The hum of the office felt more oppressive than usual. Emma sat at her desk, eyes fixed on her computer screen, but her mind was far away, swirling with uncertainty. The weight of the situation was heavy upon her shoulders, the pressure of Adrian's trust in her combined with the ever-impending threat of betrayal. She could feel the walls closing in, and no matter how deeply she dug into the files, the truth remained elusive, a shadow slipping just out of reach.
But today, something was different. The silence was deafening.
Her phone buzzed on her desk, breaking her reverie. It was a message from Adrian.
"Meet me in my office. Now."
Her breath caught in her throat. She had grown accustomed to these summons, but today, there was an edge to his words. She stood up quickly, smoothing her skirt and swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat. As she walked toward his office, the echo of her footsteps felt louder, as though each one were a drumbeat, signaling something important.
When she reached the door, it was ajar. Emma knocked lightly before entering. Adrian sat behind his desk, his fingers pressed against his temples, as though he was trying to push away a headache. His eyes flickered up at her as she stepped inside, and for the first time in weeks, there was no warmth in his gaze—only a hard, unreadable look.
"Close the door," he said, his voice clipped.
She did as instructed, then hesitated. Something was wrong. Adrian wasn't this cold, even in the face of their company's mounting troubles. She had seen him angry, frustrated, but not like this.
"I'm sorry," she began, unsure of how to even start. "Is there something—"
"Sit down, Emma," he interrupted. His tone was quieter, but the command was still there.
She sat, instinctively crossing her legs, her fingers twisting in her lap. She had seen him like this before, when something really mattered, when he was calculating, weighing his options. But today, it felt different. He wasn't just weighing options—he was hiding something.
"I need you to be honest with me," he said, the weight of his words sinking into her like a stone. "I've been reviewing the files. And I've come to a conclusion that I need to ask you about."
Emma's stomach clenched. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, the blood rushing to her head. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure.
"I-I don't understand," she said slowly, her voice almost a whisper.
"You've been working in close conjunction with me on this," Adrian went on, his voice tight. "So, tell me something. Do you trust everybody in this company? Do you trust the people I've been trusting?"
The question hung in the air like a razor-sharp blade. Emma's heart skipped a beat. What was he asking? Was this some kind of test?
"Of course I trust the people you trust," she said, her voice firm, but the words felt like they were slipping through her fingers. "But. why do you—"
Adrian stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. He walked around the desk, his eyes never leaving her. "Someone I thought I could trust has been leaking information. And I think I know who it is."
Emma's pulse galloped. Her stomach clenched in a mixture of terror and confusion. She couldn't say anything immediately, the weight of his words having taken her breath. Secrets and whispers had characterized every passing day for weeks now, but this was rather different. The saboteur had struck again, and this time, Adrian accused somebody close to him.
"Who?" she finally managed to say in less than a whisper.
Adrian's face was set in a hard, impassive mask, but his eyes flickered with something darker. "John Harris."
Emma froze. John Harris was the CFO of Arcadia. He was one of Adrian's closest allies, someone who had been with the company since its early days, a man Adrian had relied on, a man who helped build the empire Arcadia had become.
"No," Emma said, the word tumbling out of her mouth before she could cut it off. She had been working with John for weeks now-running financial reports, reorganizing the figures. He was by the book, always so professional. It couldn't be him.
But the look in Adrian's eyes told her he wasn't joking. "I know this is hard to accept, but the evidence is there, Emma. Harris had access to the files. He knew about the sensitive projects, the numbers. And now, we're seeing those numbers leaked to Brazier Technologies."
Emma's mind was racing, her thoughts colliding in a tangled mess. Adrian was convinced. But she wasn't. Something didn't sit right. Harris? The man was a rock—always composed, always in control. He couldn't have betrayed Adrian.
"Are you sure?" Emma asked, her voice soft but insistent. "I mean, could there be another explanation?"
Adrian's face hardened, and for a moment, Emma saw a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. "I want to believe you, Emma. I do. But I've been working with Harris for years. I've trusted him, and now. now I don't know if I can trust anyone."
Her heart ached at the rawness in his voice. She could see the toll the betrayals were taking on him, the pressure he was under. But something still felt wrong about this accusation.
"Adrian…" she began, but her voice faltered. She had to tread carefully. "What if it's not him? What if we're missing something?"
Adrian's eyes met hers, inscrutable. He leaned into the desk as he took another step closer. "I have been thinking that, too, but if it is not him, Emma, who is it?"
Emma felt her chest tighten. She had no answers, but deep in her gut was a voice telling her this wasn't right. Something about Harris didn't line up with the man she'd come to know. The CFO was the last person she would suspect.
Yet, Adrian was convinced. His confidence in the people surrounding him was shattered. She saw that in his eyes, felt it-the fracture in his resolve.
Emma took a deep breath, feeling the weight of this moment descend on her like a boulder. "I don't know," she said, "but I'll find out. I'll investigate it. I promise, I won't let you down."
Adrian's gaze softened, just for a second. He nodded, his face still etched with doubt. "I'm counting on you, Emma. Don't make me regret it."
And so it was that as Emma turned out of Adrian's office, she heard the words playing within her mind. Don't make me regret it. He had fragile trust; just hanging by a thread. And she needed to guard that. But then too, she couldn't dismiss an unsettling feeling in the rear of her mind-the suspicion, maybe, that Adrian might just be seeing something which was not there.
And as she walked back to her desk, she knew she could no longer ignore it. She had to dig deeper. She had to know who the real saboteur was. The leak wasn't just a breach of trust-it was a warning.
Someone was playing a dangerous game. And Emma wasn't going to let them win.