Chapter 41
The Invisible Hand
Elena sat in her office, staring at the city skyline, but her mind wasn’t on the view.
Philip’s revelation had changed everything. Someone on the inside—someone with high-level access—was moving money under her nose.
She turned to Jordan, who was seated across from her, his laptop open as he worked through the company’s security logs. “Tell me you found something.”
Jordan’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “I’ve narrowed it down to five possible users. All of them have the clearance to access the restricted server Philip mentioned.” He spun the laptop around so Elena could see the names.
Her stomach dropped.
Every single person on the list was someone she worked with closely.
Naomi, who had been pacing by the window, crossed her arms. “This means one of them is behind it.”
Elena’s throat tightened. “Or they’re covering for the real culprit.”
Jordan nodded. “That’s possible. But if I had to bet on it, I’d say the person responsible is using one of these accounts to access the system without raising suspicion.”
Elena clenched her jaw. A shadow hiding behind familiar faces.
She took a breath and focused. “Who has been accessing the restricted server the most?”
Jordan scrolled through the logs, his eyes narrowing. “There’s a pattern here. The most frequent access came from…” He paused, then looked up at her.
Elena’s heart pounded. “Who?”
Jordan hesitated, then turned the screen back to her. “It’s coming from Richard Kane’s credentials.”
The name hit her like a slap.
Richard Kane—her chief financial officer. The man she had personally hired. The man she trusted to oversee every financial detail of the company.
Naomi let out a low whistle. “Well, damn.”
Elena sat back, her mind racing. Could it really be Richard?
Naomi frowned. “You don’t look convinced.”
Elena exhaled. “Because it doesn’t make sense. Richard has been with me since the beginning. If he wanted to destroy me, he’s had plenty of chances.”
Jordan adjusted his glasses. “Unless he didn’t start off planning to betray you.”
Naomi arched a brow. “What if he’s being blackmailed?”
Elena considered that. Richard had always been loyal—but loyalty could be bought, or worse, forced.
Jordan cleared his throat. “We could confront him.”
Elena shook her head. “Not yet.”
Naomi leaned against the desk. “Then what’s the move?”
Elena’s expression hardened. “We watch him.”
Jordan nodded. “I can monitor his activity in real time. If he tries to access the server again, we’ll know.”
Elena’s lips curled into a smirk. If Richard was guilty, he’d slip up. And when he did, she’d be ready.
No more shadows. No more ghosts.
It was time to bring the traitor into the light.
