Chapter 4 Encroaching Shadows

The following morning, Alex got to the office a bit earlier than usual, his heart pounding with the exercise of thinking about the impending meeting with Olivia. He averted his mind over having the conversation with a clear mind, knowing that there was tension between him and the next person that had clouded.

His hands were in his pockets, so when he got off the elevator, he opened them and spent a few moments absorbing the normal hum of activity that always pervaded the lobby. He smiled and nodded at several people whom he knew before proceeding to his office to be alone before Olivia came in.

He looked at the inch on the wall indicating time with his right eye. The time was still perfect, and the office was not yet very crowded. Alex got back to his office's chair and attempted to concentrate on the day's plan of work, but his mind was occupied by Olivia's message he received the night before.

At 9 a. m. on the dot, the door opened, and Olivia stepped in, her face impassive but her eyes looking slightly worried. She was neatly dressed in a black t-shirt, which was her office wear. Alex got up to welcome her.

"Hello, Olivia," he replied, doing his best to sound polite but formal, wishing her a good morning at the same time.

"Good morning, Alex," I responded, keeping my tone as calm as possible. "Can we have a conversation for several minutes?"

"Of course, Alex said, getting her to follow him to the conference room. This was a large room with glass windows and doors on the three sides of the room and a large wooden table in the middle of the room. He asked her to sit down, which she did, and then he sat down opposite her.

Olivia closed her eyes for a moment and then breathed out. She looked down at her fingers. "Thank you for your time."

"No problem," thought Alex, and he attempted to sound nonchalant as if he were not in for the ride of his life.

"We are beating about the bush; come to the point, what is it that you want to discuss?"

Olivia adjusted the skirt of her black suit, and her hands nervously traced the rim of a file she had brought with her. "They started affecting me, and I have been stressing on..." And I quickly realized that we had to resolve it since it was causing problems at the workplace.

Alex just nodded as the gravity of what was going on seemed to settle in a little more. "Yes, I concur. That is what has happened. At times, it has been hard not to get personally involved."

Olivia raised her eyes to look at him full in the face. "Let me just clarify to avoid misunderstandings because I really value our working relationship and I do not wish for there to be any interpersonal clash.

Alex sighed deeply. "Thank you for that. It's important to me as well. Let's try to maintain normal working relations."

Olivia hesitated. "Speaking of the project we are currently implementing, I have some information, and I think it might be crucial to share it with you."

Alex's interest peaked. "What kind of information?"

Olivia rummaged for her handbag and removed a folder from it, confident that she had everything and that nothing else was needed. She placed it in front of him and, with an urge from her hands, pushed it towards Alex. "This is a security threat I received from a source I cannot reveal the identity of last night."

Alex gaped at the folder in front of him as he pulled it open. Within, there are working papers and a schedule of risks that may endanger the current project. "Where did this come from?" He said this somewhat anxiously.

'Well, I'm not sure of the source.' Olivia replied. "But I think it is, yes, credible. They need to act swiftly to solve such problems."

Several documents were shown, and Alex's mind started working as he looked through the papers. What was even more shocking was that an organizational breach was made; the implications pertaining to such a breach were severe. "An alert needs to be sent to convene a meeting to discuss the issue with the IT department and the security team, as this is a potential issue."

"Right," Olivia said, getting up from the chair. What I needed to do was consult other teams to schedule a meeting.

Just as Olivia rose, Alex caught her by the arm and said softly, 'No, do not forget.' 'Stop a second; there is a question I still need to ask you'.

Olivia looked back at him, and her eyes looked kind of curious. "What is it?"

Alex stopped for a moment, wondering how to put it into words. "Do you really wish to draw on this project any more with me in view of what has been happening between us?"

Finally Delong Olivia looked at him; her eyes held determination but, at the same time, nakedness. Thus, you see, I come to work to do my work. We cannot use our problems to affect how we address other people's problems, let alone proper handling by the authorities.

Alex gave a nod, not finding wanting in the reality of what she said and the responsibility she has taken. "Alright. We first handle this matter, and then we can discuss our relationship."

When Olivia went to make arrangements for the emergency meeting, Alex felt a rise in anxiety. The founders, however, were to face a major security concern, though after the conversation with Olivia, he had certain doubts to clear.

He put the papers aside and was preparing to get back to them when the screen of his mobile blazed, indicating a new message. It was from Ethan.

Ethan: Alright, darling. They like it. How'd it go with Olivia?

Alex typed back quickly.

Alex: She's isolated a problem-there has been a breach of security here. Wow, we are in need of an emergency meeting.

Ethan: Damn. Sounds intense. Just in case you get hungry again, thirsty again, or feel the need to make an order, then let me know.

Alex: Will do.

Alex now set down the phone, but moments later he was already thinking deeply about the upcoming events. The leak in the security system could be disastrous for the company, and the volume of work as well as the schedules meant that people could not afford to think about their issues. However, the discussion with Olivia had contributed to realizing that they had a working relationship that had some open conflicts.

An hour later, Alex was in the conference room with the IT and security teams. Olivia had a detailed session with them explaining what was going on, and they were on the move fixing the loopholes.

During the meeting, Alex observed the faces of other participants, and in particular, when Olivia looked at him, she had a defensive look accompanied by a thinking expression on her face. He realized that there was white noise, and their problems were just under the professionalism of their communication.

When they were finally done with the meeting, the team was to move forward with rectifying the situation, and Olivia had taken a few moments to collect herself.

"Alex, I can see you are with her now; may we speak later?" Olivia whispered.

"Okay," Alex agreed, though he had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach that something was off. "I will be upstairs in my office."

This left Alex with a rather strange feeling, as he felt there must be more to Olivia than just expressing her professional concern as she left. The need to address security was rather severe, though he had a feeling that soon he would find out something about himself as well.

He went back to his office with numerous ideas jostling within him. The security breach was a major problem, but it was hard to overrule the sexual tension between him and Olivia. Regardless of what Olivia now has to investigate next, it is as important as ever that viewers understand that Olivia and Peter's relationship is far from over.

While waiting for Olivia to come back and resume her work at the office, Alex cannot seem to get his head around the issues at the office and his blossoming affair. The danger was surely and steadily building, as was the tangled web of his associations with Olivia, which would no doubt complicate an already volatile situation.