[Waylen Company – Morning]
Adeline entered the office, her new schedule becoming routine. The soft hum of morning was like any other, the whir of printers, muted whispers from the conference rooms, and the occasional clinking of coffee cups from the break room.
Her workspace was tidy, neat, with some personal flair: a plant on her desk, a photo frame holding a picture of her mother, and a coffee cup she had purchased for herself as a reminder that she was strong. This was her place now. No one to judge. No one to try to control.
The elevator doors opened, and she walked toward her workstation. Nathan, her colleague, looked up from his screen, offering a smile.
"Morning, Adeline. Big day ahead?"
"Big day, huh?" she muttered. "You'll be the first to hear about it if it is."
Nathan chuckled. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."
Before she could reply, a loud voice echoed from the front office.
"Adeline Moore! In my office now!"
Her stomach dropped.
It was Elias.
Her breath was caught, and she rose, smoothing her blouse. She looked at Nathan, whose eyebrows arched in surprise.
"Good luck," he grunted under his breath, a smile on his face.
Adeline walked down the corridor, knocking once before entering Elias's office. He stood by the window, his hands locked behind his back, his posture as stiff as ever. But there was a difference in the atmosphere today—an edge. An air of urgency.
"You needed me, Mr. Elias?" she asked, attempting to sound neutral.
"Close the door and sit down," Elias instructed, his tone low. "There's been a development."
Adeline shut the door, the seriousness of the conversation hanging over her like a cloud. She sat down, waiting for him to continue.
Elias did not answer at once, his eyes fixed on something outside the window. At last, he turned and met her eyes, his face grave.
"I've just been informed of a possible leak within the company. Confidential information has been leaked to outside sources. I want you to take care of it."
Adeline's heart pounded, but she didn't skip a beat. She was a pro under pressure. She had always been.
"Do you have any leads?" she asked.
"Few of them. We think it is an inside job but we can't tell. I want you to trace this with me, Adeline. You'll have to dig deep and be strategic. It's sensitive, and the reputation of the company depends on it."
"Got it."
"Good," Elias replied, studying her intensely. "This might become complicated. But I know you can handle it. Trust nobody. Got it?"
Adeline nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes."
A slight flicker of something passed through Elias's eyes, but it was gone before she could decipher it.
"Then let's get started," he said. "Meet me in the conference room in an hour."
[Conference Room – One Hour Later]
Adeline was there first, taking out her laptop and papers as she waited for Elias to arrive. When he entered, he was holding a pile of files.
"There is a great deal at stake here," Elias explained, his voice brusque. "If we don't move quickly, the destruction could be permanent."
Adeline took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I won't let it go that far."
Elias nodded and placed the files on the table. "This is the list of individuals that were recently exposed to sensitive information. I want you to cross-reference it with any personal documents, emails, or anything else that could point to an outside source connection."
"Understood," Adeline said. She began reading through the files hastily, examining the names, titles, and any pattern that was present.
They toiled for the next several hours, the silence strained as the hours passed. Every file, every document, every clue led to yet another part of the puzzle, but they were far from the answer.
Then, suddenly, a breakthrough.
Adeline stopped dead when she saw an email—untouched, delivered late at night, with a mysterious IP address tag. It was from one of the senior staff members—someone with trust, someone who had access to the most confidential information.
She typed hastily, calling up the email and scanning its contents. It was an exchange with an outside party. A leak. But there was no obvious clue as to who was responsible.
"Elias," she replied, voice strained. "I think we have something."
Elias walked over, his gaze scanning the screen. "Send me everything you've got."
She sent the email, her fingers shaking a little as she pressed 'send.' "I can't track the origin yet, but I think this might be our break-through."
Elias came to a halt, looking at the screen before turning to face her. "You've done great. We need to work fast. We have to know who else is involved and end this before others get hurt."
[Later That Evening – Adeline's Apartment]
Adeline collapsed onto her couch, exhausted. She'd barely had time to eat or breathe. The intensity of the day had worn her down, but there was still a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins.
As she sat there, processing everything that had happened, her phone buzzed.
It was a message from Elias.
"You handled yourself well today. We'll need to dig deeper tomorrow. Get some rest."
Adeline read the message through once, her lips twitching into a slight smile. She hadn't wanted to be complimented by Elias, but the tone in what he wrote had her thinking that he was slowly coming around to seeing her in a different light.
For once, she didn't feel misplaced.