Page 63 of Confusing Cade
“Sure did.”
David pulled a face as he digested my answer. “Are you absolutely sure she was part of a plot to sabotage the Promenade?”
“The digital trail doesn’t lie.”
“Still...”
He shrugged, and I knew he wasn’t as convinced of that fact as I was, which annoyed me. In fact, I’d spend most of the day that way, frustrated first at Chris’s news, then Bella’s insistence she’d had nothing to do with any of this, and now with my best friend, who didn’t seem to understand what I did. Still, maybe this was out of his league.And I can’t really expect him to see it the way I do.
“I’m lucky,” I said, my voice low, almost swallowed by the hum of the office around us. I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking under my weight, and stared at the ceiling as if it might offer some clarity. “At least Chris caught this before shecould do real damage. If she’d gone further, things could’ve been catastrophic.”
David nodded, his expression guarded, the lines around his eyes tightening as he set his coffee mug down with a soft clink. “That’s true. You dodged a bullet.” His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of something that made me pause. Doubt? Frustration?
I ran a hand through my hair, the strands damp with the sweat of a morning spent wrestling with this mess. “I’m having RepuMang dig into it. I need to make sure she’s not a liability moving forward. We can’t afford any more surprises, not with the Promenade’s grand opening so close.”
The project’s weight pressed against me, a relentless reminder of the stakes. I could still see Bella’s face in my mind, that quiet smile she’d worn during our last morning together, now tainted by the emails Chris had shown me, and the proof of her secret calls to the local media.
How could she do this to me?
David took a slow sip of his coffee, the steam curling around his face like a veil. “Probably a good idea to cut her out now.”
I eyed him, my jaw tightening. “What’s on your mind?”
There was an edge to my voice, sharper than I meant, born from the exhaustion and the hurt I couldn’t quite bury. David was my oldest friend in this company, the one I could always count on to call it straight. But now, his hesitation felt like another crack in the foundation I’d thought was solid.
“If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out,” I added.
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his fingers tracing the rim of his mug. “It’s just... Bella, you know? Does it feel right to you? That she’d go behind your back like this, leaking lies to the media to tank the opening?”
I exhaled, the breath heavy with frustration and something deeper, something that felt like grief. “The proof doesn’t lie.Those emails, David... it’s just... it was deliberate sabotage.” My hands clenched on the arms of my chair, and the wood felt cool against my palms, grounding me to this office, this moment, and this decision. “I trusted her more than I should have.”
David’s eyes softened, but he didn’t argue. “You figured it out just in time. That’s a good thing.”
He was right. I was the CEO. I had a job to do, and a project to protect, no matter how much it hurt.
“It’s just...” David hesitated.
“What?”
He downed one more gulp of coffee. “About FanZone.”
I raised my eyebrow.
“Her account was compromised there, right? What if this has something to do with that?”
“Doubtful.” I shook my head to drive home my point. “The team was clear about that—every trace of that leaked information is wiped from the internet. There is no link to this whatsoever.”
My friend stood, and we said goodbye. David made a few comments about how he had things to do and how he wished me the best.
When he was gone, I sank back into my chair and then read through the emails again.
The silence after David left was almost palpable, echoing with the weight of the conversation we'd just had. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that perhaps I hadn't considered all angles. As I sorted through the files again, doubts crept in like shadows at early dusk. What if the data wipe wasn't as thorough as claimed? What if there were residual traces of the leak that could connect dots I hadn't even thought to look for? The possibility that I might have misjudged the situation gnawed at me.
I needed to be sure. I needed more than the evidence Chris had presented; I needed to verify, to dig deeper. Lois was my go-to for such tasks; her skills in digital forensics were unmatched in our office. I’d entrusted her with the task of reevaluating the security breach at FanZone to look for any overlooked digital footprints or anomalies that might hint at a larger scheme. After a few minutes, I picked up the phone and called the one person in the office I could really rely on.
As I waited for him to pick up, my mind raced through scenarios, each one painting a different picture of betrayal or innocence. The project’s launch would go ahead regardless of Bella’s damaging reports, but we needed the media support for a successful day. Plus, the integrity of our team worried me. If there was even a sliver of doubt, I needed to address it, and not just for the project but for everyone involved. So, I needed to act.
“Chris,” I said into the receiver. “I need you to do something for me.”
