In his office, Anthony paced back and forth while a paused video still played on the screen in front of him. His gaze lingered on the image, a hazy figure captured on security footage from Prime Enterprises' parking. After days of work by his investigative team, he was finally able to make out a unique tattoo on the subject's left wrist. The design was straightforward but striking, featuring a snake encircling a dagger. Anthony was aware that he had previously seen that tattoo, but where?A faint knock distracted him from his thoughts. "Come in," he called out, his gaze still focused on the screen. A junior investigator, Mike, entered the room, holding a tablet."Sir, I believe we have made progress in identifying the person in the video," Mike said in a steady voice. “I ran a search on tattoos with that design, the snake and the dagger. It’s pretty unique, and it led us straight to Jacob Ben.”Anthony's expression changed from one of curiosity to triumph as his head snapped up. He
Sitting at her desk, Abigail pretended to be focused on her work, but her thoughts were elsewhere in the room. Jude had been acting strangely for weeks now, and she was becoming more and more convinced every day that he had ulterior motives. Everything suggested that he was not just a disgruntled worker spreading untrue rumors about Sebastian, including the whispers, sidelong glances, and suspicious absences. She had overheard enough of Jude's chats to know that he was planting doubt in the minds of the junior staff, whispering with a thoughtless smile that concealed something far darker about the president's imminent resignation. Still, she required evidence, something tangible that would link him to the forces opposing Sebastian, in spite of everything she had observed. She remained at a distance, waiting for him to make a mistake, and biding her time.Her gaze strayed to Jude as he emerged from the staff lounge, a sly smile hanging over his features. She observed him walking dow
Abigail's gaze never left Jude while he faltered to stabilize himself. What had been his usual arrogant manner had given way to a twitchy nervousness. She could almost see the gears in his head turning as they frantically tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.Jude finally said, his voice strangely calm, "Jacob Ben is just a friend." "We have a very long history together. Nothing more or less than that."Abigail's eyebrow went up. "Do you mean a friend?" She moved a step closer, her voice hinting at suspicion. "So why were you talking about documents? And why did you seem to be so concerned about them?"Jude answered after a brief moment of hesitation, "Oh, that. Nothing major, just some private matters to attend to. I am getting some help from Jacob with some legal paperwork. There is no connection between the president or the Enterprise."Unconvinced, Abigail crossed her arms. "Legal paperwork?" she repeated in a doubtful tone. "You mentioned something about forged do
Jude's arm was more tightly held by Abigail as they moved in the direction of the president's office. Jude's face reddened, and he walked with hesitation and weight, as if every step could be his last. Through her firm grasp, Abigail felt the tremor in his body; she knew he was scared, but she also knew he had no other option. When they got to Sebastian's office door, she pushed it open without thinking.Sebastian was sitting behind his desk inside, papers all over him, and his eyes locked onto Abigail. His expression changed to one of firm authority when he noticed Jude being practically dragged into the room, but his eyes were still filled with curiosity and concern."Abigail," Sebastian commanded in a calm voice, "What is going on?"Abigail did not take long to act. "Mr. President," she started, "I found Jude in possession of this folder, which contains fake documents intended to cast doubt on you. He claims he had no idea what was inside and was simply following orders from Ms. B
Abigail's abrupt interruption caused Ms. Beauty's expression to tighten, but she soon relaxed, her lips curling into a subtle, almost condescending smile. "Abigail, while I am not sure what you saw, I was definitely not in my office when you said Jude was there." she said with a kind reply. While I was away, I had meetings with the heads of other departments about the impending audit. Jude might have just happened to wander into my office while I was away, or perhaps you thought someone else was me."Undoubtedly unconvinced, Abigail's eyes narrowed. "Ms. Beauty, you can say anything you want, but I know what I saw," she shot back, cutting to the point. "I saw him coming out of your office, holding that folder, his hands shaking like he had seen a ghost."Ms. Beauty gave a small shrug, her voice becoming a little more piercing but her expression remaining calm. "Errors happen to people, Abigail. It is interesting how quickly you want to put the blame on me," she remarked, glancing at
There was an almost tangible sense of tension in the air as soon as Ms. Beauty and Jude left the president's office. Ms. Beauty moved quickly, her heels tapping the marble floor as she covered her face with a mask of restrained rage. Without saying a word, she walked purposefully back to her own office. Jude followed cautiously at her heels, his expression a mix of bewilderment and shock. Upon entering her office, Ms. Beauty gave a loud thud and caused some heads to turn in the adjacent hallway. For a brief moment, she leaned against the door, her chest heaving with anger and her breath coming in short bursts. Her knuckles were white as she balled her hands into tight fists. "Careless, idiotic fool!" she said to herself, pacing back and forth in her office. Her thoughts were racing with everything that had happened in Sebastian's office just now. How could Jude be so careless, so completely inept? She came to a stop at her desk and sank into her chair, tapping her fingers frantica
Ms. Beauty's hands trembled as she fixed her gaze on her phone, her thoughts racing with anger and fear. Despite its spaciousness, the room had an oppressive feeling. She bit down hard, not sure what to do next, her fingers lingering over the keypad of her phone.She took a brief look at Jude's chat thread. The fool had messed things up so badly that she could not concentrate on him anymore. Compared to the larger storm that was building, he was a minor inconvenience. She felt the suspicions that the president harbored growing stronger by the minute, as he was not your typical man. Her pulse quickened as she dialed the unknown number she had called at the start of the plan against Sebastian. She had always been cautious, adhering to every instruction and ensuring that nothing could connect her directly. Now, though, things were getting out of hand, so she called him again in the hopes that he could give her some guidance.Her breath caught in her throat as the phone rang and her acqu
The sun was shining brightly through Prime Enterprise's tinted windows the next morning, but the atmosphere within was tense. With a laser-like focus, Sebastian sat at his desk going through documents. He was getting ready for a crucial meeting when he became aware that something was not right, Ms. Beauty had not turned in her report.She did not usually disappear without warning. She was not overly eager to please, but she was usually always on time. With a frown, Sebastian picked up the phone from his desk and hit the intercom button to call her.He said sharply, "Ms. Beauty, please come to my office." The line responded with a buzz, but said nothing. He tapped his pen impatiently on the desk for a moment, but there was still no response. Sebastian looked at his wristwatch, his brow deepening. By now, midmorning had arrived. He whispered to himself, "Where the hell is she?"Sebastian decided he needed answers, so he took off his jacket and went to the office wing. While traveling