After listening to Eugene’s side of the story, I couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for him.
The fear in his eyes.
The desperation in his voice.
The way he spoke about losing everything…
It was difficult not to feel something.
But at the same time…
I couldn’t forget what happened.
He had still been involved in leaking Westbridge’s confidential information.
No matter what had happened to him afterward, his choices had consequences.
He had done something wrong, and now he was facing the result of it.
Before I could think further, Julian’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
“Huh.” He crossed his arms, looking at Eugene with doubt.
“I don’t believe this guy.” Eugene immediately looked toward him.
“What?” Julian leaned forward slightly.
“He ran like a deer caught in headlights the moment he saw me.” His eyes narrowed.
“If you were really trying to find answers, why would you run?” Eugene’s expression changed instantly.
“Because I was scared.” His voice became defensive.
“I didn’t want to get involved with ESSPU.” The room went quiet.
Eugene looked around at everyone.
His hands tightened.
“I knew if I got involved with you people, things would only become worse.” Julian opened his mouth to reply, but Damian spoke first.
“Whether you like it or not…” His voice remained calm.
“You are already involved with ESSPU.” Eugene looked at him.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything.
Then he let out a tired breath.
“I already told you everything I know.” His voice sounded defeated.
“Where are those letters you received?” Alexander’s question immediately shifted everyone’s attention back to Eugene.
Eugene’s face changed.
His confidence disappeared, replaced by nervousness.
“They…
they stole those from my house too.” He swallowed hard.
“I…
I don’t have them.” His hesitation was noticeable.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Alexander simply looked at him.
It wasn’t an angry look.
It was worse.
It was the look of someone who was already analyzing every possibility.
Then he gave a single nod.
And immediately, Damian moved.
My eyes widened slightly as Damian grabbed Eugene and held him firmly in place.
“What are you doing?” Eugene’s voice rose in panic.
“Wait, stop!” But Damian didn’t loosen his grip.
“Relax.” His voice remained calm.
“If you don’t have anything, you have nothing to worry about.” Eugene clearly didn’t look reassured.
Adrian stepped forward and started checking through Eugene’s belongings.
I watched silently.
Part of me felt uncomfortable watching someone being searched like this.
But another part of me understood why they were doing it.
They couldn’t afford to trust anyone blindly.
Adrian first took out Eugene’s phone.
Then his wallet.
Eugene immediately started protesting.
“Give that back!
You have no right to—” His words stopped when Adrian continued searching.
His hand moved toward Eugene’s back pocket.
And suddenly…
Eugene’s expression changed.
Adrian calmly reached into his pocket.
And pulled something out.
A folded piece of paper.
The room became silent.
Adrian carefully unfolded the piece of paper.
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward him.
The room became completely silent.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then he finally spoke.
“Your job is done.” Just four words.
But the atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
Alexander looked toward Eugene.
“This might be the last letter you received, right?” Eugene didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
The expression on his face was enough.
We already knew Alexander was right.
This wasn’t just a random note.
This was the final message.
The message that told Eugene he was no longer useful.
I looked at the paper carefully.
There was something about it that bothered me.
The words were simple.
I couldn’t explain it, but something felt strange.
“Can I see it?” Everyone looked at me.
Adrian was the first one to react.
He handed me the note without hesitation.
I took it carefully and moved closer to the lamp placed nearby.
The light fell directly over the paper.
I examined it again.
The handwriting.
The spacing.
The way the words were written.
Something wasn’t adding up.
My fingers moved toward my pocket, and I took out my company card.
Since our official employee badges hadn’t arrived yet, this card had been my temporary identification inside Westbridge.
I placed it beside the note.
Adrian noticed my actions.
“Meave…” His voice pulled my attention.
“Did you find something?” I carefully looked between the note and the company card.
The more I compared them, the more certain I became.
“The paper used for writing this note…” I spoke slowly, making sure I wasn’t jumping to conclusions.
“It’s the same as our company card.” Everyone immediately turned toward me.
I continued.
“The texture, the roughness…
even the way it reflects light.” I pointed toward the surface of the note.
“It has the same yellowish lining that our cards have.” For a moment, no one said anything.
Then, one by one, they moved closer.
The four of them surrounded me, carefully examining the two papers in my hands.
Julian leaned forward first, his eyes moving between the note and the card.
Adrian looked at them with a thoughtful expression.
Damian carefully studied the details I pointed out.
Even Alexander, who usually seemed impossible to surprise, focused completely on the papers.
For once…
Everyone was looking at something I had noticed.
“You’re right.” Damian’s voice came after a few seconds.
His expression remained serious, but there was clear approval in his eyes.
“This is a valuable observation.” My heart lifted slightly.
Before I could respond, Julian’s excited voice came from behind me.
“Meave, you are a genius.
I turned slightly.
Julian was smiling widely, the usual playful spark returning to his eyes.
“You actually noticed something we missed.” I felt my cheeks warm slightly.
Then Adrian smiled at me.
“Meave, you are really amazing.” His words were softer, but somehow they made me feel even more encouraged.
I looked toward Damian.
Even he gave me a small nod.
“Good work.” Two simple words.
But coming from Damian, they meant a lot.
I couldn’t stop the small smile forming on my face.
For the first time since joining ESSPU…
I felt like I truly belonged there.
But then my eyes moved toward Alexander.
He was still silent.
Still looking at the note and the company card.
His expression gave nothing away.
I waited.
Maybe he would say something.
Maybe he would acknowledge that my observation helped.
After all, his approval had started to matter to me more than I wanted to admit.
But he didn’t.
He simply continued analyzing the papers.
The happiness I felt from everyone’s praise remained…
But somewhere inside, there was a small disappointment.
I didn’t know why.
Maybe because Alexander was the one whose opinion I wanted to hear the most.
And somehow…
His silence felt louder than anyone else’s words.
A loud thud suddenly echoed through the room.
Everyone immediately turned toward the sound.
The main gate was open.
And before any of us could react properly…
Eugene was already running.
He had taken advantage of the moment when everyone’s attention was focused on the note.
For a second, I just stood there in disbelief.
He actually escaped.
Julian let out a dramatic sigh.
“Ahhh…” He looked at his hands with a disappointed expression.
“I nearly bruised my hands catching him.” I couldn’t help but stare at him.
But before anyone could move, Alexander spoke “Let him go.” Everyone looked toward him.
“He is of no use anymore.” His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
“We already got what we wanted.” I looked toward the open gate.
Eugene was gone.
But Alexander didn’t seem worried.
Because he was right.
We had the final piece we needed.
Then Alexander turned around.
And his eyes landed on me.
For a moment, I straightened unconsciously.
“I’ll drop you home.” I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Did I hear that correctly?
Alexander Callahan…
The same Alexander who barely spoke more than necessary.
The same Alexander who corrected my reports with a single sentence.
The same person who seemed to treat time as the most valuable thing in the world…
Just offered to drop me home?
I stared at him, completely confused.
Maybe I had misunderstood.
But his expression remained completely serious.
He simply meant what he said.
Behind me, I could hear Julian.
“Seriously?” I turned slightly.
He was looking at Damian with a dramatic expression, as if he couldn’t believe what he had witnessed.
Damian, however, remained silent.
Though even he seemed slightly surprised.
Alexander walked toward the coat stand and picked up his coat.
He didn’t explain.
Didn’t wait for anyone’s reaction.
He simply started walking toward the door.
After a few seconds, I realized everyone was looking at me.
I quickly followed him.
Still confused.
Still trying to understand what had just happened.
When I saw him sitting inside his car, waiting for me…
That was when I finally realized this was actually happening.
Alexander Callahan was really going to drive me home.
I quickly walked toward the passenger side and got inside.
The moment the door closed, the atmosphere changed.
The outside world disappeared.
It was just the two of us.
Inside the confined space of his car.
And somehow…
That felt more overwhelming than everything that had happened tonight.
Yet sitting beside Alexander felt strangely more intimidating.
Maybe because I didn’t know what to say.
Or maybe because I was too aware of his presence.
The quiet sound of the engine filled the car as he drove.
Neither of us spoke.
I didn’t dare to.
Alexander wasn’t someone I could casually start a conversation with like Adrian.
Or joke around with like Julian.
Even Damian, despite his serious personality, felt easier to approach.
But Alexander…
He was different.
After a few minutes of complete silence, I suddenly felt my phone vibrating continuously inside my pocket.
I almost forgot.
My eyes widened when I saw the caller ID.
Paige.
Oh no.
I had completely forgotten about her.
With everything that happened, I hadn’t even realized how worried she must have been.
I immediately answered.
“Hello?” A second later, a worried voice came from the other side.
“Meave?” Paige sounded anxious.
“Where are you?” I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could…
She continued.
“Are you alright?” There was a pause.
Then her voice became even more concerned.
“Don’t tell me you got kidnapped.” I froze.
My eyes slowly moved toward the person driving beside me.
Alexander remained focused on the road, his expression unreadable.
The irony almost made me laugh.
Because technically…
I was sitting inside a car with someone who was definitely capable of terrifying people.
“Paige, I’m fine.” I tried to sound normal.
“I’m just on my way home.” A small silence followed.
She clearly didn’t believe me completely.
“Then why weren’t you answering my calls?” I glanced down at my phone.
The number of missed calls and messages suddenly made me feel guilty.