Chapter 49 Debts

Chapter 49 Debts
The next morning began earlier than usual for Xavier.
He arrived at the office before most of the staff had even reached the building. The lobby was quiet when he stepped through the glass doors, the early light of the city reflecting faintly across the polished floor.
The receptionist greeted him politely. “Good morning, Mr. Cole.”
“Good morning.”
Xavier moved through the lobby and toward the elevators without slowing down. His mind was already working through the implications of the call Nia had received the night before.
Anthony had a contact inside the building. That meant the situation had to be handled carefully.
He stepped into his office a few minutes later and placed his briefcase on the desk. After removing his jacket, he reached for the phone and dialed one number.
Gia answered on the second ring. “Mr Cole.”
“Come to my office.”
“I’m on my way sir.” Gia arrived less than five minutes later. He entered without hesitation and closed the door behind him.
“You wanted to see me sir.”
Xavier gestured toward the chair across from his desk. “Sit.”
Gia did and Xavier leaned back slightly and folded his hands together. “I need you to run a quiet internal sweep.”
Gia’s eyes narrowed slightly in focus. “What kind of sweep?”
“I’m looking for unusual access behavior.”
“Unusual? how sir?”
“Specifically around the floors that previously housed the drive.”
Gia absorbed the instruction immediately. “You think someone inside the building has been trying to locate it.”
“Yes.”
Gia nodded slowly. “Do you have a time frame?”
“The last three weeks.”
Gia leaned forward slightly. “I’ll check access logs and clearance records.”
“I want the name within forty eight hours.”
Gia nodded again. “Okay sir, You’ll have it.”
Xavier watched him for a moment before adding something else. “There’s another task.”
Gia waited for him to continue.
“Pull everything you can find on Rachel Stein.”
Gia blinked once. “Anthony’s partner?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly are you looking for sir?”
“Her finances. Her current situation. Anything that explains her decision making of calling Nia last night and letting out some secrets.”
Gia tilted his head slightly. “You think her call to Nia had a motive.”
Xavier gave a faint, almost amused expression. “People do not call the opposition out of simple guilt. You of all people should know this”
Gia allowed a small smile. “Yes sir, That would be unusually generous behavior.”
“Exactly,” Xavier said calmly. “There is always a reason.”
He leaned forward slightly. “I want to know what hers is before I decide what to do with the information she provided.”
Gia stood. “Okay sir, I’ll start immediately.”
“Good.”
Gia left the office and closed the door quietly behind him.
Xavier turned toward the window, The city was beginning to wake up now as Traffic was building in the streets below.
“Somewhere inside the building, someone had been helping Anthony. That problem will be solved soon enough.” 
Across the city, Anthony had not slept at home the night before.
Instead, he had checked into a hotel shortly after midnight.
The room was large and quiet, the curtains drawn against the morning light.
Anthony sat at the small desk near the window with his phone pressed to his ear.
His investigator was speaking on the other end. “I’ve gone through everything again,” the man said carefully.
“And?”
“There’s nothing useful on Xavier Cole.”
Anthony’s jaw tightened slightly. “Nothing?”
“His affairs are documented too carefully.”
Anthony said nothing and the investigator continued. “I looked at the company records. They’re clean.”
Anthony leaned back slowly. “And his personal life?”
“It’s all Private.”
Anthony closed his eyes briefly. “No scandals? No financial irregularities, Nothing hidden? Nothing that can be used as leverage.” Anthony exhaled slowly.
“I’m sorry,” the investigator added. “There’s nothing Sir.”
Anthony stared at the wall across the room. The silence stretched for several seconds.
Finally he spoke. “Understood.” He ended the call without another word.
The room felt heavier somehow. Anthony placed the phone on the desk and leaned back in his chair.
He was facing a formal financial investigation. One that had been built with careful documentation.
A drive that had once been his target had disappeared and the man responsible for all of it had left no visible weaknesses behind.
“I've been in difficult positions before. Many times and every time I had managed to find a way through them. A loophole, a counter move or a pressure point. Something that always shifted the board back in my favor. But this time… I could not see the path.” he exhaled loudly trying to calm his nerves.
—
Three days later, Gia knocked on Xavier’s office door.
“Come in.”
Gia stepped inside carrying a thin folder. “Good morning Mr Cole. I have a name.”
Xavier gestured for him to sit, then Gia placed the folder on the desk and opened it. “The reserve contact Anthony was using inside the building is a mid level logistics coordinator.”
Xavier listened without speaking.
“She has been with the company for two years.”
“What’s her Name?”
Gia slid a page across the desk. “Lena Markovic.”
Xavier read the name calmly. “How did Anthony reach her?”
“External number.”
Gia tapped another document. “Registered to one of Anthony’s shell companies.”
Xavier nodded slightly. “When did the contact begin?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Gia turned another page in the folder. “The building’s internal access logs show something else.”
“What?”
“She used her clearance to enter floors she had no work reason to be on.”
“Which floors?”
“The ones that previously housed the drive.”
Xavier leaned back in his chair. “So she was searching.”
“Yes.” Gia watched him carefully. “You want security involved?”
“Not yet.”
Gia waited as Xavier closed the folder slowly. “Document everything formally.”
Gia nodded.
“And prepare to revoke her building access by close of business today.”
Gia raised an eyebrow. “You’re not confronting her?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Gia asked, amazed.
“Because confrontation would only create noise.”
Gia considered that. “And if Anthony realizes she’s been cut off?”
“He will realize eventually.” Xavier’s tone remained calm. “But by then the door will already be closed.”
Gia nodded. “That can be arranged.”
He hesitated for a moment before adding one final detail. “There’s something else.”
Xavier looked up waiting for him to spill it.
“Rachel Stein.”
“What about her?” Xavier asked.
“Her financial situation is unstable.”
“How unstable?”
“She has significant personal debt.”
Xavier’s expression did not change, but his eyes sharpened slightly. “How much?”
“Enough debt to create pressure.”
Gia placed another document on the desk. “Credit accounts, personal loans, and several overdue payments.”
Xavier glanced briefly at the page then he nodded once. “That explains the call.”
Gia leaned back slightly and studied his boss for a moment.
“What will you do about her sir?”
Xavier closed the folder slowly. “That depends on what she does next.”