Chapter 6 Echoes of Deception

It was getting late in the evening, and the sun was already setting and adding darkened colors to the city at that time. Alex sat at his desk with the light on, his office barely illuminated by the desk lamp. The stress from the day had not left, and if anything, it had become even more stressful. The shocking information about security violations, threatening letters, and now monetary fraud made for a storm of crises that he cannot avoid anymore.

This time, Alex was still thinking about Olivia's statement and her general cold disposition throughout the day. Deep in his gut, something else was bothering him; he did not know what it was, but it was a constant nagging sensation. The strain that has always existed between them was getting in the way, and that was one thing he could not allow. He wanted to do something about it, but the timing seemed so crazy. No sooner has he attempted to concentrate on something that has been discussed, his mind will shift towards her.

Suddenly, the telephone in the office rang and disrupted the rather quiet atmosphere in the office. He stretched his hand to grab the letter and wished that it was good news or probably a lead that would bring out the truth about the whole mess they have gotten themselves into.

"Alex Wright," he answered, managing a bright tone in his voice, although he felt so tired.

"Hello, this is Ethan," announced the voice on the phone, and I smiled because he was one of my best friends, if not the closest one I had in that place. This change in the upbeat of the voice was enough to set Alex on red alert, especially when Ethan sounded almost desperate.

This is one of the several leads that have been going through that might be related to the leak Olivia was talking about.

"Hey, Alex," Peter replied, holding an evidence bag with a piece of clothing in it. "I found this in the locker that belongs to Elijah."

"There is a string of operations that I would like to draw your attention to," Ethan said gravely. There is nothing big to ignore, but when put together, it may result in something larger, such as a money laundering operation that ends up going through a corporation that is linked to illicit activities.

Alex's hand on the phone clenched as he listened. "Going back, how many years do these transactions occur?"

"Not long. Just a few months. But it's enough to say that the person who occupies the post of the offender was preparing for a long time," Ethan replied.

I have discussed this issue with our financial

department, however, this might be complicated.

Alex shivered and felt cold at the back of his head. It was just too appropriate; they couldn't have planned it any better. In particular, a viewer can ask, "Do you think this has something to do with the threats Olivia received?"

"It might," I said, trying to cover my own uncertainty. But we cannot come to a conclusion now. I suggest we try to detect the genesis of this money; we may get our answer from there.

"Alright then," Alex responded self-assuredly, nodding his head up and down.

Keep me and Ethan posted. Do it quietly, so that people won't find out that we are up to something.

"Oh yes," joined in Ethan to comfort him. I got you. Your secret is safe with me.

As Alex ended the call on the phone, he had a strong sensation that the walls were closing in on him. As more and more details emerged, it only appeared to make the enigma that much denser. The company that he had taken from being a start-up to a substantial midsize business enterprise was now his enemy, or at least an unknown number of people within it.

However, there was a second thought, one that crept into his head as soon as Olivia spoke about the leak. What was even more threatening was the idea that one of the family members could be involved. The idea lingered in his mind as a persistent sore that could not be scratched off. They could not sit back, watch, and do nothing if there was any internal threat nibbling little by little, ready to blow at any moment, like a time bomb.

The subsequent day, Olivia proceeded to the office early in the morning, and she was in deep thought about what had transpired the previous day. They are, therefore, elements of credible and true TV dramas. She had spent the night going through accounts in an attempt to identify loose ends that could help explain the leak she found. This example shows that she increasingly realizes the difficulties of finding the truth as she digs deeper.

She was edgy; every sense was alert because she felt there was something wrong, but she couldn't call anyone out; she had no proof. It was not the time to gamble.

Then, far from her entrance into her office, the ring of her mobile phone interrupted the silence. She opened it and, as usual, found another update from the security team's team, but what she got caused her spine to tingle.

Unknown: The inference is that Olivia, the PM, is ahead, but not by much. Globally, it can be said that where one buries oneself, the same is where one will find himself or herself.

She sat and looked at the screen of the computer with great anxiety. The threat was quite apparent, but the real horror was yet to sink in-that someone was always on the lookout for her. That gave her the feeling of paranoia; was she already mistaken for something? Was there an employee in the office providing information to this faceless tipster?

No longer be ruled by fear, Olivia went back to work. The rest of the morning was filled with a flurry of meetings as she attempted to maintain her appearance of stability, though her brain was fired up with impulses and ideas. People were always on guard; there was no normal conversation; everything seemed like a threat.

The next update was of Ethan's at lunch time, so he was part of an unresponsive group for some time. He had sent her an encrypted email with the subject line: Immediate - Monetary Probe. She fumbled as she opened it, her eyes widening in anticipation as she looked at what was written on the papers.

Ethan was able to track the transactions back to a shell corporation located in an offshore account; this is the usual practice of those who seek to cover their tracks. But what caught Olivia's attention was the name of the account holder: SAME-Sovereign Enterprises. It was a name she knew from her empirical work-a company that had connections and associations with several corporate buyouts and abusive acquisitions. What was far worse, though, was the knowledge that this or that corporation had connections with one of the members of the board.

In her head, she was already running through all the possible repercussions. If this individual was involved in this, then he or she must have had involvement in every aspect-the leaking of information, the threats, and the manipulation of the company's finances. But it also meant that the enemy was among them more than she had ever thought of.

Olivia realized that she could not waste any time getting Command and Control sorted out. She had to warn Alex of what she had stumbled on, but she also had to do so tactfully. If this board member was involved, then he was likely to be tipped by any sudden move, and that would ruin his entire spying.

He had a dream: to meet an unfriendly person in a week. A woman got ready for the upcoming confrontation. What had she had in exchange for what she had always desired-the straight and unadulterated truth? That was the last thought she had as she rose to her feet to go to Alex's office. She felt as if she were walking right into a trap, already sprung, just waiting for her to blunder in.

And as she walked down the corridor towards Alex's office, her thoughts were consumed with one question: Who could she turn to when the fox was disguising itself as one of them?