The Contract Ex-Husband of Wealthy Widow

Chapter 16: Infiltration Protocol

"Welcome, Financial Analyst Raka. Don't disappoint us." Ms. Thorne's voice broke the silence of the Chronos Holdings lobby, as sharp as a cold dagger. Raka felt his heart sink. He stood at the threshold of the glass doors, his new suit feeling stiff and foreign, like a new identity that didn't quite fit his skin yet. The morning air inside the building felt sterile, filled with the scent of cold metal and expensive coffee.

"Thank you, Ms. Thorne," Raka replied, forcing a professional smile that felt fake on his face. His hands trembled slightly, not from the cold, but from the tension. Ms. Thorne was his new supervisor, a middle-aged woman with black hair pulled into a neat bun and a pair of piercing gray eyes. Those eyes reminded him of Darma—not in terms of violence, but in the intensity of her scrutiny. Every move you make will be watched, Elena had said. Every breath you take. This time, Raka felt those words becoming a reality.

"You look tense," Ms. Thorne stared at him bluntly, without even a hint of a smile. "Is your first day at Chronos making you nervous?" There was a note of reproach in her voice, as if emotion were a fatal weakness in this place.

"A little, ma'am," Raka admitted, trying to relax his shoulders. I have to look normal. Human. He thought of the faces of Bianca and Mrs. Anya, and that determination burned away his fear. This wasn't about him anymore; it was about them.

Ms. Thorne scrutinized Raka from head to toe, her gaze sweeping over every detail, as if searching for a hidden flaw. "Chronos Holdings is no place for the faint of heart, Raka. We handle trillions in assets. A small mistake can mean disaster." She turned around, her heels clicking on the marble floor. "Follow me."

Raka followed Ms. Thorne through long corridors filled with cubicles and glass offices. Every desk had dual monitors displaying complex charts and rows of numbers. The room hummed with the sound of typing keyboards and whispered phone calls. It all felt the same as his old world, yet now it was shrouded in an aura of darkness. He knew that behind all this luxury and bustle lay the Cerberus network, the heart of the Architects that manipulated fates.

Ms. Thorne stopped at a desk in the corner, near a window overlooking the city. "This is your desk. The computer is already configured. Your first task is to analyze the latest investment portfolio. I want a detailed report on my desk before lunch."

Raka nodded, setting down his laptop bag which contained the data tap Elena had given him. The small device felt like a heavy weight ready to explode at any moment. He sat down, turned on the computer, and pretended to check his email. However, his eyes kept glancing around, looking for a gap, searching for the right moment. Ms. Thorne returned to her glass office, her gaze occasionally shifting to Raka, like a hawk stalking its prey.

She’s too observant, Raka thought. This wouldn't be easy. Ms. Thorne wasn't just an ordinary supervisor. There was something about her that reminded Raka of Darma—a terrifying calmness, eyes that read more than she let on.

Raka opened the spreadsheet Ms. Thorne had provided. The numbers danced before him, inviting his brain to sink into familiar financial logic. However, his mind kept racing, thinking about Elena's plan. She said, install the tap at their network hub. In the main server, or at least at the most important access point. Raka knew that meant he had to get away from his desk.

A few hours passed. Raka immersed himself in the work, processing data with impressive speed. He found strange patterns, transactions that were too smooth, and fund transfers that made no sense. These were the fingerprints of Cerberus. He saved all his findings, hoping the data tap could capture more later.

Ms. Thorne appeared again, suddenly, like a ghost. "Your report, Raka?"

Raka looked up, feeling the adrenaline surging. "Almost finished, Ms. Thorne. I've found some interesting anomalies."

Ms. Thorne stepped closer, leaning in slightly. The scent of her perfume was sharp and bold, yet oppressive. "Anomalies? Where?"

Raka pointed to several rows of data on the screen. Ms. Thorne narrowed her eyes, staring at the numbers. There was a long, tense silence. Raka held his breath. He didn't know if he had made a mistake or satisfied her.

"Quite interesting," she said finally, her voice softer than before, yet still carrying a mysterious tone. "Sharp analysis. You have a good eye, Raka. Or perhaps, you're just too good at finding what is hidden."

Those words pierced Raka. Too good? What did she mean? Did she know something? A thin smile crossed Ms. Thorne's lips, a smile more threatening than Darma's smile at the gallery. That smile seemed to say, I see you.

This is it, Raka thought. Ms. Thorne was distracted, fixed on the screen. Raka knew Ghost was watching him, and Lena was surely providing support behind the scenes, but he had to take this risk alone.

"Ms. Thorne," Raka began, trying to steady his voice. "I need to go to the server room for a moment. There are some log files I want to check manually for these anomalies. I'm sure it will strengthen my report."

Ms. Thorne turned, her gaze sharp once again. "The server room? That's not your concern, Analyst Raka. Let the IT team handle it."

"I know, ma'am," Raka countered, his brain spinning fast to find an excuse. "However, I found some very specific timestamps that can only be confirmed with physical access to the server. This will make my report much stronger. I can finish this quickly, in no more than five minutes." He tried hard to make his voice sound convincing.

Ms. Thorne fell silent, her gaze sweeping over Raka's face, searching for doubt. Raka stared back, maintaining a calm, professional look, even though a storm of fear raged in his heart. He couldn't show weakness.

"Very well," Ms. Thorne finally said, a faint smile appearing on her lips. That smile promised no kindness; instead, it was like a trap that had just been set. "I'll have an IT officer escort you. Don't try to look for things that aren't your business, Raka. At Chronos, we value... loyalty."

Raka's heart pounded. Loyalty. That was a stern warning. Is she testing me? However, this was his only chance.

A young man from IT, thin and shy, escorted Raka to the server room. The air inside the room was cold, whirring with the sound of thousands of fans cooling rows of servers. Small lights flickered, creating a daunting, futuristic atmosphere. Raka felt the tap device in his inner jacket pocket. This was it.

"I only need a few minutes here," Raka told the IT officer, pointing to a server rack in the back. "There are some logs I want to cross-reference."

The officer nodded stiffly, more interested in his phone. Perfect. Raka moved quickly, his eyes scanning every port, every cable. He had to find the right path, the one that would capture the most vital information from Cerberus.

He spotted a port that was less monitored, hidden among messy cables, connected directly to the main data hub. This is it, he muttered to himself. He pulled out his small data tap, his fingers nimble, trained by Elena. Holding his breath, he slipped the device into the open port, ensuring the connection was perfect and invisible. A micro green light blinked, barely visible, indicating the device was active.

Success.

Relief flooded Raka, but it was only momentary. His task wasn't over—far from it. He glanced at the IT officer, who was still busy with his phone. Raka backed away slowly, returning to where the IT officer stood.

"Thank you very much," Raka said, his voice a bit louder than he intended. "This information is very helpful."

The IT officer startled, putting his phone away. "Oh, you're welcome, Mr. Raka. Anything else?"

"No, I think that's enough," Raka smiled, the first genuine smile he had given in this building. At least part of my mission was successful.

They walked back to the office area. Ms. Thorne was standing near Raka's desk, talking to someone on the phone. Her eyes flicked to Raka once more, but this time, something was different. A small smirk, almost invisible, crossed her lips. Does she know? Is she just letting me?

"Raka, before you leave for the day," Ms. Thorne called out to him, ending the call with a snap. "I have an additional task for you tomorrow. There's a sensitive report that only you can handle. Meet me in my office at eight in the morning."

Raka felt his stomach churn. A sensitive report? This was no coincidence. It could be a trap. Or it could be deeper access. Either way, danger was imminent.

He nodded, trying to look calm. "Understood, Ms. Thorne."

Stepping out of Chronos Holdings, the night air hit him, but it wasn't enough to cool the fire of paranoia now burning in his chest. His heart was still racing, drumming a rhythm of fear and anticipation. The data tap inside the building was now silently gathering information, like invisible eyes and ears. However, Ms. Thorne's gaze and her mysterious smile haunted him. Raka felt like he had just planted a time bomb in the heart of the Architects' lair, and he didn't know when it would go off. He was a spy in the lion's den, and the lioness had just given him a smile that was far too sweet.