The first light of dawn seeped slowly through the towering glass windows of the Draven Tech penthouse, casting long shadows that stretched across the war room. Damon Draven stood at the center, his sharp eyes fixed on the array of screens that flickered with endless streams of data. His jaw was set, his mind racing through possibilities and contingencies. The company he had built with his blood and sweat was under siege, but the siege was far from over.“Elena,” Damon called without turning, “what’s the status on the bait project? Any movement from the mole?”Elena’s fingers danced across the keyboard, eyes flicking between lines of code and monitoring dashboards. “We went live with the fake project as planned twenty-four hours ago. So far, the bait has been touched twice. Both times, attempts were made to download files — but our tracking software flagged each access immediately. We’re currently tracing the digital fingerprints left behind.”Lucas Adams stepped in, his expression gri
Chapter 99 – Shadows and RevelationsThe city was cloaked in a heavy silence that night, broken only by the distant hum of traffic and the occasional flicker of neon signs. Inside the glass walls of the Draven Tech penthouse, the atmosphere was charged with tension. Damon sat at the sleek black conference table, eyes fixed on the digital map glowing on the screen before him.“We’re dealing with someone who knows our every move,” Damon said, voice low and tense. “The mole is not just stealing data — they’re sabotaging projects, feeding false information, and trying to fracture us from within.”Lucas leaned forward, fingers steepled. “Elena’s findings confirmed it. This is professional — more than just a disgruntled employee. The encrypted files hidden in Marco Liu’s work folder are designed to mislead us. Someone is framing him.”Sarah, standing beside Damon, clenched her fists. “So who else has the knowledge and access to pull this off?”Lou, who had just arrived from a security sweep
The sun was barely up, and yet the tension in the Draven Tech headquarters was already palpable. Damon Draven sat at the head of the long conference table, flanked by Sarah, Lucas, Lou, and Elena. The atmosphere was thick with exhaustion and resolve — the fight was far from over.Lucas tapped his tablet to bring up a dossier. “We’ve traced several anomalies in network access logs over the last three months. Three employees have been flagged for suspicious activity. One is on probation for insubordination, but the other two are clear on paper — which makes them even more dangerous.”Damon’s eyes narrowed. “Names. I want names.”Lucas flicked through the list. “Marissa Trent — senior project manager; Darren Holt — systems analyst; and Marco Liu — junior developer. Marissa’s probation is for leaking confidential project updates to a competitor last year, but Darren and Marco have clean records.”Lou added, “We’ve already installed surveillance cameras around their desks, and IT is monito
Morning broke with a muted gray light filtering through the tall glass windows of Draven Tech’s headquarters. The city was waking, but inside the building, an uneasy stillness reigned. Damon Draven sat at his sleek desk, staring at the glowing screen, a knot tightening in his stomach. His phone buzzed again — a new alert from the cybersecurity team.Lucas Adams, Damon’s closest friend and legal adviser, stood nearby, his expression grim. “Another attempted breach, Damon. This one was different.”Damon rubbed his tired eyes and leaned forward. “Different how?”Lucas pointed at the monitor. “It wasn’t some random external hack. The attacker had intimate knowledge of our systems — passwords, access codes, internal protocols. This was an inside job.”Damon’s chest tightened. “Someone we trust...?”Lou Adams, the head of security and Lucas’s younger brother, stepped in. “We’ve already fortified all external entry points. Whoever’s behind this has been inside the walls for months — maybe ev
The morning after the penthouse sighting, Damon arrived at Draven Tech headquarters early, the city still wrapped in the quiet hush of dawn. The usual bustle of the office was tempered by an unspoken tension — everyone knew they were no longer just rebuilding a company; they were rebuilding a fortress.Lucas was already there, eyes glued to multiple screens in the security center.“Morning,” Damon said.Lucas didn’t look up immediately. “You’ll want to see this.”On the main monitor, security footage played back in grainy black and white. A shadowy figure had been spotted near the loading docks just after midnight. The silhouette was careful, methodical, and skilled at avoiding cameras.“That was no random trespasser,” Damon said, narrowing his eyes.“Agreed,” Lucas replied. “We’re dealing with professionals. The Syndicate is testing our defenses, probing for weaknesses.”Damon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If they’re this bold now, it means they’re regrouping faster than we expected
Damon sat alone in the penthouse lounge, the city lights flickering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The truth about Katrina’s staged death had hit him like a freight train—years of lies, deception, and hidden threats finally surfacing. He traced the rim of his glass, the amber liquid untouched.The media had spun the narrative endlessly: Katrina Andre, the brilliant yet dangerous tech genius who’d “ended her life” in that isolated Brooklyn townhouse. But Damon knew better now. He’d spent sleepless nights piecing together evidence—secret transfers, encrypted messages, shadow meetings—all pointing to a woman who had vanished, only to reappear in the darkest corners of his world.Sarah entered quietly, closing the distance without breaking his focus.“You’re still thinking about her,” she said softly.“I can’t stop,” Damon confessed. “It wasn’t just a faked death—it was a lie that almost destroyed everything. She’s been pulling strings from beyond the grave... or so we thought.”Sa