The text message stuck in my mind: "She knows. Be careful." It came from a phone that couldn't be found. The person who sent it clearly didn't want anyone to know who they were. Those scary words matched what Bianca hinted at the big party. It proved what I felt deep down – this wasn't just old anger. This was a planned attack.
I spent the next few days in my office, like it was a war room. The city lights outside seemed to make fun of the dark mood growing inside me. Liam worked very hard. He tried to find where the text came from. He looked into what Bianca had been doing lately. Her company, "Apex Solutions," had grown very fast in the last year. They often won deals against older companies, and it seemed strange. My friends, the quiet talks in the city's business groups, told me Bianca was hiring top people from other companies very quickly. My gut told me she was building something, not just trying to annoy me.
"She's been very quiet about how she does things, Ms. Hilly," Liam said one morning, putting a file on my desk. "But she's risen very quickly. And some of the companies she bought recently... they are in the same business areas as our new projects."
My jaw tightened. This wasn't about being shamed in public anymore. This was a direct attack on Hilly Enterprises. She wasn't just trying to make me look bad. She was trying to break apart what I had built, little by little. That thought brought back a cold anger I hadn't felt since Damian left me. But this time, it was different. This time, I was ready.
"Find me everything, Liam," I ordered. My voice was low and steady. "Every deal, every new person she hired, every small rumor about Apex Solutions. I want to know her next step before she even thinks of it."
While Liam looked for computer clues, I found myself watching Damian more often on the mailroom cameras. He was still there, every day, carefully carrying boxes, sorting mail, his head down. He looked thinner. His face showed he was stressed from his new life. Sometimes, I saw other workers treat him badly, a harsh reminder of how much he had fallen. He took it all without a word, a shadow of his old proud self.
A few days later, our computer department had a big problem. A difficult computer bug appeared that even our best tech people couldn't fix. Liam, who always found answers, mentioned that Damian, surprisingly, was good at fixing tricky computer issues. He had seen him quietly help other staff members with computer problems in the mailroom.
"Send him to IT," I said. It was a decision that even surprised me. It was a risk. Giving him access to more important parts of the company was dangerous. But if he really had a hidden talent, it could be helpful. And, I admit, part of me wanted to see if his promise to "do anything" really meant using his skills to help me.
Damian walked into the IT department with the same quiet humbleness he had in the mailroom. He listened as the IT manager explained the problem. Then, he sat down at a computer. Hours passed. I watched him on camera. His forehead was wrinkled in thought, his fingers moving fast on the keyboard. He looked like a different person when he was focused. It was a small flash of the sharp mind he once had.
Finally, the IT manager called me. "Ms. Hilly, Mr. Nellie has found the main problem. It was a very hidden bug, a very smart piece of code that could have caused big data leaks. He's already fixed it." The IT manager sounded truly impressed, almost relieved.
A strange mix of feelings came over me. Relief for the company, yes. But also a small bit of credit for Damian. He still had that smartness, that ability to solve problems. It was a surprising reminder of the good things that first made me like him, before wanting too much changed him.
The problem was stopped, but the "She knows" message still bothered me. Bianca's public jab at the party was a sign, but how deeply she planned suggested someone from the inside, or someone who knew my company's system very well. My mind kept going back to that. How could she be so exact in her attacks?
Liam came into my office, his face serious. "Ms. Hilly, I've found something. It's small, but it's there. A series of tiny, unapproved data transfers from our computer servers to an outside address. They happened sometimes over the last six months. It's well hidden, almost like a ghost in the system. And the address… it's been erased from public records. But I found a small link back to a fake company. A fake company connected to Apex Solutions."
My blood ran cold. Bianca wasn't just guessing. She wasn't just insulting me. She was secretly getting into my company, stealing information. This wasn't just another business rival anymore. This was war. And her method suggested someone working inside, or someone who knew my system very, very well. My eyes moved to the mailroom camera feed. Damian, now a new face in the IT department, was still just an employee there. But my mind was already racing, putting pieces together. A feeling of fear started to settle in. This was a battle for everything I had.