Viola's POV
I stood facing Kyle Lodge, my hands still pressed flat on his massive mahogany desk, feeling the cold smoothness of the wood under my fingertips. Marshall was standing off to the side, looking utterly disgusted with the entire drama.
Lodge was baiting me, pushing the 'Integrity Review' file back toward me. He wanted a name, delivered neatly on a silver platter, confirming that his employee was also his spy.
"Did you bring me a solution?" he repeated, his smile radiating cold confidence.
I didn't blink. I pulled my hands back and looked down at the open file, the screen displaying the list of corporate employees, their salaries, and their recent spending sprees. He wanted me to look for a financial motive. He wanted me to chase money.
He was wrong.
"You're asking the wrong question, Mr. Lodge," I stated, my voice low and steady. I let my blue eyes rise to meet his, making sure my contempt was visible. "The person you hired me to find, the 'mole,' is not stealing funds. They're stealing access. And the only person who benefits from having silent, unmonitored access to your core network is someone who is trying to protect their operation."
I picked up the file and deliberately scrolled past the financial data.
"The server spike was traced to 419 Bridge Street. That's your headquarters, sir, the place you didn't want me to see," I continued, pressing the advantage. "The network ghost isn't breaking into your system…they're preventing an unwanted network intrusion. The mole isn't trying to sink the ship… they're trying to keep it afloat."
I flipped to the internal security log. "I have not found the mole. I have found the firewall. And the firewall is the only person on this list who knew to block the trace from the outside, not the inside."
I looked up, letting the realisation hang in the air. Lodge's smile finally faltered, replaced by a flicker of genuine shock…not at the accusation, but at the analysis. Marshall, on the other hand, looked like he'd been slapped.
"The mole is not a financial officer, sir. The mole is the Head of IT Security. The one person with the access and the skill to mask their intrusion: Simon Vance." I slapped the file down on the page displaying Vance's profile. "He's running counter-intelligence from your own headquarters, and the only reason he would do that is if someone external—someone you don't control—was trying to access your illegal network. Who is your real enemy, Mr. Lodge?"
Silence. The silence was heavy and thick with the unexpected truth.
Lodge stared at me, his eyes now narrowed, calculating. His charm was gone. This was the look of a dangerous man facing a true threat.
"You are spectacular, Vi," he finally said, the nickname delivered with a chilling intensity that felt more like a warning than a compliment. "You analysed that faster than my entire security team. You just earned your paycheck."
"No," I corrected, planting my hands on the desk again. "I just bought myself another twenty-four hours of life. Now, what do you want me to do with your firewall, Simon Vance?"
He leaned back, his eyes still locked on mine, a faint, predatory smile returning. "You've been promoted to integrity, Vi. You tell me."
Kyle's POV
I felt the adrenaline hit my bloodstream, sharp and potent. Not anger, but exhilaration. She was magnificent. Absolutely, terrifyingly magnificent.
I'd expected her to find an embezzler. I'd expected her to find a disgruntled employee. I hadn't expected her to identify a sophisticated counter-intelligence operation. I hadn't expected her to bypass the financial leads entirely and find the only logical truth: the "mole" was actually a mole hunter.
Simon Vance. Of course. Vance manages the old server farm at 419 Bridge Street. He's loyal, discreet, and a digital ghost. And now he's trying to protect my operation from a silent attack that Marshall and I hadn't even registered.
She stood there, defiant, demanding the next instruction. She wasn't just my employee; she was my tactical partner. And she knew it.
I leaned back, savoring the moment. Her question was a challenge—a direct demand for command authority. I wasn't going to give her a simple order. I was going to give her a choice, placing the next move directly into her hands.
"You've proven Vance isn't the enemy," I stated, ignoring Marshall's bewildered look entirely. "The enemy is the one trying to break through his firewall. Your job as Head of Editorial Integrity is to stop the bad press before it happens."
I opened a drawer and pulled out a keycard, sliding it across the desk toward her.
"This is Vance's access card to the server room at 419 Bridge Street. He uses it to run his counter-intelligence operation without alerting Marshall's less-than-subtle security detail."
I watched her eyes narrow as she looked at the card.
"You've shown me you can find the truth, Vi. Now, show me you can control it. Go to 419 Bridge Street. Vance will be there. Tell him he's no longer running a solo operation. You two are now a team. Find out who is attacking my network, and neutralize the threat. You have the access, you have the authority, and you have Gail at your disposal for any logistical distractions you may need."
I paused, letting the magnitude of the task sink in. I was sending the woman who hated me into the heart of my illegal operation, giving her the authority to partner with the only other person I trusted to fight an unseen enemy.
"And here's the funny part," I added, a sharp, cold amusement in my voice. "If you fail, the damage to the company will be immense, and I will be ruined. If you succeed, you will have guaranteed my future, and I will be untouchable. Either way, you'll be inextricably linked to me forever."
"Go, Vi. The clock is running. And try not to get killed by the people trying to shut me down. I find it difficult to replace good help."