Roman looked up sharply. “No. She would never do such a thing.”“Alright, that's much better.”“Yeah.” Roman folded the paper again and set it on his desk. “But whoever did this… maybe they want me to wonder. It could be a plot to make me doubt Annabel.”Martin nodded. “It will soon be making its rounds. You should tell her before she sees it somewhere else.”Roman rubbed his forehead. “I’ll talk to her,” he said. “Tonight.”That evening, Roman walked into the apartment with a quiet sigh. Annabel was in the kitchen, humming softly as she was chopping vegetables.She looked up when he came in. “Hey, you’re home early.”He gave a small smile and leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Hey.”“Is everything alright? Was it good at work today?” she asked. She had paused her chopping.Roman looked at her, then back at the floor. “Yeah. Just a weird day.”She watched him for a moment longer, then turned back to the cutting board. “Dinner’s in like twenty minutes.”“Sounds good.”Roman walked into t

Lara Morell was not a very attractive woman. Maybe that was why she was timid, and kept to herself at work and even in the society at large. When Janice met her at the cafe the previous day, she did not look up at her, because, well, Janice intimidated her only by being present there. For Janice, this was good; all she needed to do was tell the reddening faced lady what she wanted. Today, Lara Morell sat in her usual chair near the back corner of the records room, surrounded by the familiar computers. It was nearly the end of the day, and the office had begun to get empty. Most people were more focused on checking out than on checking files. It was the best time to move unnoticed.Her desk looked exactly the same as it did every day — slightly scattered, unremarkable, and forgettable. She had worked hard to keep it that way. Blending in was a skill she had learned years ago, and today, more than ever, she needed it to serve her well.The flash drive Janice had given her was already t

Roman walked into the office very early on Tuesday morning. The sun had not fully risen yet, and most of the company was still half asleep, but Kade was already waiting in his office with Martin. A stack of folders were open on the desk between them."You're early," Roman said as he entered.Kade didn’t smile. "So are you."Roman nodded once, then pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat. “Show me.”Martin slid the file across the table. “We made a copy and kept the original untouched in the server. No one else has flagged it yet, but I don’t know how long that will last.”Roman opened the folder and looked down at the document. He said nothing for a long time.It looked official. The formatting was correct, the logo perfectly placed in the header. The wording matched older internal legal language, and at the bottom of the page, there was a digital signature that looked painfully close to his.He traced the edge of the paper with his thumb as if feeling for a lie beneath

The door closed with a click that echoed far into Roman's head. So he stood in the stillness, staring at the space Annabel had just walked out of. He didn’t move for a long time.He could still hear her voice in his head. He could still see the way her eyes had held him with desperate hope. The hope that maybe he would fight for them instead of against her. But he didn't. Instead, he let the pressure speak for him. Roman sank onto one of the couches and put his face in his palms. His table was still a mess of documents and notes and highlighted printouts. He had the evidence of everything but the one thing he needed most — clarity.He didn’t trust the file. He also didn’t trust the timing. But that didn’t excuse what he had said. That accusation he made towards her had not come from logic. It had come from fear. Fear that he would be betrayed yet again. And somehow, Annabel had gotten caught in the fallout.He didn’t believe she had done it. He realized it now that he was sitting in

As for Janice, she was proud of her efforts, but she didn't think she had wreaked enough havoc on Roman. She wanted to push his hand enough to finally give Annabel the shares. Then taking the shares from Annabel wouldn't be much of a problem to her and her accomplices. She believed that if the story went far enough, Roman’s best option to avoid a scandal would be to actually transfer the same amount of shares on the fake document to Annabel. Then make it seem like it was legitimate from the start and avoid nasty rumours that might tarnish Annabel’s reputation. She decided to meet with Lara again, because she knew that money could get Lara to do the thing she wanted, which was her next plan. And so, they met in a cafe again, as usual. That day, Lara sat across Janice in the dim corner of the cafe that Janice had chosen. Janice liked cafes because it was a place where no one would ask questions, and a perfect hideaway for very dangerous deals. Janice had chosen this spot deliberately.