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Morning came faster than anything else, the office homepage on social media filled with claims of theft.

Suprisingly someone has leaked the project from Imani’s office.

Not in the news but on the company’s page where everyone had access to.

At 9:03 AM, an anonymous email was forwarded to the entire Imani Tech board, to all department heads, to Legal, to PR. The subject line:

RE: PROJECT ECHO - STOLEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY?

Inside was Sarah Velt’s photo of the credentials file. And a note:

> “As a concerned employee and eye witness, I have reason to believe that PROJECT ECHO is not an original project. This is a stolen project from another tech company. Credentials show it was copied from a popular Tech’s internal archive. Imani Shawn is putting Imani Tech at risk of a massive lawsuit and theft! - A Loyal Employee”

Sarah sent it from a burner email, but she stood by the coffee machine like an eyewitness, like a hero.

“It’s true!” she told anyone who would listen, her voice shaking with fake concern. “I was cleaning her office — I mean, assisting facilities — and I saw the file. The patent number didn’t match our format. It matched another Tech’s! I had to say something! I’m loyal to this company!”

Within 20 minutes, the board called Imani, like they were already waiting for Imani to fail or do a mistake. Everyone was boiling like a hot water on fire, angry that something like this had leaked.

-BOARDROOM - 9:31 AM-

Everyone was there. The investors. The lawyers…Roi Morgan sitting in his new Head Researcher chair, smirking, enjoying the show. Sarah Velt standing by the door, arms crossed, playing innocent.

Luke kept rubbing his hands together in hope this goes well.

Imani walked in at 9:32, calm. Too calm. She wore a red blazer.

“Imani,” said Mr. Patel, the lead investor, slamming a printed copy of Sarah’s email on the table, “is it true? Is Project Echo stolen from another Tech company? Because if it is, we are looking at a lawsuit that will kill this company. We trusted you.”

“Answer us, Imani,” said another board member. “Where did you get the credentials?”

Luke went to her and touched her arm. “Imani, just tell them the truth, we can fix this—”

Imani gently moved her arm away from Luke.

She didn’t look at the board. She looked at Sarah.

“Sarah,” Imani said softly, “as an eyewitness, can you tell the board what exactly you saw? You said Project Echo was stolen from another tech company?”

Sarah stood taller, feeling powerful. “Yes. I saw the file on your desk. The credentials, the patent filing. IT-ECHO-2026-8891. That patent format is a Tech’s format. I checked. You copied it. You’re going to ruin us all because you can’t come up with anything original!”

The board murmured. Roi leaned forward, interested. Luke looked panicked.

“Are you sure?” Imani asked. “You saw it clearly? You took a photo, right?”

Sarah hesitated for half a second. “I... I took a photo to protect the company! As evidence!”

“Thank you,” Imani said and smirked.

Then she pressed the intercom on the boardroom table.

“Emily, please bring in File B.”

The door opened. Emily walked in a laptop and a black file.

Sarah’s face flickered. “What’s File B?”

Imani didn’t answer her. She connected Emily’s laptop to the big screen in the boardroom.

And she played a CCTV video.

The boardroom went silent.

On the screen—crystal clear— was Imani’s office at 8:47 AM the day before. Sarah Velt entering with a mop, looking round. Seeing the black folder on the desk. Hovering. Picking it up. Taking out her phone. Taking photos — two quick clicks. Then slipping the phone into her apron as Imani walks in.

Everyone in the boardroom watched Sarah steal the credential files.

Sarah’s mouth dropped open.

“Wait— you— you had a camera—?”

“I knew you were going to pull this move again, Sarah,” Imani said, her voice finally cold, finally loud. “Do you think I was stupid when I told your father you were going to work for me?” She added.

“...That’s why I employed you.”

Sarah stared. “What?”

“That employment to be a head secretary wasn’t a mistake,” Imani said, walking slowly around the boardroom table toward her. “It for me to catch your silly acts red-handed. I needed you close. I needed you angry. I needed you to do exactly what you always do — steal, leak, and play victim. So I can catch you red-handed. On camera. In front of the whole board.”

The board was stunned. Mr. Patel looked from the video to Sarah.

“Sarah, you said you were a witness—”

“I WAS!” Sarah screamed, panicking now. “I was protecting the company! She left confidential files open! She—”

“Protecting?” Imani almost laugh. “You just came and you’re already protecting a company that’s mine?”

“…And that credential was a trap,” Imani cut her off, smiling for the first time that morning.

She took another black file from Emily and threw it on the boardroom table. It landed with a thud. “That file you stole, Sarah…it was a trap”

Roi actually laughed out loud. “Holy shit.” He was enjoying this.

Imani turned to the board, her red blazer bright against the white wall. “Gentlemen, that file was fake,” she said. “Patent number doesn’t even exist. I created it so I can catch the thief who had been stealing from me,” She looked at Sarah.

“The real Project Echo is nowhere near that desk. The real credentials have never been printed. They’re on an offline server that only I have access to.”

She walked up to the big screen, closed the CCTV video, and opened a new slide.

On the screen: PROJECT ECHO - THE REAL ONE - Q1 2027

A completely different design and for sure, it’s not sometime one could easily steal because it was different. A logo no one had ever seen. Everyone in the room was wowed.

“I’m working on the new project,” Imani told the board, her voice steady, powerful. “And it’s not stolen from anyone.”

She turned to the head of security standing by the door.

“Escort Ms. Velt out. And send the CCTV footage, her photos, and the burner email trace to our lawyers. I want a full intellectual property theft lawsuit filed by noon.” She ordered.

“And yeah, please tell your father that his company is going down the drain for sure…I’m withdrawing my shares as from today,”

Sarah Velt couldn’t believe the nightmare she’s about to face, she folded her fist.

“This isn’t over, Imani! You think you won? You think—!”

“Yes, I have won, get out. NOW.”

“You think so??” Sarah said not backing down then she looked at Luke. “Have you told her how you almost unalive the family of some shareholders just so you can be her partner?” She revealed.

Then she suddenly laughed, “Oh. The video should be up now, the media will rush in soon,”