste, Victor, Gabriella, and office coffee. You’re basically indestructible.”
That almost got a laugh.
But the levity didn’t last.
Because the next moment, an internal company-wide email hit everyone’s inboxes:
CONFIDENTIAL LEAK – URGENT
Subject: Breach of Data Protocols – Unauthorized Access Detected
All department heads, please report to the executive boardroom in 10 minutes. A data leak has occurred. HR and IT are investigating. Security footage will be reviewed.
And just like that, the air grew heavier.
---
“Zara Martins, we need to speak with you,” the HR rep said twenty minutes later. Two security personnel flanked her desk.
Zara’s heart stopped. “I—I didn’t—”
“We’re not accusing you. But the file originated from a device connected to your office station.”
Her mind raced. She hadn’t touched anything out of protocol. She hadn’t even opened a spreadsheet without double-checking it.
But she went with them.
Xavier watched from the upper mezzanine, fists clenched. He hadn’t even been briefed. That meant this was deeper than a simple breach.
This was personal.
---
In the glass conference room, Zara sat under fluorescent lights that made everyone look like villains.
The HR lead slid a folder across the table. “These files—product development, internal strategies—were extracted using your credentials.”
“That’s not possible,” Zara said, voice tight. “I log out every day. I don’t even save passwords.”
“We know. That’s why it’s suspicious.”
Zara blinked. “Wait, you know? So you don’t think I did this?”
The HR rep hesitated. “Let’s just say you have... enemies.”
Zara almost laughed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
---
Meanwhile, in the breakroom, Tasha was running her own investigation. She’d borrowed a USB scanner from the IT intern she’d bribed with chicken pie and was now plugging it into the shared server behind the admin desk.
“Come on, baby,” she muttered. “Give me something good.”
The scanner beeped.
One hidden malware script. Traced to an external login. Username: CGabriella01.
Tasha’s eyes widened. “Oh, you slick snake.”
She grabbed her phone, about to text Zara, when she noticed someone across the room watching her.
Celeste.
Dressed in white like a villain in a soap opera. Lipstick perfect. Hair sleek.
Celeste raised her glass of water in a mocking toast. Then turned and walked away.
Tasha knew then.
They weren’t just trying to sabotage Zara’s career. They were trying to end it.
---
Back in Xavier’s office, he slammed his hand against the desk. “You’re telling me you can’t find who actually sent the files?”
One of the IT leads winced. “Sir, it’s being traced. But the metadata points to a clean override of Zara’s credentials.”
“Then someone planted it,” Xavier growled. “Dig deeper. Start with Gabriella’s access logs. And Celeste’s if you have to.”
“Sir,” the IT guy said hesitantly, “Celeste Vanderleigh doesn’t work here.”
“She doesn’t have to,” Xavier said coldly. “Her reach is longer than half this board’s loyalty.”
The IT guy nodded and left quickly.
Xavier leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hated this. Hated the way Zara looked at him earlier—like she expected betrayal from him, too.
He was not his father.
And he was going to prove it.
---
Later that evening, Zara sat in Tasha’s room, knees hugged to her chest. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “They want me gone.”
Tasha was pacing again. “Girl, they don’t just want you gone. They want you buried. But guess what?”
Zara looked up.
“They didn’t count on me being a nosy best friend with hacker energy.”
Zara blinked. “What?”
Tasha handed her a tablet. “I traced the leak. It came from Gabriella. She used a hidden script to h****k your login while you were in a meeting. I have the logs, timestamps, and everything.”
Zara’s mouth dropped open. “You’re serious?”
Tasha grinned. “Deadly.”
Before Zara could respond, her phone buzzed.
Xavier.
> Come outside. We need to talk. Just us.
Zara hesitated. Then stood.
“I’ll be back,” she said.
“You better,” Tasha said, flopping dramatically onto the bed. “We still have revenge to plot.”
---
Outside, Xavier leaned against his sleek black car, arms folded.
“You okay?” he asked.
Zara shrugged. “Not sure anymore.”
He nodded, looking away. “I wanted to say this in person. I’m not letting them pin this on you. Not now, not ever.”
Zara’s voice cracked. “Even if it puts you at odds with your father?”
Xavier’s eyes met hers. “Especially then.”
He reached into his jacket, pulling out a small file. “Proof. Of Gabriella’s sabotage. IT confirmed it. I’m firing her. For good this time.”
Zara blinked. “You got it all that fast?”
“No,” he said, glancing sideways. “Your best friend beat us to it.”
Zara smiled.
Xavier stepped closer. “I want you to come back. Officially. But more than that... I want you to trust me again.”
“I never stopped,” she whispered.
The streetlight flickered above them.
And in that soft pause, the world felt a little less heavy.
---
The next morning, the news hit the office like a bomb:
BREAKING – Gabriella Greene terminated from Cole Industries following confirmed security breach. No criminal charges filed—yet.
The whispers returned.
“Did you see Zara walked in with him this morning?”
“She’s untouchable now.”
“She earned it.”
In the hallway, Celeste stood silently by the window, sipping espresso like it was her last ounce of control.
“Round one,” she murmured. “But I’m just getting started.”
Back in the executive wing, Xavier passed Zara a folder during a meeting. Inside was her official reinstatement—and a note scribbled in his handwriting:
Welcome back. Don’t go soft on me now.
She smiled.
Not everything was healed. Not everything was fixed.
But she was no longer alone.
And that made all the difference.
- Writer
