The Mole

Chapter 14

George 

The moment my lips touched hers, something deep within me shifted… a feeling I had spent so long trying to bury, to forget.

But forgetting her? That was impossible.

Every attempt to stay away, every reminder that I shouldn't want her, only drew me in closer. The harder I pushed her away, the stronger the pull became. The feelings just wouldn't let go.

And now, given the chance to finally protect her, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d give everything I had to keep her safe… even if it meant waging war against my own father.

I pulled her gently from the embrace, letting our eyes lock in the thick heat of the moment.

I held her hands firmly, like a commander ready to lay down the plan. Her eyes flickered with rising fear, her hands trembling softly beneath mine.

“It’s okay, Alice. I’m here now,” I whispered, my gaze sweeping over her fragile frame. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’m not going anywhere… not until all this is over. I promise.”

She lifted her head slowly, her eyes searching mine with quiet hesitation. Then she gave a small nod, finally letting the tears fall as she sank into my arms.

“Are you sure about this?” she whispered, her voice shaking as she sobbed against my chest. “This all feels like a trap I can’t escape. I… I’m scared.”

“You don’t have to be.” I wrapped my arms around her tighter, then gently pulled back to look into her face again. “Listen to me, Alice. You need to trust me now. You’re not in this alone… none of us are. I have men in place, watching and working from a distance. Thomas’s end is closer than you ever imagined. Just hold on… and trust me.”

She met my gaze again, then gave a small nod, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

I didn’t wait for her to speak. I gently stepped away and grabbed my phone to check for any updates.

Just as predicted, a message from Zach lit up the screen. “There’s a mole in Aurora Luxe… someone secretly working with Thomas and Samantha to take over the empire.” I read the message slowly, forcing my expression to stay neutral so Alice wouldn’t notice the shift.

She’d already been through too much… I couldn’t afford to burden her with this. Not yet.

“I’ll be right back,” I said quietly, then slipped out of the room and headed straight for the basement… somewhere private enough to talk without interruptions.

As soon as I reached, I pulled out the phone again, rereading the message with a tighter grip. Then I typed a reply: “Message received. What’s the way forward?”

It didn’t take long before my phone buzzed again. Zach’s response came quickly: “We need to set a trap. The mole is after something inside Aurora Luxe… confidential data they plan to sell to the enemies. Let’s use that as bait to catch them.”

I nodded in agreement, even though he could obviously not see me.

“Great idea, Zach. Thank you for this info.” I whispered into the phone, half relieved. “I'll let you know if I need anything else.”

I punched the send button, and without waiting for a response from him, I slipped the phone into my pocket and headed back into the room.

Without wasting a second, I grabbed my laptop and sat down to work. There was one thing I knew Thomas and Samantha were after more than anything… the flash drive. If I could replicate it and use a fake version as bait, I might just be able to catch the mole red-handed.  

I moved quickly, setting up the decoy and monitoring the screen closely. Luckily, a hidden camera had already been installed in one of the Aurora Luxe offices, thanks to Zach’s earlier warning. All I had to do now was wait.  

And sure enough, within minutes, someone appeared… a female, blonde hair, sharp eyes, picking up the flash drive slowly.

I smiled to myself as I took a quick capture of her face, then I dialed security. “Get the thief… she's trying to escape now.” 

As I said the words, I fixed my gaze on the screen, watching them closely.

The man's sharp voice echoed through the line. “On it, boss.” He echoed, sending his men after her at once. But before they could get any closer to her, she had already escaped… fleeing with the empire’s most confidential expansion plan documents.

My blood boiled over as I watched her leave… unable to stop her from where I was. But I didn't let that stop me. At least I had her image captured already… she'd be cornered before she even realizes it. 

I couldn't afford to let her make away with the stolen files… they were one of Aurora Luxe's most expensive treasures, and I was certain Alice might not be able to bear it if she hears they'd been stolen.

I dialed Zach as fast as possible, my fingers trembling slightly around the phone. “The mole has just escaped. Get your men to track her down… immediately.”

“Yes, boss. I'm on it.” 

I hung up, biting the tip of my finger as I paced about the room restlessly. That's when Alice came into view, her eyes scanning mine with quiet concern.

“What's going on? Something seems to be eating you up.”

I hadn't realized how troubled I was until she asked that question. I shook my head quickly, trying to mask off the worry in my face.

“It’s… it’s nothing, Alice,” I clamped my hands gently on her shoulders, forcing a tight smile. “Just get some rest, alright? We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

She paused, her eyes searching mine, clearly unconvinced. But after a moment, she gave a slow, reluctant nod and turned away, quietly retreating to her room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, I collapsed into the chair, dragging a hand through my hair in frustration as the weight of everything that just happened came crashing back into my mind.

I barely had a moment to breathe before a sharp knock broke through the silence, snapping me out of my thoughts.

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I turned my gaze towards the door. “Who is it?”

“It's me, Maria.” She said with a calm, yet awkwardly terrified tone. “You have a letter. It's about Leo.”