By the time I entered the meeting room, everyone had already taken their seats.
The atmosphere was serious.
Different from the casual conversations and teasing moments outside, inside this room everyone was focused on the matter at hand.
I quietly took the remaining empty seat and placed the documents in front of me.
My fingers brushed against the edges of the files.
For a moment, doubt crept in again.
Was this really worth mentioning?
What if I was wrong?
Before I could overthink any further, Alexander’s voice broke through the silence.
“Ms.
Calloway, you may start now.” Everyone’s attention turned toward me.
I took a deep breath.
This was it.
I opened the file and began.
“I read through all the documents thoroughly.” I paused briefly.
“To be honest, I couldn’t find any direct connection or clear pattern between the leaked information.” I saw Julian lean back slightly in his chair, while Damian continued watching me carefully.
“But…” That single word made everyone focus more.
“I did notice something unusual.”The room became quieter.
I continued.
“In all the projects where information was leaked previously, the leaks came to light only after the projects had already been successfully finalized and had entered the initial stage of operation.” I looked at the documents in front of me.
“Before that point, there were no signs of information being leaked during the development or planning stages.” For a moment, nobody spoke.
I continued explaining.
“Which means the person responsible either doesn’t have access to the information until the project reaches completion…” I looked up.
“Or they are intentionally waiting until that point before sharing it.” The silence in the room felt heavier.
I wasn’t sure if what I said was useful.
It was only a small observation.
But judging by their expressions, they were considering it.
Alexander’s eyes remained fixed on me.
And somehow, that made me more nervous than any criticism would have.
“I don’t know if this information is significant enough,” I added honestly, “but this was the only thing I noticed that seemed different from the usual pattern.” I lowered my gaze back to the documents.
The room remained silent after I finished explaining.
For a moment, I thought maybe my observation wasn’t as important as I had hoped.
Then Alexander spoke.
“And why do you think it is unusual that the information is leaked after the projects are finalized?” His question wasn’t accusing.
It was analytical.
Like he genuinely wanted to understand my reasoning.
I straightened slightly.
“Because if our competitors wanted to take advantage of our information, they would have leaked it beforehand.” Everyone remained quiet as I continued.
“If they had access to confidential details during the planning or development stage, that would have given them a chance to create an advantage for themselves.” I looked down at the reports.
“But leaking it after the project is already finalized means they don’t seem interested in benefiting from the information itself.” I paused.
“They either want to damage our reputation by making it look like Westbridge cannot protect its own confidential data…” I looked up.
“Or—” Before I could complete my sentence, Adrian spoke.
“They are doing it deliberately to create problems within the company.” My eyes immediately shifted toward him.
That was exactly what I was going to say.
Adrian looked at the documents thoughtfully.
“If the purpose was only financial advantage, the timing doesn’t make sense.” He continued.
“But if the purpose is to create suspicion, fear, and distrust among employees and leadership, then the timing is perfect.” I stared at him.
I wasn’t surprised that he understood the logic.
What surprised me was that he reached the exact same conclusion.
It felt strange.
Almost like he had followed the same path of thinking I had Before I could continue, Julian’s voice interrupted.
“Okay, my turn.” I turned slightly toward him.
For once, his expression wasn’t playful.
There was no teasing smile.
No unnecessary dramatic reaction.
He looked completely serious.
And somehow, that felt more surprising than his usual behavior.
“From my investigation yesterday, I found out that the people responsible for the information leaks from our three major projects actually had a connection.” My eyes widened slightly.
So that was why he wasn’t in the office yesterday.
He wasn’t simply missing.
He was investigating.
Although… A small part of me couldn’t help remembering him talking to that girl on the staircase this morning.
Apparently, Julian was capable of doing actual work too.
I should probably stop underestimating him.
“What connection?” Damian asked immediately.
Julian leaned forward slightly.
“There were different people responsible for the leaks of those three projects.” He placed a file on the table.
“Each one of them was caught and fired afterward.
At first glance, they seemed unrelated.” He opened the folder.
“But while looking into their backgrounds, I found something interesting.” Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.
“They all knew the same person.” A pause.
“They were friends with him and used to meet him occasionally.” My curiosity immediately grew.
“Who?” Damian asked.
Julian looked at the screen and revealed the name.
“Eugene Madlock.” The name appeared on the monitor.
I watched everyone’s expressions carefully.
For the first time, I noticed something subtle.
Damian’s expression became more serious.
Adrian stopped moving completely.
And even Alexander, who rarely showed reactions, seemed slightly more focused.
Alexander looked at the information on the screen.
“Continue.” Julian continued.
“Eugene used to work in the Sales and Marketing Department.” He clicked on the next file.
“He resigned just a month ago.
After that, most of his personal information was removed from the company system.” The moment he said that, the atmosphere changed.
Everyone’s expressions became more serious.
A person connected to three different leaks.
A former employee.
And now, almost no trace of him left inside the company records.
That was not a coincidence.
But it was also not enough.
“Do we have anything else?” Damian asked.
Julian leaned back slightly.
“Unfortunately, not much.” A small wave of disappointment crossed everyone’s faces.
Even I felt it.
We finally had a name, but the trail seemed to end there.
“But…” Julian’s lips curved into a confident smirk.
“There is nothing I can’t find about someone.” I looked at him There it was.
The Julian confidence I had already started recognizing.
He pulled another file toward himself.
“This morning, I met his ex-girlfriend.” “I asked for her ID, and she happily gave it to me,” Julian continued.
I raised my eyebrows slightly.
Somehow, I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
“I texted Eugene using her ID, and from the conversation, it looks like he’s not completely over her.” He casually flipped through the notes in front of him.
“I’m meeting him this Saturday.” The room went silent for a moment.
And then… A long sigh came from across the table.
I looked toward Damia.
The expression on his face clearly said he had already expected something like this from Julian.
“Did she give you permission to use her ID?” Damian asked.
His tone was serious.
Julian looked at him like the question itself was ridiculous.
“Who would say no to this handsome face?” He gestured toward himself confidently.
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
Damian, however, was not amused.
“If something happens because of this, you will be responsible for it.” His eyes narrowed slightly.
Julian immediately rolled his eyes.
“Relax.
I know what I’m doing.” “That’s exactly what worries me.” The response came so quickly that I almost laughed.
Even Alexander, who usually ignored their arguments, briefly looked up from the file.
Damian was always serious and careful.
Julian was reckless and unpredictable.
Yet somehow… They balanced each other.
Julian pushed Damian out of his comfort zone.
Damian kept Julian from crossing the line.
I had only known them for a few days, but even I could see how naturally they worked together.
Julian looked back at the documents.
“Anyway, Eugene agreed to meet.
That means we might finally get some answers.” Alexander nodded slightly.
“Good.
But don’t act alone.” Julian immediately opened his mouth.
“I wasn’t—” “Julian.” One word.
Alexander didn’t even need to raise his voice.
Julian closed his mouth.
“Fine.” I looked down at my notes, hiding a small smile.
For someone who claimed he wasn’t afraid of anything… Julian was surprisingly easy to control around the right people.
After the meeting ended, everyone slowly began leaving the room.
I gathered my documents, preparing to return to my desk, when Alexander’s voice stopped me.
“Ms.
Calloway.” I looked up.
“Come with me.” I followed him without questioning.
He led me through another corridor of the department, away from the main office area.
Unlike the busy sections of Westbridge, this part of the floor was quieter.
We eventually stopped in front of a storage room.
Alexander unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was larger than I expected.
Shelves lined the walls, filled with neatly arranged files and documents.
Unlike the messy storage rooms I had imagined, everything was organized perfectly.
This was Alexander’s department.
Even their storage room looked like it followed rules.
He walked toward one of the shelves and pulled out several thick files.
“These are details about the leaked projects.” He placed them on the table.
“Analyze them and find something useful.” I looked at the pile of documents.
More reports.
More information.
More pieces of a puzzle I still didn’t understand.
But this time, I didn’t feel as overwhelmed as before.
Because now, I knew I had actually contributed something.
I picked up one of the files, but before opening it, a question that had been bothering me slipped out.
“Was my observation actually useful?” The moment I asked, I wondered if it sounded foolish.
But Alexander didn’t immediately answer.
He simply looked at me.
Then he said, “If it wasn’t useful, I wouldn’t have asked you to continue.” That was all.
Just a simple sentence.
But somehow… It affected me more than I expected.
Maybe because Alexander wasn’t someone who gave unnecessary compliments.
Maybe because every word from him felt carefully chosen.
I looked away, pretending to focus on the files.
“Right.” A strange warmth settled inside my chest.
I couldn’t explain it.
It wasn’t exactly happiness.
Or pride.
Maybe it was the feeling of being acknowledged.
Before I could say anything else, Alexander spoke again.
“Did you tell anyone about our investigation?” I immediately looked back at him.
For a second, I understood what he meant.
Paige.
Alden.
He thought I might have mentioned something.
“No.” My answer came quickly.
“I didn’t tell anyone.” His expression remained serious.
“We cannot risk the investigation being exposed.” His tone wasn’t accusing.
He wasn’t threatening me.
He was simply explaining.
Because this wasn’t about doubting me.
It was about protecting the investigation.
“I understand,” I replied.
Alexander nodded slightly.
“Good.” He looked toward the files.
“Keep this information confidential.
The fewer people who know, the better.” I nodded.
As I looked at the documents in front of me, something became clear.
This wasn’t just an internship assignment anymore.
They were trusting me with something important.
And for some reason… I didn’t want to disappoint that trust.