The procurement officer had been identified as the first leak, but neither of them believed for a second that he was responsible for everything that had happened.
If anything, he was another piece on a board controlled by someone they had yet to see.
They reached the procurement department and found the officer seated inside a small meeting room, two security officers standing outside the door.
The moment he saw Dorian, the colour drained from his face.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Dorian walked into the room, followed closely by Brielle.
He pulled out a chair and sat opposite him, his expression unreadable.
“Yes.
We need to talk about the account you tried to access.” The man’s eyes flickered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You tried to access an account that doesn’t exist.” “I didn’t.” Dorian placed a printed report on the table.
“Your credentials were used ten minutes after the information about that account was given to you.” The officer glanced at the document before quickly looking away.
Brielle watched the movement carefully.
He was frightened, but it wasn’t the fear of a man caught stealing.
It was the fear of someone who knew exactly what would happen if he spoke.
“Who told you about the account?” Brielle asked.
“No one.” “Then how did you know where to find it?” The man remained silent.
Dorian leaned forward.
“You have one opportunity to tell us the truth.
If you continue lying, I’ll have no reason to believe you’re protecting anyone except yourself.” The officer’s hands began trembling.
“I didn’t know it was fake.” Brielle exchanged a glance with Dorian.
“So someone told you it was real.” “Yes.” “Who?” “I can’t say.” Dorian’s expression hardened.
“Why?” “Because they’ll destroy me.” The room fell silent.
Brielle studied him for several seconds before speaking again.
“Whoever you’re afraid of has already used you once.
If you keep protecting them, you’ll be the one left to carry the blame when this is over.” The officer lowered his head.
For several moments, he said nothing.
Then he finally reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“They contact me through this.” Dorian took the phone and examined it.
“Who?” “There is no name.
Just a number.” “Give it to me.” The officer hesitated before unlocking the phone and handing it over.
Dorian looked through the messages, but most of them had already been deleted.
Only a few remained, each one short and carefully worded.
Brielle leaned closer and read them.
“Don’t ask questions.” “Follow the instructions.” “Delete everything afterwards.” Then she noticed something else.
“Dorian.” He looked at her.
“This message.” She pointed towards the final one.
The Wolfe woman must not be allowed to see the records.
Dorian’s expression changed.
Brielle felt a strange chill run through her.
“The Wolfe woman?” The officer nodded nervously.
“That’s what they called you.” Dorian’s eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Something about his expression made Brielle look at him more closely.
His anger was no longer directed solely at the person behind the scheme.
There was something more personal in it now.
“They knew about you,” he said quietly.
Brielle tried to dismiss the uneasiness in her chest.
“They knew I was helping you.” “No.” Dorian looked at her.
“They knew you were investigating.” Before Brielle could answer, the officer suddenly spoke again.
“There’s something else.” Both of them turned towards him.
“I was told to keep an eye on you.” Dorian’s jaw tightened.
“For how long?” he asked.
“Since you started working with Mr.
Wolfe.” Brielle’s eyes widened.
“You were watching me?” “I wasn’t following you personally.
I was only told to report anything unusual.” “What did you report?” “Everything.” Dorian stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor.
Brielle instinctively reached for his arm.
“Dorian.” He stopped.
For a brief moment, his eyes met hers.
The anger in his face softened slightly when he realized she was worried, and something about the concern in her expression unsettled him more than the confession had.
He had spent days thinking about the company, the government and the person trying to destroy everything he had built.
But hearing that Brielle had been watched without his knowledge made something inside him tighten in a way he couldn’t explain.
He slowly turned back towards the officer.
“Who gave you the order?” “I don’t know.” “You keep saying that.” “Because it’s the truth.” Brielle stepped closer to Dorian.
“Let him speak.” Dorian glanced at her.
He wanted to tell her that she had no idea how dangerous the situation had become, but the words refused to leave his mouth.
Instead, he nodded and allowed her to continue.
“You said you were given instructions,” Brielle said.
“How did they reach you?” “Through a company email.” “Which account?” The officer gave her the address.
Brielle immediately recognized the domain.
It belonged to one of the companies connected to the old organization they had been investigating.
Dorian took out his phone.
“Send the email address to me.” The officer did so.
Dorian stared at the information for several seconds before looking at Brielle.
“We have a way in.” Brielle nodded.
“But we need to be careful.” “I know.” Their eyes met again, and for a moment the noise outside the room seemed to fade.
Dorian noticed the tiredness in her face, the slight shadows beneath her eyes from the long hours they had spent investigating.
He realized she had barely rested since they began.
She had been thrown into a crisis that wasn’t originally hers, yet she had remained beside him through every discovery, every threat and every setback.
“You should go home,” he said.
Brielle frowned.
“What?” “You haven’t slept properly.” “Neither have you.” “That isn’t the point.” “It is if you’re expecting me to leave while you’re still investigating.” Dorian stared at her.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she added.
Something almost resembling a smile touched his lips before disappearing.
“I wasn’t trying to get rid of you.” “Then what were you trying to do?” “Keep you safe.” The words escaped before he could stop them.
Brielle fell silent.
Dorian looked away, suddenly aware of how easily the words had come.
He had meant to say that she needed rest.
He had meant to tell her that the investigation was becoming dangerous.
Somehow, what came out instead had been far more personal.
Brielle watched him for a moment before quietly saying, “I’m not going anywhere.” Dorian looked back at her.
And for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, those four words eased something inside him.
The officer cleared his throat, pulling their attention back towards him.
“There is one more thing you should know.” Dorian’s expression immediately became serious again.
“What?” “The person who contacted me yesterday didn’t ask about the company.” Brielle frowned.
“What did they ask about?” The officer looked directly at her.
“They asked where you were going to be tonight.”