Chapter 26- Fault Lines

The next morning, the sky was gray, and a storm brewed in the air—a perfect match for my mood. The text from Justin had been haunting me since last night.

"He’s not who you think he is. The truth about Project VisionTech is bigger than Natasha. Bigger than William. You’re being watched."

I had barely slept. My thoughts were tangled, each one tripping over the next. William had been cold, but never threatening. And Project VisionTech? That had been my baby—until it was ripped from my hands and sabotaged.

But if William wasn’t behind it... who was?

And why was Justin texting me now?

I arrived at work early. Earlier than usual. The office was quiet, the smell of fresh coffee wafting through the corridors. William wasn't in yet, and his door was shut. I settled at my desk and opened my laptop, determined to dive back into the files I had downloaded two nights ago.

The ones labeled Confidential.

I found one titled: VT Internal Memo - Override Protocols. It was dated two months before I was fired. The sender? A dummy account named "AtlasPhoenix."

The recipient?

Kevin.

Kevin had been part of our tech department. Quiet. Efficient. A rule-follower.

And apparently, a liar.

My hands shook as I read the instructions. "Delete root files for VisionTech. Use distraction protocol: Frame senior dev. Deliver fake complaint to HR. Keep Lily Stephens unaware. Payment to be wired upon completion."

My name was right there. In writing.

I closed the file and sat back, heart pounding. It wasn’t just sabotage. It was calculated.

I needed answers. From Kevin.

Finding Kevin wasn’t hard. He still worked on the 8th floor. I caught him in the hallway near the tech support bay.

"Kevin," I said, blocking his path. "We need to talk."

He looked startled. "Lily? I—I’m kind of busy..."

"Now."

He looked around and sighed. "Alright. Break room. Five minutes."

When we got there, the room was empty. Kevin closed the door. I didn’t waste time.

"You got an email from AtlasPhoenix. You know what I'm talking about. Don’t lie."

His eyes darted away. "I—Lily, I didn’t have a choice. I was threatened."

"By who? Natasha? Someone else?"

He flinched but said nothing.

"They said if I didn’t cooperate, they’d fire me. Or worse, accuse me of stealing company data. I have a younger sister. I couldn’t risk it."

"So you ruined my career instead?"

He looked ashamed. "I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would go that far."

"Why now? Why come clean?"

"Because things are escalating. And you were right. Project VisionTech... it was just a cover. There was something else. Something encrypted. I didn’t look into it too much back then. But now... I think you should."

He handed me a flash drive.

"What’s this?"

"Everything I copied before I deleted the files. Backups. Logs. Even some financial links. I don’t know what it all means, but maybe you will."

I stared at it.

"And Kevin..."

"Yeah?"

"Don’t disappear. We’re not done."

Back at my desk, I plugged in the flash drive and opened the first folder. Inside were screen captures of HR complaint submissions, messages between a hidden alias and someone named "RedSparrow" (possibly Natasha), and a document labeled Project: Phoenix Cover.

I clicked it open.

"Goal: Use VisionTech as decoy platform. Funnel experimental software development through shell program. Bypass internal audit. Leak target data to third-party investors."

Target data? Leak?

This wasn’t just sabotage. It was corporate espionage.

My breath caught.

A message thread between two anonymous aliases dated a week before I was fired popped up next. It read:

"She’s too involved. She’s starting to ask questions."

"Then make her irrelevant. Blame her for the crash. The boss won’t dig deeper."

"And if he does?"

"We’ll blame each other. He trusts no one."

I felt like I might be sick.

Just then, William walked in. He looked at me. Paused.

"Something wrong?"

I quickly minimized the windows. "No, just... prepping the board review."

He looked unconvinced but nodded. "Meet me in my office in ten."

As he disappeared inside, I stared at the screen again.

Whatever this was—it was deeper than just Natasha.

And I wasn’t safe.

But my problems weren’t just data and secrets.

Samantha had somehow returned to the office after a brief period of absence, apparently re-hired under unclear circumstances. She begged William, and why the hell William gave her chance?

What the hell!

She had been unusually chirpy all morning. A dangerous sign. She made it her mission to remind me, loudly, how she had applied for the secretary role too. That she had almost gotten it.

When I returned to my desk after lunch, my mouse was missing.

Then my notepad.

Then the meeting reminders I had pinned up on the board beside me—vanished.

"Looking for this?" Samantha asked innocently, holding up my notepad. "I found it in the pantry. You should be careful with your things, Lily."

I clenched my teeth. "Thanks."

"You know," she leaned in, whispering, "I heard Mr. William only kept you around for... emotional reasons."

I ignored her. For now.

Later that day, William asked me to deliver a file to legal on the 12th floor.

I went. When I returned, there was another note on my desk.

"You missed a call from Mr. Chen. Very disappointed."

Except Mr. Chen hadn’t been on my calendar. Or my call log.

Samantha grinned at her desk.

I took a deep breath. I’d dealt with snakes before. I’d deal with her too.

That evening, I finally met Nany at the café near my apartment. She listened carefully as I explained Kevin, the flash drive, and Samantha’s antics.

"Classic power play," Nany said. "You’re threatening someone’s seat. They retaliate."

"But why the games? Why not just fire me again?"

"Because now you’re protected. By William or by your own evidence. Either way, they’re stuck playing dirty."

"Then I’ll play cleaner. But smarter."

Nany smirked. "Now that’s the Lily I remember."

As I walked home that night, flash drive secure in my bag, I knew one thing:

The deeper I dug, the more dangerous this would become.

But I wasn’t backing down.