Someone is watching

Across the building, Sophia was having a completely different kind of problem.

Her printer had stopped working.

She stared at it.

“Please.”

Nothing.

She pressed the button again.

Nothing.

“Come on.”

Still nothing.

Claire walked past.

“Talking to it won’t help.”

“It worked on my university printer.”

“This is a corporate printer.”

“So it’s smarter?”

“No.”

Sophia sighed.

“I miss my old printer.”

“You’ve known this one for two days.”

“It has betrayed me.”

Claire laughed.

Sophia finally gave up and walked toward the records department.

She needed the archived reports for her investigation.

As she searched through the database, one document caught her attention.

European Operations — Confidential Internal Review

Sophia clicked it.

Access denied.

She frowned.

She tried again.

Access denied.

“Interesting.”

A voice came from behind her.

“That’s restricted.”

Sophia turned.

A man stood there.

She recognized him from one of the executive meetings.

“I know.”

“Then why are you trying to open it?”

Sophia smiled awkwardly.

“Curiosity?”

He didn’t smile back.

“Curiosity can get people into trouble here.”

Sophia looked at the screen.

“Who are you?”

“Someone giving you advice.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He stared at her for a moment.

Then walked away.

Sophia watched him disappear around the corner.

Something about the conversation bothered her.

She returned to her desk.

A few minutes later, an email arrived.

No sender name.

No subject.

Just one attachment.

Sophia hesitated.

Then opened it.

A single document appeared.

European Operations — Internal Review

Her eyes widened.

Someone had sent her the restricted file.

She began reading.

The first page contained financial irregularities.

The second contained employee complaints.

The third contained something completely different.

A list of names.

Sophia froze.

One of the names had been highlighted.

She didn’t recognize it.

But underneath the name was a handwritten note.

Ask Adrian Vale why this person disappeared from the company records.

Sophia stared at the screen.

She looked toward Adrian’s office.

Empty.

She didn’t know why someone had sent this to her.

She didn’t know who had sent it.

And she certainly didn’t know what it had to do with Adrian’s private life.

But someone clearly wanted her to find something.

And Sophia was beginning to suspect that her first assignment wasn’t really about employee turnover at all.

⸻

That evening, Adrian stood outside the restaurant from the photograph.

He looked through the windows.

Six months ago, Elena had sat somewhere inside.

With someone.

Before Marcus.

Before the hotel.

Before their marriage collapsed.

He entered.

The manager approached him immediately.

“Mr. Vale.”

“I need your security footage from six months ago.”

The manager hesitated.

“That’s a long time ago.”

“I know.”

“We may not have it.”

“You will.”

The manager looked uncomfortable.

“Sir—”

Adrian placed the photograph on the counter.

“Who took this?”

The manager looked down.

His face changed.

Adrian noticed.

“You recognize it.”

“No.”

“You do.”

The manager swallowed.

Then looked toward the dining room.

“Mr. Vale…”

“Who took the photograph?”

The manager lowered his voice.

“You’re asking the wrong question.”

Adrian’s eyes narrowed.

“Then what should I ask?”

The manager looked genuinely frightened.

“Who ordered it.”

Silence.

Adrian stared at him.

“Someone ordered the photograph?”

The manager nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

“Who?”

The manager opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

Because someone had entered the restaurant behind Adrian.

Adrian turned.

His expression changed.

He knew that voice.

“Adrian.”

He slowly looked over his shoulder.

The man smiled.

And Adrian recognized the watch.

The same watch from the photograph.

The same man Elena had been standing beside six months ago.

The man Adrian had been trying to identify.

Except Adrian still couldn’t understand one thing.

Why had this man come looking for him?

And why was he smiling?