The darkness had swallowed the office completely, leaving only the faint glow of the city filtering through the windows.Dorian immediately reached for his phone and switched on the flashlight.
“Stay here,” he said quietly.
Brielle caught his arm before he could move.
“No.” His eyes settled on her.
“You don’t know who’s outside.” “Neither do you.” “I’ll check.” “And if whoever is out there is waiting for you to open that door?” Dorian’s jaw tightened.Brielle released his arm and glanced towards the documents scattered across the desk.
“We shouldn’t do anything until the lights come back.” Dorian stared at her for a moment before finally nodding.They waited.Five seconds.Ten.Then the footsteps began again.Slow.Measured.They moved away from the office.Dorian immediately went to the door and pulled it open.The corridor was empty.He stepped outside, his phone illuminating the deserted hallway.
“Anyone there?” he called.
No answer.Brielle followed him.They checked the corridor, then the adjoining offices.
Nothing.Whoever had been there was gone.When the lights finally flickered back on, Brielle returned to the office and froze.Something was wrong.She walked towards the desk.
“Dorian.” He turned.She pointed at the papers.
“I left these differently.” Dorian approached.The files they had been examining were no longer arranged the way they had left them.One document in particular had been moved.Brielle picked it up.”This was underneath the invoice.” Dorian frowned.”Are you sure?” “I am.” He looked around the office.Nothing appeared disturbed.No drawers had been opened.
Nothing had been taken.Yet someone had entered the room.And they hadn’t come looking for money.They had been looking for information.Dorian’s expression hardened.”They know.” Brielle nodded.”They know we’re investigating.” He reached for the document in her hand.”Then we need to know exactly what they don’t want us to find.” Brielle looked at the old contract again.The name of the company that supposedly no longer existed stared back at her.
“We start here.” Dorian pulled another chair beside hers.For the next hour, they went through every document connected to the company.The deeper they searched, the stranger it became.The company had once been a legitimate partner of Wolfe Enterprises.
Years earlier, they had handled several major contracts together before suddenly disappearing from the company’s records.There was no clear explanation for why the partnership had ended.No termination notice.No dispute.No record of bankruptcy.Nothing.It was almost as though someone had deliberately erased the company’s existence.
“That’s impossible,” Dorian muttered.
Brielle looked at him.
“What?” “A company doesn’t simply disappear from records.” “Unless someone wants it to.” He looked at her.
She pointed to the documents.
“Look at the dates.” Dorian leaned closer.Several payments had been made shortly before the company vanished.Large payments.Much larger than the value of the contracts listed beside them.Brielle’s eyes narrowed.”Why would Wolfe Enterprises pay that much?” “I don’t know.” “Then we need to find out.” Dorian began searching through the older financial records.Brielle did the same.Minutes passed.Then Dorian suddenly stopped.
“What?” He pulled out another document.
“This payment.” Brielle moved closer.The amount matched one of the older transactions they had been investigating.But the recipient was different.Dorian checked another.Then another.His expression became increasingly grim.
“They’re connected.” Brielle nodded slowly.The suspicious payments from years ago and the recent transactions were following the same pattern.Different suppliers.Different dates.Different amounts.But the same method.Money was being paid for goods that either never arrived or were worth far less than what Wolfe Enterprises had paid.Someone had been doing this before.And now they had started again.
“How long?” Brielle asked.
Dorian stared at the records.
“Possibly years.” She sat back.
“That means this isn’t just about the money that disappeared recently.” “No.” “This could explain the company’s financial problems.” Dorian nodded.
“But why would anyone deliberately weaken the company?” Brielle didn’t answer.That question bothered her too.Stealing money was one thing.Destroying a company was another.Someone wasn’t simply taking advantage of Wolfe Enterprises.They were systematically bleeding it.And whoever was doing it had been patient.Very patient.Dorian suddenly stood.”We need the original records.” “Where are they?” “Archives.” They went downstairs.The archive room was cold and almost entirely dark, rows of shelves stretching across the walls.
Dorian searched through several cabinets while Brielle checked the records listed in the company’s old filing system.Then she noticed something.
“Dorian.” He turned.
“What’s wrong?” She pointed at a gap between two files.
“There’s something missing.” He walked over.
“What?” “This section is supposed to contain the contracts from that year.” “And?” “There are only three.” She looked at the register.
“There should be seven.” Dorian’s expression hardened.
“Someone removed them.” “Recently?” Brielle checked the dust around the empty space.
“Very recently.” Silence settled between them.Someone hadn’t merely accessed their office.Someone had accessed the archives too.Someone was actively removing evidence.Dorian pulled out his phone.
“I’m calling security.” Brielle stopped him.
“Don’t.” He looked at her.
“Why?” “Because if we tell everyone that we’re investigating, we’ll never know who is involved.” Dorian lowered the phone.
“You think someone in the company is helping them.” “I think we shouldn’t assume everyone is innocent simply because they work for you.” He stared at her.There was no fear in her expression now.Only determination.Dorian nodded.
“Then we keep this between us.” They returned to the office and continued their search.By dawn, they had built a rough timeline.The first suspicious transactions had occurred years earlier.The same pattern had resurfaced recently.The company connected to the old contracts had somehow appeared again.And someone within Wolfe Enterprises had enough access to manipulate the records.But they still didn’t know who.Dorian rubbed his tired eyes.
“We have less than two days.” Brielle looked at the clock.
“And we still haven’t solved the government issue.” “I know.” “We need evidence before we approach them.” “We will get it.” “You sound certain.” “I have to.” Brielle studied him.For the first time, she noticed how exhausted he looked.The man who had spent the past few days carrying the weight of an entire company on his shoulders was beginning to show the strain.
“You should rest.” Dorian gave a short laugh.
“Rest?” “Yes.” “Brielle, my company is being dismantled in front of me.” “And you’ll make worse decisions if you can’t think clearly.” He looked at her.
She continued.
“You don’t need to do everything yourself.” Dorian was quiet.
Then he nodded.
“Fine.” But before either of them could leave, Brielle’s eyes fell on the computer screen.A financial report was still open.Something caught her attention.
She moved closer.
“Wait.” Dorian stopped.
“What?” Brielle pointed at the screen.
“This transaction.” “What about it?” “Look at the authorization.” Dorian leaned over.
The transaction had been approved using the credentials of one of the company’s senior financial officers.But there was something strange.The transaction had been approved at 2:13 a.m.
Dorian frowned.
“That’s impossible.” “Why?” “That employee wasn’t in the building that night.” “How do you know?” “Because I was with him.” Brielle’s eyes widened.
“You’re certain?” “Yes.” “Then someone used his credentials.” Dorian stared at the screen.Brielle began scrolling.Another transaction.Same authorization.Another.Same.Then she noticed something else.”These weren’t all approved on the same computer.” Dorian frowned.
“What?” “Look at the system locations.” She pointed at the records.
“The transactions were authorized from different terminals.” Dorian’s expression changed.
“So?” “So whoever is doing this isn’t using one person’s computer.” Brielle’s voice lowered.
“They’re using different people’s credentials.” Dorian stared at her.
“Which means they have access to multiple accounts.” “Exactly.” A chilling possibility settled between them.This wasn’t one careless employee.Someone had access to several levels of the company.Someone capable of moving through the system without immediately attracting suspicion.Brielle looked at the authorization records again.Then something else caught her eye.A particular code appeared beside every suspicious transaction.She wrote it down.
“What’s that?” Dorian looked at it.
“I don’t know.” “You’ve never seen it?” “No.” Brielle stared at the code.She had learned enough from the businesspeople in her town to know that patterns mattered.One strange number could be an error.The same strange number appearing again and again was something else entirely.She reached for another file.The code appeared there too.Then another.And another.
Her pulse quickened.
“Dorian.” He looked over.
“It isn’t just being used in the financial system.” “What do you mean?” She placed the documents side by side.
“The same code appears on some of the procurement records.” Dorian’s eyes widened.
“So?” “So whoever is using it isn’t only controlling payments.” She looked directly at him.
“They’re involved in the purchasing process too.” Dorian went still.For several seconds, neither spoke.Then he slowly reached for his phone.
“We need to find out who that code belongs to.” Brielle nodded.
“And we need to do it before they realize we’ve found it.” Dorian looked at the clock.The sun was beginning to rise beyond the windows.They had less than two days left.And somewhere inside Wolfe Enterprises, the person who had been manipulating the company for years was still walking freely among them.
Neither Brielle nor Dorian knew that the moment they uncovered the identity behind that code, the entire investigation would change.