The cold feeling from Liam's words stayed with me. The data was stolen. A fake company was linked to Bianca. Someone had leaked secrets from my company. This wasn't just a business fight. This was personal, and it was dangerous. My mind raced, trying to figure out who it could be. Who knew enough about Hilly Enterprises to do this?
I sat in my office, looking at the city lights. The size of Bianca's plan was bigger than I thought. She wasn't just trying to shame me; she was trying to destroy me, using my own company against me. The text message – "She knows. Be careful." – now made scary sense. She knew my weak spots because she was getting information from the inside.
Liam was still working on it. He found more small data leaks, like tiny streams flowing out of our computer system. They were very hard to find, almost invisible. Whoever was doing this was smart and knew our systems well.
"We need to find out who did it, Liam," I told him. My voice was calm, but inside, a storm was growing. "I want to know every person who saw those special files. Every time they logged in, every time they looked at the computer server in the last six months. Check it against any strange things they did."
He nodded, already moving to his computer. Liam was good, but this was a deep search, a hunt for someone like a ghost.
My thoughts went to Damian. He was now in IT, the same part of the company where this data theft had happened. It was strange, almost painful. Could it be him? Was this another one of Bianca's tricks, using him to hurt me again? He was smart, he knew computer systems, and he had a reason to be angry. But he also seemed so broken, so humble now. He had just helped fix a big problem with the system. It felt like a test, a cruel twist of fate.
I decided to watch him closely. I had cameras everywhere. I watched his every move in IT. He worked hard, focused. He spent hours at the computer, sometimes talking to himself, sometimes tapping his fingers thoughtfully. He never seemed to look around strangely or act like he was hiding anything. He just… worked. He looked like a man trying to survive, not trying to ruin things.
One afternoon, I called him to my office. It was the first time he'd been back here since that day he begged for a job. He looked even more nervous than usual, his eyes avoiding mine.
"Sit, Damian," I said, pointing to the chair across from my desk.
He sat stiffly, his hands together. "Ms. Hilly," he said, his voice quiet.
"The IT department reports you fixed a major system bug," I began, watching how he reacted. "That was... impressive."
He looked up, a quick surprise in his eyes, quickly replaced by his usual humble look. "I just used my experience. Glad I could help."
"Indeed," I said. I paused, choosing my words carefully. "We've had some other security concerns lately. Small problems, but worrying. You're good with looking at complicated computer systems, right?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes, Ms. Hilly. I've worked on big computer setups in my past jobs." His voice was still humble, but a hint of his old confidence, the technical kind, briefly showed.
"Good," I stated. "I need you to work with Liam on a special project. You'll be looking into some strange things in our data records. It needs to be kept a secret. No one else is to know what you're working on, not even other IT staff. Understood?"
His eyes opened a little, then narrowed as he thought. He seemed to understand how serious I was. "Understood, Ms. Hilly. I'll treat it with the most important priority."
There was a moment of quiet. I looked into his eyes. Was there a hidden guilt? A quick flash of him lying? I saw nothing but a tired determination. Could he really be innocent of this new threat?
"You're dismissed," I said, ending the meeting.
As he left, I watched him walk through the glass walls of my office. He was using his skills to help me, to help the company he once hurt. The idea felt strange, unsettling. Was I being foolish, trusting the man who had broken my world? Or was this the biggest test for him?
Later that day, Liam set up a special work area for Damian. They began their quiet investigation. I saw them on the monitors, two people bent over screens, surrounded by difficult computer code and data records. Liam, sharp and quick. Damian, careful and thorough.
The next few days were tense. I waited for them to find something big. I felt a strange mix of hope and fear. Hope that they will find the real person who stole the data. Fear that the person might be the man I was forced to rely on. The battle wasn't just against Bianca anymore; it was also a battle against my own past, against the painful memories that still tried to make my judgment unclear.
I knew Bianca would strike again, and soon. Her moves were always on purpose. The text was a warning, the data leaks were her tools. I had to find out who was helping her, who was letting her into my company's heart. And whether that person was someone I now trusted to find the truth.