The office felt like a minefield. Every glance, every whispered conversation, every nervous shuffle made me wary. Whoever was behind this sabotage had thought carefully about their moves. Someone was bold. Too bold.
I didn't allow panic. Not today. Calm. Focus. Control. This was my company, my responsibility.
"Adam," I said quietly, glancing at him across the room, "start with the email servers. Look for deleted or altered messages. I want every change accounted for."
He nodded, already moving, fingers flying across his laptop.
I turned my attention to my team. Each of them sat stiffly, avoiding eye contact. Not one of them volunteered information without prompting. Good. That made them nervous, and nerves were useful.
"Project X," I said, voice steady but firm. "Someone here has been tampering with files and communications. I want a full account from everyone. Every email you sent, every message you forwarded, every client note you touched."
Silence stretched. Tension built. Then one by one, employees began to speak, carefully, trying to defend themselves. But inconsistencies appeared quickly.
"I… I didn't touch that file," said one junior staffer, voice trembling.
"Then explain why your login appears at 3:12 a.m. sending a draft to a client," I said, voice low but sharp.
Their eyes widened. Mumbles ran through the room. My team realized this wasn't a normal confrontation. This was serious.
Then my phone buzzed—another client, another email flagged urgent. I ignored it. For now, the real threat was inside the room.
Adam leaned over to me quietly. "There's a pattern," he whispered. "All the suspicious activity traces back to… the finance department. And one login in particular is… unusual."
I straightened, heart pounding slightly. "Show me."
He pointed at the screen. The evidence was clear: someone had been using a trusted employee's login, deleting files, creating fake drafts, and redirecting client messages—all to make the company look incompetent.
I scanned the room slowly. Every nervous glance, every flicker of fear—it narrowed the suspects.
"Who has access to these accounts?" I asked, keeping my voice calm.
Eyes shifted. One young employee avoided mine entirely. His face went pale.
"You," I said softly but with authority. "You're hiding something."
He stammered, trying to defend himself. "I—I didn't do it! Someone… someone made me look like I did—"
I cut him off. "Who?"
He swallowed hard, glancing at Adam for help. "I… I don't know. It's—someone… clever. Someone who can manipulate accounts from anywhere."
I felt a chill. This wasn't just an internal problem anymore. Someone had planned this sabotage professionally.
A knock at the door startled us.
The man from yesterday—the one who had shown up with the folder—stood there, hands in his pockets. Calm. Observant. Dangerous.
"You're digging," he said softly. "Good. I like to watch how people handle fire."
I stood, jaw tight. "What do you want?"
He smiled faintly. "I'm here to observe. To see if you can catch the right person. If you fail… consequences are serious."
My pulse spiked, but I didn't flinch. Calm. Focus. Control. I was Jay. I didn't back down.
He stepped aside, gesturing subtly. "Look closely. The saboteur isn't who you think. And the longer it takes, the more chaos they can create."
Before I could respond, he left, the door clicking shut.
Silence enveloped the room. My team stared at me, waiting.
I exhaled slowly. "Listen carefully," I said, voice firm. "We have one chance to fix this before more damage is done. Adam, continue tracing the logs. Everyone else… cooperate fully. If one file, one email, one action goes missing, I'll know."
Then I added, low and sharp: "And someone in this room is lying. I will find out who—and they will answer for it."
A nervous murmur spread. I didn't move. I didn't smile. I didn't relent. I had the upper hand now.
But deep down, I knew: the real enemy hadn't revealed themselves yet.
And when they did… the fallout would change everything.
The office felt like a battlefield. Every glance, every click of a keyboard, every nervous shuffle in the room set my nerves on edge. Whoever had sabotaged Project X had thought carefully, planned meticulously. But now, I had the pieces. I just had to put them together.
Adam sat beside me, fingers flying across his laptop. "I've traced most of the deletions," he whispered. "The irregular logins point to… one employee pretending to be someone else. It's subtle, but it's consistent."
I leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "Who?"
Adam hesitated, then muttered, "Marcus."
My heart skipped. Marcus—the quiet finance guy who always kept to himself, smiled politely, never caused waves… was behind it.
I stood slowly, letting my team notice. Calm. Focus. Control. My voice cut through the tension. "Marcus. Come with me. Now."
He looked up, pale. "I—I don't know what you mean—"
I didn't flinch. I walked toward him, every step deliberate. "You know exactly what I mean. The missing files. The emails. The client threats. Every mistake you tried to blame on someone else—you did it."
Adam stood behind me, silent but supportive.
The room went quiet. Every employee was staring, some mouths open, some frozen. I could feel their shock. Marcus's confident facade crumbled under my gaze.
"I… I was just—" he started, voice shaking.
"Just what?" I snapped. "Trying to ruin this company? Testing me? Prove what exactly?"
He faltered, sweat forming on his brow. "I—I thought… I thought if I created mistakes, someone would… take charge and—"
"You nearly destroyed a project worth millions," I interrupted, voice cold. "You betrayed trust. You jeopardized careers. You undermined me."
He looked like a cornered animal. "I—I didn't mean to—"
"Intent doesn't matter," I said, voice sharp. "You made a choice. And now you must face the consequences."
I signaled Adam, who opened a private line to HR and the security team. Marcus paled further as footsteps approached. The weight of his actions finally hit him.
Before the HR team escorted him out, I leaned close enough for him to hear. "If anyone else ever thinks they can play with this company—or me—they'll meet the same fate."
Silence filled the office. Employees whispered, some nodding subtly in respect, others still wide-eyed. But one thing was clear: Jay was in control again.
I sank into my chair, letting out a long, slow breath. Adam gave a small, approving smile.
"You handled that beautifully," he said quietly.
"I didn't just handle it," I replied, feeling the tension in my chest finally start to ease. "I made sure this never happens again."
The rest of the day passed without further incident. Emails were corrected. The client calmed down. Project X was back on track. The threat, at least for now, had been neutralized.
By evening, I returned to my condo, locking the door behind me. The apartment felt quiet, safe—finally mine again.
I sank onto the couch, eyes closing. The adrenaline faded, leaving behind exhaustion, but also a small, satisfied smile.
I had faced chaos. I had faced betrayal. And I had won.
For the first time in days, I felt a flicker of peace.
But deep in the back of my mind, I knew one thing:
The world was still full of threats.
And not all enemies announced themselves.
And somewhere… Keifer's voice echoed faintly in my memory:
"You're mine. Everything about you is mine."
I shook my head. That battle wasn't over. But today… today, I reclaimed control.
And that was enough—for now.