Daniel raised a single, commanding hand, silencing Penelope’s frantic calls to security. He looked at me, his dark eyes glittering with a dangerous, unpredictable intensity. “Proceed, Ms. Victoria.”
“This man,” I pointed a shaking finger at Alexander, “is attempting to defraud Pierce Global out of millions. He framed me for corporate espionage to cover his tracks.”
Alexander let out a loud, theatrical laugh. “This is pathetic, Victoria. Where is your proof? Because IT has the logs showing you stole the data.”
I slammed the silver USB drive onto the table in front of Daniel.
“File one,” I said, looking at Daniel. “Financial records sourced directly from Vanguard Capital, proving that the three primary vendors Alexander’s proposal relies on are shell companies registered to his cousin in the Cayman Islands. He plans to siphon your operational budget into his own pockets.”
The blood drained entirely from Alexander’s face. Penelope gasped.
“And file two,” I continued, my voice gaining strength. “Security footage from last Thursday night.”
Daniel picked up the USB, plugged it into his laptop, and mirrored his screen to the main projector.
The grainy security footage played for the entire room to see. Alexander, slipping into my dark office. Alexander, walking out with a flash drive.
“The IP address used to send the data wasn’t mine,” I said coldly. “It was yours, Alexander. You used my terminal to steal the algorithm you needed to make your shell companies look viable, and you threw me under the bus to do it.”
The silence in the boardroom was absolute. It was the heavy, suffocating silence of a trap snapping shut.
Daniel Pierce slowly closed his laptop. The click echoed like a gunshot. He stood up, his towering frame dominating the room. He didn’t yell. He didn’t lose his temper. His voice was ice.
“Penelope,” Daniel said softly. “Call legal. Draft a termination of all negotiations with Mr. Alexander’s firm. Then, call the authorities. Provide them with this drive.”
Alexander stumbled backward, his hands raised in a pathetic gesture of surrender. “Mr. Pierce, please, it’s a misunderstanding. The data—”
“Get out of my building,” Daniel commanded, his voice vibrating with lethal authority. “Before I have you thrown out a window.”
Alexander looked at me. The hatred in his eyes was pure, unadulterated venom. It was the look of a cornered, rabid animal. He turned and fled the boardroom.
Penelope was stammering apologies, but I didn’t hear them. The adrenaline was rapidly draining from my system, leaving my legs trembling.
“Ms. Victoria,” Daniel said, his voice softening slightly as he looked at me. “My office. Now.”
I nodded, turning to follow him. As I stepped out of the boardroom, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was an automated alert from the building’s smart garage system.
Alert: Unauthorized entry detected near Vehicle Bay 47.
My car.
The lights in the hallway above me suddenly flickered, hissed, and died, plunging the corridor into shadows.
A cold shiver raced down my spine as I stared at the alert on my phone. Vehicle Bay 47. Alexander knew where I parked. In his desperate, ruined state, he knew that the master drive—the physical USB with the original, unencrypted files—was the only thing standing between him and a federal indictment. And he knew I had it in my pocket.
