She belongs from a seemingly innocuous communications firm threaded into too many intersections. Her logo is a subtle watermark in the metadata, almost invisible unless you go looking for it.
And, trust, I will tear this woman down like a detective does a murderer.
It doesn’t take me long to piece that Anton has been using her corporate infrastructure as a smuggling route. Digital contraband traveling beneath original content, disguised as file updates, leveraging her channels to distribute blackmail across Europe.
Inessa is disguised as liaison. In reality, she’s a carrier.
A sacrifice placed at the right angle to reflect suspicion away from the real players until it’s too late.
The realization slams into me like cold wind through a cracked window.
Does Damian know this?
I collect my findings and carry them downstairs to Damian’s office. My fingers tremble with the electric urgency of knowing I’ve uncovered something that matters.
He sits at his desk, sleeves rolled up, forearms tense, eyes trained on the documents spread out before him. He doesn’t look up when I enter.
I toss the handset on the desk.
“I think I found how Anton’s getting his leverage through corporate media. And it all points back to Inessa,” I declarerighteously, crossing my arms smugly.Fucking asshole, always underestimating me.
Only then does he meet my gaze.
To my surprise, there’s no doubt or surprise in his eyes, just a smudge of satisfaction at being proven right.
Like he has already walked this path and is waiting for me at the end of it.
“Harper,” he says quietly, “I know.”
My jaw goes slack, hand dropping by my sides.
He knew.Was he ahead of me this whole time?
My jaw tightens.
“Why the fuck did you let me think you invited her?”
He remains silent, flipping the files he had been going through before I stormed in closed.
If he was ahead… did he say all that because he knew I’d storm in, holding the proof he wanted to see?
“You used me,” I state, neutral. “You already had your doubts about her. You think she’s useful?”
Of course he’s been studying her. Gauging her presence like a chess piece positioned to draw the enemy forward.
And he didn’t bother to tell me.
“Sheisuseful,” he replies. “To Anton, therefore to us.”
Cunt.
I storm back to my cubicle, my heart pounding in my ears. My mind feels full of static as I drop my head into my hands.
He’s used me. He thinks he is protecting me, but the taste it leaves in my mouth is of betrayal. Sera’s warning resurfaces like a bruise pressed from the inside. Am I supposed to feel proud that he trusts my skill enough to let me find the truth myself?
I just feel like a pawn moved without my consent.
The servers hum with a low, steady vibration. My own heartbeat stutters when an encrypted alert flashes across my secondary screen.
