After the meeting ended, everyone slowly returned to their respective desks.
I was about to follow them when Alexander stopped me.
“Ms.
Calloway.” I turned around.
He was standing beside his desk with a thick stack of documents in his hand.
“These are the reports regarding the leaked information from the past few months.” He extended the files toward me.
I took them carefully, feeling the weight of the documents in my hands.
“Read through them thoroughly,” he instructed.
“Find something connecting them.” I looked down at the files.
There were several reports, each marked with dates and different departments involved.
A small part of me felt overwhelmed.
This wasn’t like analyzing financial results or preparing a regular report.
This was an actual investigation.
“What exactly should I look for?” I asked.
Alexander’s eyes met mine.
“Anything unusual.” His answer was simple.
“Patterns.
Repeated names.
Similar timings.
Access points.
Anything that seems out of place.” I nodded slowly.
“Understood.” He turned back toward his computer, signaling that the conversation was over.
I walked back to my desk holding the files close.
Just yesterday, I had been worried about making mistakes in a report.
Now I was being asked to find a connection between confidential leaks inside one of the biggest corporations in the country.
I placed the documents on my desk and looked at them.
The reports were far more complicated than I had expected.
Page after page contained confidential information, access records, transaction details, and summaries of the leaked data.
Every time I thought I had found something unusual, another detail appeared that made me question my conclusion.
Three hours passed before I finally leaned back in my chair.
My eyes felt strained from constantly reading, comparing, and analyzing every small piece of information.
I needed a break.
I stood up and decided to head toward the washroom, which was located at the opposite end of the corridor.
The floor was unusually quiet, just like most of the time since ESSPU occupied it.
When I entered the washroom, I stopped.
A woman was walking out from one of the cubicles.
I stared at her for a moment.
Something felt wrong.
It wasn’t that she was doing anything suspicious.
But as far as I knew, I was the only female employee working on this floor.
During the office tour yesterday, I had noticed that every floor had separate washrooms for male and female employees.
The facilities were not restricted to only certain people, but it was still unusual to see someone here when I hadn’t seen any other women on this floor.
Especially because ESSPU was supposed to have only four members before me.
I looked at the woman again.
She didn’t seem surprised to see me.
And somehow, that made me even more curious.
She seemed to notice my curious gaze and immediately gave me a small smile.
“Hi.” I quickly composed myself.
“Hello.” There was a brief silence between us before she spoke again.
“You must be the new intern here, right?” I nodded.
“Yes, I just joined yesterday.” Her face immediately brightened.
“That’s cool.
I joined yesterday too.
I’m an intern in the Finance Department.” She sounded genuinely excited.
“You were sitting just ahead of me during the induction programme.” I blinked in surprise.
“Oh… that’s nice.” That was the only response my tired brain could come up with.
Smooth, Meave.
Very smooth.
She didn’t seem bothered by my awkwardness though.
Instead, she smiled and extended her hand toward me.
“I’m Sarah.
Nice to meet you.” I hesitated for a second before shaking her hand.
“You must be Meave.” My eyebrows lifted.
“You know my name?” Sarah laughed softly.
“Of course.
Your name was the last one announced during the induction.” Her expression turned slightly amused.
“Trust me, everyone remembers that.” I immediately understood what she meant.
The mysterious department.
The whispers.
The attention.
Apparently, being assigned to ESSPU came with its own reputation.
“Oh,” I murmured.
Sarah tilted her head slightly, studying me.
“I have to admit, I was curious to meet you.” I looked at her.
“Curious?” She nodded.
“ESSPU has always been a mystery to everyone.
And then suddenly, after years, they accept an intern.” She smiled.
“So naturally, people wanted to know who that person was.”I wasn’t sure whether that made me feel special or nervous.
Probably both.
“I was actually ordered to deliver these documents directly to the ESSPU office,” Sarah said, gesturing toward the stack of files placed beside the sink.
My eyes moved toward the documents.
They were neatly arranged, several folders stacked on top of each other.
“I’ll take those,” I offered.
For a moment, Sarah hesitated.
Her hand remained near the files, and her expression changed slightly.
It looked like she wanted to say something.
Maybe ask something.
Maybe explain something.
But whatever thought crossed her mind, she seemed to abandon it.
“Thanks, then I’ll leave it to you.” she gave me a small smile before walking out through the washroom door.
I watched her leave for a second.
Something about her hesitation felt strange.
Maybe I was just overthinking.
After all, she was just another intern who had been assigned to deliver documents.
Nothing unusual.
I finished what I came to do and picked up the files.
The stack was heavier than I expected.
I looked down at the folders in my hands.
Documents meant for ESSPU.
I wasn’t sure why, but a small part of me wondered what exactly was inside them.
Still, curiosity wasn’t enough reason to open someone else’s files.
So I carried them back toward the office.
As I opened the office door, I didn’t expect anyone to be standing right on the other side.
The moment I stepped in, I bumped into someone.
The impact made me lose my balance, and the stack of files in my hands slipped slightly.
Before they could fall, a steady hand quickly reached out and caught them.
At the same time, another hand gently held my arm to keep me from stumbling.
“Careful.” My breath stopped.
I slowly looked up.
Adrian.
For a second, I completely forgot how to react.
We were standing far too close.
Close enough that I could see the small details I usually only noticed from a distance—the warmth in his hazel-brown eyes, the slight concern on his face, the way his brows had furrowed when he thought I might fall.
And then I noticed his scent.
A subtle, clean fragrance that was strangely calming.
Just like him.
My heart, however, seemed to have a completely different reaction.
It was beating so loudly that I was convinced he could hear it.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly said, realizing I was probably standing there frozen for too long.
Adrian gave me a small smile.
“Are you okay?” I nodded immediately.
“Yes, I’m fine.” He made sure I was properly balanced before taking the stack of files from my hands.
“These look heavy.
Let me take them.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he had already taken them.
Typical Adrian.
Always making things easier for everyone else.
“Where did these come from?” he asked, glancing at the folders.
“I met another intern from the Finance Department.
She said she was asked to deliver them here.” I said to him.
“Those are for me.” A voice from behind us made me turn around.
Damian was sitting at his desk, looking in our direction.
“I called for someone to bring me those documents,” he explained, his eyes moving briefly between me and Adrian.
“Oh.” Adrian immediately handed the files back to him.
Damian accepted them and placed them on his desk, quickly checking the folders.
Adrian then turned around, ready to return to his own workstation.
But before he could take more than a few steps, Damian spoke.
“Weren’t you going outside?” Adrian stopped.
For a second, he looked confused, almost as if he had forgotten something.
Then realization crossed his face.
“Oh… yes.” There was something slightly unusual about his reaction.
Adrian, who always seemed composed and calm, actually looked a little flustered.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said before leaving the office.
I watched him disappear through the glass door for a moment before shaking my head and returning to my desk.
There were still reports waiting for me.
And judging by the number of files in front of me, my break had officially ended.
When lunch break arrived, I checked my phone and saw a message from Paige.
Paige: I’m sorry, Meave.
I’m stuck with some work today.
I won’t be able to have lunch with you.
I smiled slightly.
I knew she had been trying her best to check on me since I joined Westbridge, but she also had her own responsibilities.
So, instead of meeting Paige, I ended up sitting at the same table as my bosses again.
And just like yesterday… Everyone noticed.
The moment I walked into the cafeteria with them, I could feel the familiar stares following us.
Whispers.
Curious glances.
People trying to figure out why the new intern was sitting with the four most talked-about people in the company.
At this point, I had started getting used to it.
Or at least, I was trying to.
I ignored the attention and focused on my food.
Unlike yesterday, the table was unusually quiet.
There was no Julian.
No teasing comments.
No playful questions.
No one stealing food from someone else’s plate.
The silence felt strange.
I glanced around the cafeteria, then back at the table.
I hadn’t seen Julian in the office either after the morning meeting.
But he was my boss.
It wasn’t exactly my place to ask where he was.
So I stayed quiet.
Alexander was focused on his meal, though I wouldn’t have been surprised if his mind was still working through business strategies.
Damian was equally silent, occasionally checking something on his phone.
Adrian was the only person who usually made conversations feel natural, but even he seemed distracted today.
By the time the workday was coming to an end, I was still staring at the same pile of reports.
Pages filled with dates, departments, access records, and details of the leaked information were spread across my desk.
But no matter how many times I read them… Nothing.
No connection.
No pattern.
No unusual name that appeared repeatedly.
No mistake that could lead me closer to the person responsible.
I leaned back in my chair and let out a tired sigh.
Maybe I wasn’t capable enough for this.
The others had trusted me with this responsibility, but what if I wasn’t the right person for it?
I looked at the reports again.
The thought of disappointing them made me feel worse.
Especially Alexander.
For someone who rarely praised anyone, his simple “good work” that morning had meant more than I wanted to admit.
I didn’t want to prove him wrong.
I packed my things slowly, placing the documents carefully back in order.
Even though I hadn’t found anything today, giving up wasn’t an option.
I picked up my bag and glanced one last time at the files.
Maybe I was looking at them the wrong way.
Maybe the answer wasn’t obvious.
“I’ll figure it out,” I whispered to myself.
I didn’t know how yet.
But I would continue searching after I got home.
Because this wasn’t just an assignment anymore.
It was a chance to prove that I deserved to be here.