Chapter 4 Four

"Someone's playing us," Noah said quietly, staring at the endless stream of code on his laptop.

Lila leaned against the desk beside him, her brow furrowed. "You're sure this isn't a coincidence?"

"I don't believe in coincidences," he replied, voice low and steady. "Not in my line of work."

The security logs from the recent cyberattack were a mess. Every trace led to a dead end, looping back into internal systems as if someone wanted it to look like the breach came from inside. The only real clue was a single corrupted file with a strange string of metadata, one that matched an old military encryption code Noah had used years ago.

A chill spread down his spine.

He hadn't used that code since his deployment. And only a handful of people even knew it existed.

Lila noticed the shift in his expression. "What is it?"

He hesitated. "Nothing. Probably just an old coincidence." But his tone betrayed him.

She crossed her arms. "Noah. If you know something, tell me. Adrian's not saying it out loud, but he's watching you like a hawk. And the board's whispering. You can't just ignore this."

Noah rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't explain it yet. But if I'm right... this isn't just a hack. It's a setup."

"Who would...."

Before she could finish, Adrian's voice came from behind them. "That's what I'd like to know."

Both of them turned. Adrian stood in the doorway, dressed in a charcoal suit, his expression unreadable. His gaze locked on Noah, sharp and cold.

"Mr. Blackstone," Lila greeted, straightening immediately.

"Lila, leave us."

The moment the door closed, silence filled the room. Adrian stepped closer, his every movement controlled, his calm masking the storm beneath.

"So," he said slowly, "you're suggesting someone inside my company is sabotaging us. Convenient, considering the pattern matches your personal security code."

Noah froze. "You checked my past encryption?"

"I check everything," Adrian said coolly. "Especially when it comes to people with secrets."

"That code was classified," Noah said. "How the hell did you even..."

"Don't turn this around on me." Adrian's voice hardened. "I gave you a chance, Noah. I trusted you with my company's security, and now...."

"Trusted me?" Noah cut in, anger rising. "You don't trust anyone. You hired me because you wanted something. Maybe you just wanted someone to blame when things went wrong."

Adrian's jaw tightened. For a moment, emotion flickered across his face, something raw, something familiar. "Careful," he said quietly. "You have no idea what I want."

Noah stepped closer, eyes burning. "Then tell me. Why did you really bring me here?"

Adrian's silence said everything.

Noah let out a breath that sounded more like a laugh, bitter and sharp. "Right. Revenge. You still think Ethan sold out your father's company, don't you?"

"I don't think, Noah," Adrian snapped. "I know."

"Then prove it."

The challenge hung between them.

Adrian's expression hardened, but his voice trembled faintly when he spoke. "I buried my father because of your brother. Because of the data he leaked. The evidence was clear."

"Evidence can be faked," Noah shot back. "And you, of all people, should know that."

Adrian's breath caught. His composure cracked, but only for a heartbeat before he stepped back and regained it. "Leave my office. Now."

Noah didn't move. "You can push me out, Adrian, but I'm not leaving until I find out who's really behind this."

Adrian's eyes flashed, anger, pain, and something else that looked a lot like longing. "You'll only hurt yourself digging into the past."

"Maybe," Noah said, his voice low. "But at least I won't be the one living in a lie."

He brushed past Adrian and left.

The next few days were tense. Noah barely saw Adrian except in meetings where their eyes met but neither spoke. The office air grew thicker with rumors and suspicion.

Every night, Noah stayed late, combing through data logs. The deeper he looked, the stranger it got, files tied to an old employee named Victor Halden, a man fired years ago for insider trading. But Victor had vanished afterward. No record, no trace.

Until now.

A recent login attempt used Victor's old credentials, but the access point came from inside the building.

Noah's instincts screamed danger.

He sent Lila a quick message: Meet me in the sublevel archive room. Now.

When she arrived, the lights flickered, and the hum of servers echoed.

"What did you find?" she asked.

"Someone's hiding something big," Noah said. "Victor Halden's account was used last night."

"That's impossible. Victor's dead. He died three years ago."

Noah turned to her sharply. "You're sure?"

Lila nodded. "Adrian told me himself. There was an investigation."

Something didn't fit. "Then why is someone using his credentials to move files linked to the old Blackstone data breach?"

Lila's face paled. "The one your brother was blamed for?"

"Exactly."

Before she could reply, the lights went out completely. The hum of servers died, replaced by the sharp click of a security door locking from above.

"What's happening?" she whispered.

"Power reroute," Noah said quickly. "Someone's isolating this floor."

Then, in the dim red emergency glow, a screen came to life on one of the terminals.

A message blinked across it:

STOP DIGGING, NOAH. SOME TRUTHS ARE MEANT TO STAY DEAD.

Lila stepped back. "Oh my God..."

Noah stared at the screen, pulse hammering. "They know we're looking."

A faint sound echoed down the hall, footsteps.

He turned toward the door, ready, as the handle began to move.

The door opened slowly, light flooding the hall.

And there stood Adrian.

His expression was unreadable, eyes shadowed by something deep and dangerous.

Noah straightened. "You locked us down?"

Adrian's gaze flicked to the glowing monitor. "I warned you not to dig."

Noah's hands clenched. "So you did know."

"I know more than you think," Adrian said, stepping closer. "And if you keep pushing, Noah, you won't just uncover the truth, you'll destroy yourself in the process."

Noah met his gaze, voice low but steady. "Maybe that's a risk I'm willing to take."

Adrian's expression darkened, his next words barely above a whisper.

"Then you really don't remember, do you?"

Noah frowned. "Remember what?"

Adrian's eyes met his, and the weight behind them made Noah's breath catch.

"The night everything fell apart," Adrian said quietly. "You weren't just a bystander, Noah. You were there."