Chapter 15: The Leak

"...the evidence points to someone on our project team."

The words hung in the air between us.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The warmth that had finally begun to return between us vanished.

"What exactly was leaked?" I asked.

Adrian slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"The Morrison acquisition proposal."

"The financial projections?"

"Everything."

"That's impossible."

"I wish it was."

Rain continued falling over Chicago, but neither of us noticed anymore.

My mind immediately went to the presentation.

Only a handful of people had access to those files.

"Who knows?" I asked.

"The board."

"Legal."

"Nora."

"You."

"Me."

"And three department directors."

I frowned.

"That's six people."

"Seven, including me."

"Someone deliberately leaked it?"

"Looks that way."

"Why?"

"Competitors pay well for information like this."

I stared at him.

"You don't think..."

He immediately shook his head.

"No."

"You don't suspect me?"

"Not for a second."

The certainty in his answer caught me off guard.

"Even after everything?"

"Emma."

He stepped closer.

"You lied to protect yourself."

"Yes."

"Not to hurt people."

"Still..."

"Those are completely different things."

For the first time since Saturday, I felt something inside me settle.

He still believed in my character.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Don't thank me."

"Why not?"

"Because I should've said that sooner."

Before I could answer, his phone rang again.

This time it was Nora.

"Adrian."

"..."

"Already?"

"..."

"No, don't let anyone leave the building."

"..."

"We'll take the first flight back."

He ended the call.

"It's getting worse."

"What happened?"

"The press published another article."

"Already?"

"Yes."

"Someone is feeding them documents in real time."

A chill ran through me.

"That means..."

"The leak is still happening."

We went back inside.

Adrian opened his laptop immediately.

News websites were already reporting confidential figures that hadn't even been discussed publicly.

"This wasn't an accident," I said.

"No."

"Someone planned this."

"Very carefully."

He closed the laptop.

"We're leaving tonight."

"Can we even get a flight?"

"If not, we'll charter one."

"That's expensive."

"So is losing a billion-dollar client."

Less than an hour later, we were on our way back to the airport.

The driver remained silent while Adrian coordinated with Nora over the phone.

"Lock every executive account."

"..."

"Suspend remote access."

"..."

"No exceptions."

"..."

"I'll handle the board when I arrive."

He hung up and leaned back in his seat.

For the first time since I'd known him...

He looked exhausted.

"Hey," I said quietly.

He looked over.

"You're not alone in this."

"I know."

"We'll figure it out."

"We?"

"We're still a team at work."

"Even after everything?"

"Especially after everything."

He looked at me for several seconds before nodding once.

"Thank you."

The flight back to New York was much quieter than the trip to Chicago.

Neither of us slept.

Instead, we reviewed every person who had access to the Morrison files.

"Finance Director," I said.

"Has worked here twelve years."

"Clean record."

"IT Security?"

"Impossible without leaving logs."

"Legal?"

"Unlikely."

"Then who?"

"I don't know."

As the plane landed just after dawn, my phone vibrated.

Lily.

"Call me the second you land."

I immediately dialed.

"Emma!"

"I'm here. What's wrong?"

"The office is chaos."

"I know about the leak."

"It's worse than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone from Internal Audit is searching everyone's computers."

"Already?"

"They've locked two departments."

"Has anyone been suspended?"

There was a pause.

"No..."

"Lily?"

"Emma... don't panic."

"Just tell me."

"They're looking for you."

My stomach dropped.

"What?"

"Security asked where you were."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Did they say anything else?"

"Only that Mr. Carter and Miss Hayes need to report directly to the boardroom the moment they arrive."

The call ended.

I slowly lowered my phone.

"What's wrong?" Adrian asked.

"The board wants both of us."

"Us?"

"Immediately."

"Interesting."

"They were asking for me specifically."

His expression hardened.

"Stay with me."

"What?"

"From the moment we enter the building."

"Adrian..."

"Whatever this is, we're facing it together."

His words gave me just enough courage to keep walking.

An hour later, we entered Carter Global Headquarters.

The atmosphere felt completely different.

Employees whispered in small groups.

Security officers stood near every elevator.

Nobody smiled.

Nobody greeted Adrian the way they normally did.

Everyone looked nervous.

Nora met us in the lobby.

"You're here."

"Report," Adrian said.

"Internal Audit found something."

"What?"

Nora looked at me.

My heart started pounding.

"Someone accessed the Morrison files..."

"Go on."

"...using Emma's employee credentials."

Everything around me went silent.

"That's impossible," I whispered.

"I never shared my password."

"I know," Nora replied.

"Then how...?"

Before anyone could answer, four members of the board stepped out of the elevator.

The chairman walked directly toward us.

"Mr. Carter."

"Chairman."

The older man's eyes shifted to me.

"Miss Hayes."

"Sir."

"Until this investigation is complete..."

He handed me a sealed envelope.

"...you are hereby suspended from all company duties, effective immediately."