Adrian didn't go straight home after work that day. His mind was all over the place, filled with questions and fear he didn't know what to do with. He ended up walking around the city, letting the noise and the lights distract him.
But it didn't help much.
He stopped at a small food shop, grabbed a bottle of malt and some bread, then sat alone on a bench facing the street. Cars kept passing, people laughing and moving on with their normal lives, but nothing felt normal anymore.
He helped her.
He said yes.
Now what?
His phone buzzed. It was a message from Lara. Just one word: "Safe?"
He replied quick: "Yeah. You?"
Her answer came a few seconds later: "Kinda. I'll explain tomorrow. Be careful."
He stared at the screen for a while before locking it. Then he stood up and made his way home.
---
Next morning, Adrian looked a little more prepared. He actually ironed his shirt, and his hair wasn't fighting the wind this time. But his eyes were tired. He barely slept. The fear was still there, crawling behind his ribs.
At work, Lara was already seated. She gave him a short look, just a tiny nod. No smiles today. Not even a fake one.
They didn't talk till lunch break. Lara passed him a flash drive under the table when nobody was watching.
"Use your own laptop," she whispered. "Not office network. Never."
Adrian pocketed it fast. "What's on it?"
"Copies. Screenshots. I couldn't take the original files. But it's enough to prove something."
He nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll check it tonight."
Lara's fingers shook a little as she opened her food. "They know someone's been inside the finance records. They're asking questions."
"You think they know it's you?"
"Not yet. But I feel it coming."
Silence. Just the sound of plastic forks scratching on takeaway packs.
Then Adrian asked, "Who's behind it? The fraud, I mean."
She looked around the breakroom. "I don't know all. But Tayo for sure. And maybe even someone higher. There's a name that keeps coming up. Z.A."
"Z.A?"
"Yea. No full name. Just initials. Payments go through that tag sometimes."
Adrian leaned back, trying to process it. This was no small game. It was huge. And scary. But now he was part of it, whether he liked it or not.
---
That night, Adrian locked his bedroom door and pulled out the flash drive. His laptop was old, a bit slow, but safe. Not connected to any work account or network.
He plugged in the drive, and it opened a folder named "LOOKCLOSE."
Inside were dozens of images. Screenshots of transactions, files with big numbers, and even one with someone's ID — a government official he had seen once on TV.
Adrian felt like throwing up.
It was real.
All of it.
He clicked through everything, eyes wide, hands starting to sweat. This wasn't just office drama. This was serious fraud. And people could get hurt if it leaked.
Suddenly, his laptop screen flickered.
Just once.
Then again.
"What the hell…" he muttered.
He pulled the flash drive out quickly, heart racing. Was someone tracking it? Was the drive bugged?
No. Lara wouldn't do that… would she?
He closed the laptop and paced the room, his mind in overdrive. There was too much he didn't know. Too many risks. But backing out now would be worse. He already saw too much.
His phone buzzed again.
Lara.
"Did you see it?"
He texted back: "Yes. It's bad."
She replied fast: "I know. Meet me tomorrow morning. Early. Before work."
He stared at the message.
Things were moving too fast. And too deep.
But one thing was clear.
There was no turning back.