Chapter 27 – Seeds of Doubt

Hana's presence in Evelyn's office the next morning was almost ghostlike. She moved quietly, organizing the files Evelyn needed for her upcoming internal presentation and flagging discrepancies in vendor invoices with precise, color-coded tabs. There was something calming about her presence, almost surgical in its discipline.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, watching Hana briefly as she straightened the framed award on the shelf. "You're settling in quickly," she noted.

"I prefer to adapt fast," Hana replied without looking up. "It limits visibility."

That was exactly what Evelyn needed.

Before she could respond, Noah knocked once and stepped inside. He tossed a manila folder onto Evelyn's desk.

"Preliminary intel from the analytics guy, Min-jun. Something odd in the cost allocations from Q3. Looks like someone reclassified internal marketing expenses as client acquisition costs. Padding performance metrics, maybe."

Evelyn opened the folder and scanned the spreadsheet. Her stomach clenched. This was more than creative accounting. This was deliberate manipulation.

"And he sent this to you?" she asked.

"Not directly. He left it in a shared folder. I just happened to check."

"Then he's scared," Evelyn murmured.

"Or he doesn't know who to trust."

Evelyn stood, pacing to the window. From her vantage point, she could see the city humming with activity, the glass buildings catching morning light like blades. "We need more. I want to be sure before I bring this to Alexander."

Noah nodded. "Give me two days. Finance is my thing you know?"

In the executive lounge, Genevieve and Linda sat in their usual corner booth, tucked away from curious eyes but close enough to observe the comings and goings of senior staff. Genevieve sipped her espresso slowly, her gaze lingering on Evelyn as she walked past with Hana.

"That girl is digging in," Genevieve said. "And she has backup now."

Linda glanced up. "The new assistant?"

"Sharp. I underestimated her."

"Want me to start planting questions? The kind that get her called into late meetings?"

Genevieve's smile was slow, deliberate. "Yes. Let's begin with Procurement. See if we can seed doubt around last month's campaign costs. Nothing overt. Just a nudge in the right ear."

By the end of the week, Evelyn noticed the shift. Invitations to joint department reviews stopped arriving. Budgetary reports came late or with missing data. Even the Facilities team delayed signage updates for her new initiatives.

"They're isolating us," Hana remarked one evening as they worked late in the empty office. She tapped a stylus against her notepad. "Classic choke tactic. Starve visibility. Undermine authority."

"But they're overplaying their hand," Evelyn replied. "Once I have full proof of data tampering, I can go straight to the top."

"Then you'll need more than spreadsheets. You'll need voices. Names."

Evelyn glanced down at her phone, the screen still dark. No messages from Alexander since their rooftop talk.

She knew why. For now, she needed to look like she stood alone.

Two floors below, Noah intercepted Min-jun outside the elevators.

"Still working late?" Noah asked casually.

Min-jun hesitated. "I... yes Sir. I thought someone should keep up with the audit trail."

"You were right to start it. But don't stop now. We're almost there."

Min-jun's eyes darted around the hallway. "You think they're watching?"

"I know they are. Which is why you'll send everything to Hana from now on. Let her sort through what's usable."

Min-jun nodded, relief flickering across his face. "Okay. Just promise me she won't let it get traced back."

"She won't. She's not just Evelyn's assistant. She's her shield."

Back in her office, Evelyn sat in the growing dusk, the only light coming from her monitor and the soft glow of the Seoul skyline behind her. She opened the encrypted folder Hana had just organized.

Evidence. Adjusted metrics. Budget overrides. Even a note from Linda's inbox hinting at "instructions from G."

It was starting to come together.

Not just sabotage.

A coup.

She pressed the intercom. "Hana, ask Noah to meet me in the war room. It's time we prepare our first counterstrike."

The wall around her wasn't just for defense anymore.

Now, it was a fortress.