Rhys Kallen's office was a study in controlled power: cold marble, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, and a single, massive mahogany desk that served as a physical barrier. When Mel walked in, Rhys wasn't at the desk. He stood by the window, his back to the room, the morning light framing his imposing silhouette.
"Close the door, Mel," he commanded, his voice devoid of his usual silkiness, replaced by an edge of sharp steel.
Mel obeyed, hearing the heavy clack of the lock engaging. She remained standing ten feet from him. She felt the weight of the moment, the end of the performance and the start of the reckoning.
"We had a second, targeted leak this morning," Rhys finally said, turning to face her. His eyes were dark, calculating, and devastatingly focused. He wore the same perfectly tailored suit as always, but today it felt like armor.
"The breach occurred in the logistics layer of the Argos project, specifically concerning the current, operational supply chain tracking system," he continued, reciting her own intelligence report back to her.
"It didn't steal data; it exposed the shell company pinging our old system. It didn't make us look weak; it made us look complicit."
He walked slowly toward her, his proximity creating a charged, inescapable atmosphere.
"This was precise, Mel. Surgical. It was not a random act of corporate espionage. It was an internal extraction designed to root out a specific corruption, Mr. Vasko's and Mr. Chen's corruption."
He stopped directly in front of her, forcing her to look up into his intense gaze.
"You were the only one present at the dinner who understood the subtext of their nervousness," Rhys murmured, his hands resting lightly on the edge of her desk. "You were the only one who had the opportunity and the motive to execute a counter-breach designed to save the Argos project from the partners trying to hijack it."
"And what motive would that be, sir?" Mel asked, her voice steady despite the hammering in her chest. She had to stay professional, even as her world collapsed.
Rhys gave a humorless smile. "The one you wear like a shield, Mel. Morality. The desire for truth. The need for justice."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I asked you into this building to find the leak. I gave you the access, the resources, and the protection of my name. Tell me, Analyst, are you the spy I sent in, or are you the one who betrayed me?"
Mel didn't flinch. "I am the one who found the corruption, sir. And I used the tools I was given to ensure Kallen Capital was not permanently
damaged by it."
"By leaking classified intelligence to a third party?" he challenged, his eyes burning into hers.
"By providing irrefutable proof to a regulatory body,"
Mel corrected, finally shedding the polite facade.
"The people you hired me to find were using your company as a shield. They were the true spies, and they were selling out the Argos project."
Rhys stared at her for a long, silent moment. The tension in the air was thick, suspended between rage and something far more complex.
Finally, he stepped back, a flicker of genuine admiration mixing with the anger. "You have courage, Mel. Stupid, reckless, incredible courage. You did exactly what I knew you would do."
He walked back to the window, his voice turning quiet, confessional.
"The initial leak, the first one you were hired to investigate, that was me," Rhys admitted, the words a hammer blow.
"I knew Vasko and Chen were compromised in the logistics layer. I knew a new tracking system would expose them, but I couldn't trust my internal security team, they're too embedded. So, I engineered a high-profile, fake 'breach' to create a diversion. I needed to draw the real traitor out into the open."
He turned, the sun catching the dangerous sincerity in his eyes.
"And then I brought in the one person who I knew couldn't be corrupted, the one person who would ignore the rules to achieve the moral outcome: you.
I gave you a gun, pointed you at the enemy, and waited to see if you'd fire."
Mel felt her knees weaken. The entire mandatory assignment, the tension, the challenge, the dinner, the attraction, it was all a massive, elaborate setup. He wasn't testing her loyalty to him; he was testing her loyalty to justice.
"You played me," Mel whispered, the realization sinking in.
"I gave you a stage and an audience, and you gave me the evidence I needed to cleanse this company," Rhys countered, walking toward her one last time. "Now, the partners are under investigation, Kallen Capital is secured, and my spy is compromised."
He stood closer than ever, his expression softening, the controlled intensity now focused entirely on her. "You have nowhere to run, Mel. You have just alienated every corrupt corporation in the city. Your only protector is me. And I keep what is mine."