CHAPTER 9

Wow!. How...... aesthetic.

Alan placed the stack of files on the medium-sized desk. Stretching his arms out, he felt the smooth walls coldly pressed against his fingertips. He lowered his arms, staring at the small, poorly furnished space with an amused look.

He let out a small laugh - All of these on such short notice..... their hospitality was truly heart- warming. It almost, literally moved him to tears.

He walked over, taking a sit - At least they remembered the chair. For that, he was truly grateful. He picked up a file, calmly adjusting his tie with a practiced, professionalism.

He only had less than a month to figure out the true culprit behind the billion dollar theft and time wasn't really on his side.

ONE HOUR LATER........

*What's it with these random numbers.....?. They're driving me insane.* He held his head, his elbows resting on his desk as he stared at the sprawled papers which happended to be his fifth file in a row.

*It aches....it aches so bad. Reading these files makes my head ache.*

He didn't even have a clue on how decipher these reports, he sucked at maths. Why the hell did he decide it was such a good idea to do this?!. He hissed, his head throbbing with pain.

*Xena, you got me into this. Now, give me an easier way to deal with this mess.*

[Host, these are just simple financial reports. It's absolutely nothing to fret about, i could break them down to bits for you to comprehend easily.]

*You can?* - Alan stared at the screen with a mixed look, partially relieved and yet, slightly infuriated. *So you just stood by and watched me burn out myself for an entire hour, how helpful of you....!!*

[Host, i duly apologize for not offering my aid. But since you never asked for my opinion, i simply concluded that you had the matter easily figured out.]

Alan scoffed, mentally noting Xena's subtle words of sheer sarcasm. He gave a deafeated pout, *Now i have, so quickly explain these terms to me.*

[Pick up the next file.]

Alan reacted on instincts, quickly responding to Xena's every command.*What's next?* - He stared at the screen,then down at the opened, white pages.

[The file in your hands is the financial reports of this present month. It records every inflow and outflow of funds, while indicating the recipients of these funds.]

[Each contained data is required to correctly inputed alongside with a given time of transaction, this information helps companies know how much resources has been spent and when these resources were being spent. That's if you exclude the where of course.]

Alan narrowed his eyes, carefully scrutinizing the details - Everything seemed absolutely okay. He stood up, bending over the desk while supporting his frame with a thoughtful look.

[Now, look at the middle data]

Alan gasped, nothing about the transaction seemed wrong outwardly, but something about the transaction's date seemed............too coincidental.

[Host's suspicions are correct. The data entry was made on the Ninth of December, the night you transmigrated.]

Alan was stunned. The 9th of December...... No wonder he felt suddenly overwhelmed by the strange coincidence.

[According to my records, You transmigrated on the 9th of December,at exactly 9:15 pm. But on the charts, it shows that the transaction was made at 9:15: 25 seconds.]

Alan bit his lower lips, masking his excitement. Even if he wanted to embezzle company's funds, he wouldn't be able to do so in just twenty - five seconds.

He wasn't the culprit!!. He was innocent.

But then......

His smile faded a bit, a worrisome expression etched on his delicate features as he tried pacing around his small office. This wasn't enough proof, he still needed to catch the real thief.

He turned, staring at the window while leaning against his desk. A spray of soft breeze cooled his tensed nerves,he parted his lips in a soft sigh. That could take a bit more time...........

The door opened, the sound quickly grabbing his attention. He glanced over his shoulders, his eyes gazing at a tall, curvy frame.

Amelia..?

He perked up, barely having any time to properly adjust his ruffled clothing. What the hell was she doing here?!

"It's my brother's first day working at the finance department, so i thought i would stop by and see how his day was going." -  Amelia walked in, the soft melody of her heels clicking against marbled tiles haunted Alan's ears.

She turned, staring at Alan's new office with scrutinizing eyes. "It seems like you're fitting in well." - She added, the ends of her lips curling in a pretentious smile as she folded her arms.

Alan glanced past her, his eyes lingering on the line of employees standing right outside the door, feeding off the gossip. He lowered his head, a faint look of exhaustion weighing in his eyes.

"Wait.... So he's actually biologically related to the Chair lady?"

" Don't be so presumptuous,if he were truly related to the Madame, he wouldn't have been given this small space as an office. He's definitely a nobody."

" Shhhh!!. If you both keep squabbling, we'll miss the best gist."

Listening to the gossips coming from his sunflower seed - eating colleagues made Alan's face flush in embarrassment. He straightened his pose, deciding to put a quick end to the shirade.

"I would've loved to offer you a seat,but my office happens to be too small to accommodate such a big Buddha like you. But i'm thankful for your dearest concerns, if there's nothing else......"- Alan stretched his hands towards the door, obviously trying to see Amelia out.

Amelia turned, her eyes no longer settling on Alan but the teeming employees that stood outside. She maintained her charming composure, "Everyone, it's my brother's first day working with you...."

She glanced over her shoulders, barely sparing her brother a look. "As you can see,he isn't really of best behavior. So i'm hoping that you would all would take proper care of him for me."

" Infact, i've reserved a spot for this evening at a prestigious diner as a sincere token of thanks. And i hope that you wouldn't refuse my simple token of appreciation."

Alan blinked - Wasn't she outrightly ignoring him on purpose?. And why the hell would she book him a congratulatory dinner?.

It felt like she was up to some dubious scheme.

The employees flocked around her, expressing total gratitude while making snide, distasteful comments at Alan.

Amelia stood elegantly in their midst, smiling brightly like an angel. She was the true epitome of beauty,charm and innocence.

Alan furrowed his brows, his eyes twitching. Only he knew that this saint was no angel at all.

That scheming manipulator.