The building’s intercom crackled. «All employees must report immediately to the main auditorium for an urgent safety meeting. Repeating, all employees to the main auditorium.»
Anna took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and stepped out of the restroom. No matter what happened, she wouldn’t give Leandro the satisfaction of seeing her break.
The auditorium was packed. Employees from every department whispered to one another, curious about the sudden meeting. Anna entered from the back, keeping her head high, and stood near the back wall.
David sat in the front row alongside other executives. He looked around the auditorium, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. Anna saw confusion in his face, as if he didn’t know the reason for the meeting either.
Leandro stepped onto the stage, carrying a manila folder. His face was serious, almost grim. «Thank you all for coming on such short notice,» his voice echoed through the microphone. «Unfortunately, I need to address a very serious issue involving the security of our company.»
A nervous murmur spread through the room. «Yesterday, we discovered that confidential documents were photographed and removed from the executive offices.» Leandro paused for effect. «This is not only a breach of contract but also a case of corporate espionage.»
Anna felt a chill run through her. She knew exactly where this was going.
«After a detailed investigation with our security team, we’ve identified the person responsible.» Leandro looked directly at Anna. «Anna Santos, from the cleaning staff. Would you please come forward?»
All eyes turned to Anna. She felt hundreds of stares on her, some curious, others already judging. Her legs were shaking, but she walked to the front of the room, keeping her dignity despite the humiliation she knew was coming.
«Ms. Santos,» Leandro continued, his voice taking on a cold, authoritative tone. «Photos of confidential company documents were found on your phone. How do you explain that?»
Anna looked at David, sitting in the front row. He seemed shocked, caught between surprise and confusion. She could see the struggle in his eyes.
«I…» Anna began, but Leandro cut her off.
«In addition,» he said, «security cameras show you entering executive offices outside of your scheduled cleaning hours.» He opened the folder and pulled out printed photos. «These images were taken last week.»
The photos were passed along the front row. Anna saw David take one, and his face twisted into what looked like disappointment.
«Ms. Santos, theft of intellectual property is a federal crime,» Leandro said, stepping closer to her on the stage. «However, given your previously clean record, we’re offering termination for cause instead of involving law enforcement.»
«This isn’t fair,» Anna finally found her voice. «I was trying to protect…»
«Protect what?» Leandro interrupted harshly. «Your own interests? Were you planning to sell this information to our competitors?»
«No, I was protecting Mr. Miller from…»
«Enough!» Leandro slammed his fist on the podium. «I won’t allow a dishonest employee to defame this company or its executives.»
Anna looked at David in desperation, silently pleading for him to say something to defend her. But David remained silent, his face a mask of inner conflict.
«Security, please escort Ms. Santos out of the building.» Leandro signaled to two uniformed guards. «She is no longer permitted on our premises.»
«David?» Anna cried out as the guards approached. «You know I was trying to help. You saw the evidence.»
David stood up slowly, and for a moment, Anna thought he was finally going to speak, that he would stand up against the injustice happening right in front of him. But then he looked away, his jaw tight. «I’m sorry it’s come to this, Anna,» he said softly, almost in a whisper. «But the evidence is very clear.»
Anna’s heart shattered. The man she had risked everything for, the one she tried to save from a devastating betrayal, was choosing to believe his betrayer.
«David, please,» her voice broke. «You know who I really am. You know I would never…»
«That’s enough, Ms. Santos.» Leandro stepped down from the stage and walked toward her, a cruel smile on his face. «The act is over.»
The security guards grabbed Anna by the arms, but she pulled away with dignity. «I can walk on my own.» Her voice was steady again, even though tears were streaming down her face. As she was being escorted out of the auditorium, Anna stopped and turned to David one last time.
«When you find out the truth,» she said loud enough for everyone to hear, «remember you had the chance to do the right thing today, and you chose not to.»
David closed his eyes, as if her words were physical blows. Anna was escorted out of the building under the watchful eyes of hundreds of coworkers. Some looked sorry for her; others looked relieved that the problem had been taken care of. On the sidewalk, one of the guards handed her a box with her few personal belongings.
«I’m sorry, Ms. Santos,» said the older guard, clearly embarrassed. «Orders are orders.»
Anna nodded, took the box, and started walking toward the subway station. With each step, she felt the weight of humiliation and betrayal. But even more than that, she felt the heavy burden of knowing that David was walking straight into a trap, and now she had no way to warn him.
Back in the auditorium, David remained seated even after all the other employees had left. Leandro came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. «I know this is hard, David. She seemed like a good employee,» he said, his voice full of fake sympathy. «But sometimes people let us down.»
David looked at his friend, searching for any sign of dishonesty, but Leandro looked genuinely concerned. «The evidence was very clear,» David murmured, mostly to himself.
«Yes, it was,» Leandro agreed. «But now we can focus on what really matters: the merger with Sterling. Our company is about to become an empire, David. We can’t let disloyal employees ruin our dream.»
David nodded slowly, but a part of him, a small but persistent part, couldn’t forget the honest desperation in Anna’s voice when she called his name.
«Shall we reschedule the signing for tomorrow morning?» Leandro asked. «First thing, no more delays.»
«Yes,» David stood up, still trying to process everything. «First thing.»
As he left the auditorium, David couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. And somewhere in the city, Anna Santos walked the streets of Chicago, carrying a box of belongings and a broken heart, still determined to find a way to save the man who hadn’t been able to save her.
David couldn’t sleep at all that night. The image of Anna being escorted out of the building wouldn’t leave his mind. The desperation in her voice, the way she called out his name, begging him to stand up for her… and he had stayed silent. At three in the morning, he gave up trying to sleep.
He got dressed quickly and drove to the office. The building was empty, with only the night guards patrolling the halls. David used his access card to take the executive elevator. Something about Leandro’s accusations didn’t make sense. Anna had shown deep knowledge of corporate contracts and had spotted discrepancies that only someone with financial experience would notice.
Why would a woman with that kind of expertise try to sell company secrets? And why would she risk everything to warn him about a betrayal if she was involved in corporate espionage? David reached his office and turned on his computer.
He decided to investigate on his own. He started by reviewing the merger files with Sterling Corporation, opening every document, every spreadsheet, every attached contract. Everything seemed normal at first glance, but Anna had mentioned hidden clauses. If they were real, David knew they would be hard to find.
Three hours later, he found the first irregularity. In the main contract, on page 47, there was a reference to Addendum C that David had never seen before. According to the document, this addendum included technical specifications and post-merger asset distribution. But when he looked for Addendum C in the digital folder, it wasn’t there.
Intrigued, David accessed the company’s main server. He used his CEO credentials to browse the most protected files. Finally, in an encrypted folder he had never seen before, he found what he was looking for: «Addendum C: Post-Merger Asset Distribution.»
David opened the file and felt his blood run cold. According to the document, after the merger, 80% of Miller Technologies’ assets would be transferred to a subsidiary called Sterling International Holdings. David had never heard of this company. He kept reading and found out that Sterling International Holdings was registered in the Cayman Islands and had only two main shareholders: Leandro Vega and Sophia Delgado.
«This can’t be,» David murmured, reading the document three more times just to be sure. But it was all there in small print and complex legal terms. The plan was both clever and cruel. David would sign the contract thinking he was keeping majority control of the company when, in fact, he’d be handing over almost everything to a shell company secretly controlled by his best friend and his ex-girlfriend.
David printed the document and kept digging. Using his CEO credentials, he accessed the company’s banking records. What he found confirmed his worst fears. In the last two months, several so-called «merger preparation» transfers had been made, totaling $23 million. The money had supposedly gone to Sterling Corporation accounts, but David noticed something strange: the account numbers didn’t match the ones listed in the original contract.
Using his access to the corporate banking system, David traced where the money actually went. The $23 million had been transferred to a personal account under the name «L. Vega»—Leandro Vega. «Fifteen years of friendship,» David whispered, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut.
But there was more. David found emails between Leandro and Sterling executives that he had never been copied on. The messages revealed that the merger was really a hostile takeover in disguise. Sterling Corporation wasn’t even a real, active company; it was just a front for the scam Leandro and Sophia had set up.
In one email dated three weeks ago, Leandro wrote, «David is completely naive. 15 years of friendship blinded him to the possibility of betrayal. By the time he realizes what happened, we’ll already have full control of the assets and be out of the country. Sophia was right. He really is too predictable.»
David had to stop reading. His hands were shaking as he held the mouse. His best friend—the man who had been the best man at his wedding, who cried with him when his mother passed away, who stood beside him while they built the company—was planning to destroy him completely.
He kept investigating and uncovered even more of the plan. After David signed the contract, Leandro would announce an emergency restructuring, claiming made-up financial issues. David would be forced to step down as CEO for the «good of the company,» and Leandro would take full control. Then all the real assets would be transferred to Sterling International Holdings, leaving David with nothing but debts and legal responsibilities.
The plan was so well thought out that David felt both disgust and a twisted sense of respect. Leandro had spent months, maybe even years, planning every single detail. David also found recorded phone calls stored by the company’s security system. One of them, from two weeks ago, was between Leandro and Sophia.
«Leandro, are you sure David won’t suspect anything?»
«Sophia, I dated him for two years. I know every one of his weaknesses. David always trusts people too much. It’s his biggest strength and his biggest flaw.»
«What if he finds out before the signing?»
«He won’t, but if he does, we have the forged documents. We can claim he was trying to commit fraud himself. It’s my word against his.»
«You really hate him that much?»
«It’s not hate; it’s ambition. David was a good boyfriend, but he was always limited, too small for my dreams. With you, I can have everything I’ve ever wanted.»
David paused the recording, feeling sick. Sophia had ended things with him two years ago, saying they wanted different things in life. In truth, she’d just been looking for someone more ambitious and more willing to cross lines.
By six in the morning, David had gathered enough evidence to put Leandro and Sophia in prison, but he also realized something painful: Anna Santos had tried to save him, and he had walked away when she needed him most. He remembered her words from the day before: «When you find out the truth, remember you had a chance to do the right thing today, and you chose not to.»
She was right, completely right, and now David had to find a way to fix the terrible mistake he had made. But first, he had to make sure Leandro and Sophia didn’t find out that he knew the truth.
The signing meeting was set for 9 a.m., just three hours away. David copied all the files onto a flash drive and emailed them to himself from three different accounts. Then he cleared his browser history and shut down the computer.
