Chapter 50 Non acceptable
Chapter 50 Non acceptable
The logistics coordinator arrived ten minutes after Xavier’s assistant called her.
He watched her through the glass wall of his office as she walked down the corridor. Her pace was careful, her shoulders slightly tense. Even before she knocked on the door, Xavier could see the nervousness in the way she held herself.
That told him something important. She already suspected why she had been called.
There was a soft knock. “Come in,” Xavier said.
The door opened and she stepped inside.
She was in her early thirties, dressed in a simple grey blazer and dark trousers. Her ID badge still hung from the lanyard around her neck, though it would not be active for much longer.
“Mr. Cole,” she said quietly.
“Sit.” Xavier said and she sat across from his desk, her hands folded tightly together in her lap.
Xavier studied her for a moment before speaking. “Your name is Lena Markovic.”
“Yes sir.”
“You have been working in the logistics department for two years.”
“Yes Sir.”
He opened the folder on his desk and slid several printed pages toward her. “These are the building access logs for the last three weeks.”
Lena glanced down at them. Her eyes moved quickly across the highlighted entries.
She swallowed. “I see.”
“The logs show your access card being used on four floors that are not part of your department.”
She did not answer but Xavier continued calmly. “They also show that the access occurred late in the evening after most employees had already left the building.”
Still no answer.
He placed another document on the desk. “This is the phone record of an external number contacting you repeatedly during the same period.”
Her eyes flicked toward it.
“The number is registered to one of Anthony DeLuca’s shell companies.”
The room was silent.
Lena’s shoulders sagged slightly as the reality of the situation settled around her. “You already know,” she said quietly.
“Yes.”
She looked down at her hands and for several seconds neither of them spoke.
Then Xavier leaned forward slightly. “I am not interested in humiliating you,” he said calmly.
Lena looked up at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means I am giving you an opportunity.”
Her expression shifted cautiously. “What kind of opportunity?”
Xavier slid a blank sheet of paper across the desk. “I am not going to involve the authorities in your specific case.”
She stared at him.
“In exchange,” he continued, “you will provide a full written account.”
“Of what?”
“Everything you were asked to do. Every message you received. Every piece of information you passed to Anthony’s contact.”
The silence stretched for a long moment.
Lena leaned back slightly in the chair. “And If I refuse?”
“Then the documentation will go directly to the investigators handling the financial inquiry.”
Her eyes closed briefly. When she opened them again, the tension had shifted into resignation. “You want the truth.”
“Yes.” Another long pause passed.
Finally Lena nodded slowly. “I’ll write it.”
“Good,” Xavier said.
He stood and walked toward the door. “My assistant will give you a workspace.”
By late afternoon the written account was sitting on Xavier’s desk. It was longer than he had expected.
Fourteen pages.
Lena had written carefully and thoroughly, describing the initial contact she had received from the external number, the instructions she had been given, and the locations she had been asked to search within the building.
Xavier read the entire document once then he read it again.
Everything Gia had uncovered through the access logs was confirmed.
But the written account added two details Xavier had not previously known.
The first was the method Anthony had used to approach her.
He had not contacted her directly. Instead, the first message had come through a recruiter who claimed to be offering her a higher paying position with another company.
The recruiter had slowly built communication with her over several days before revealing the real request.
The second detail was more interesting. Anthony had been asking specific questions about storage systems and security protocols inside the building.
Not just the location of the drive. But how documents were archived and where backup materials might be kept.
Xavier closed the folder slowly. Anthony had been planning further ahead than expected.
He added the written account to the existing dossier then he sent a short message to Gia.
‘The breach has been confirmed. Terminate her access immediately.’
The reply came seconds later.
‘Already done, Boss.’
Nia was finishing the last of her emails when her computer screen displayed an internal message notification from Xavier.
‘Stop by before you leave.’ She checked the time and it was half past five.
Most of the building had already begun emptying out for the evening.
Nia shut down her laptop, gathered her things, and walked down the quiet corridor toward Xavier’s office.
The lights in several offices were already off.
When she reached his door, it was slightly open.
She knocked softly. “Come in,” Xavier said.
She stepped inside. “You wanted to see me.”
“Yes.”
He gestured toward the chair across from him and Nia sat down. “What’s going on?”
Xavier picked up the folder from his desk. “The internal sweep is complete.”
Nia straightened slightly. “You found the contact?”
“Yes.”
“Who was it?”
“A logistics coordinator. Two years with the company.”
Nia frowned. “Someone Anthony recruited recently?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Xavier placed the written account on the desk. “She has already provided a full statement.”
Nia leaned forward slightly. “You confronted her?”
“I offered her a choice.”
“And?”
“She chose to cooperate.”
Nia nodded slowly. “So the breach is confirmed.”
“Yes.”
“And the drive?”
“The secondary route Anthony was using to find it is now closed.”
Nia sat back in the chair. “ That's good to know.”
Xavier studied her for a moment before continuing. “The financial investigation already has momentum.”
“And now there’s written confirmation of internal interference.”
“Yes.”
Nia folded her hands together. “So what happens next?”
Xavier leaned back slightly. “All that remains is timing.”
“Timing for what?”
“For presenting the full picture.”
Nia watched him carefully. “What moment are you waiting for?”
Xavier’s voice remained calm. “The DeLuca Holdings annual Legacy Ball.”
Nia blinked. “The charity gala?”
“Yes.”
“That’s in six weeks.”
“It is also the largest event on the industry calendar.”
Nia understood immediately. “Every major investor will be there.”
“And the press,” Xavier added.
She sat silently for a moment. “You’re planning to end it there.”
“Yes.”
The words hung in the quiet office.
Nia looked down briefly before meeting his gaze again. “Will I be there?”
Xavier gave a small nod. “You are the reason anyone else will be.”
Across the city, Anthony sat in his office when the notification arrived.
The letter had been delivered electronically by Xavier’s legal team.
Anthony opened the document and began reading. His eyes moved slowly across the page.
Employee termination. Internal breach and written account.
He read the document again. The account would be attached to the existing dossier already submitted to the financial oversight body.
Anthony placed the letter down and immediately reached for his phone and his lawyer answered on the second ring.
“We have a problem.”
“What kind?”
“One of Xavier’s employees has provided a written account of her activities.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. “How detailed?” the lawyer finally asked.
“Detailed enough to be attached to the existing dossier.”
The silence returned, longer this time.
Anthony could almost hear the calculations happening in the lawyer’s mind. Finally the man spoke. “There are two options.”
Anthony leaned back slowly. “Go on.”
“We can fight it.”
“For how long?”
“Eighteen months, possibly longer.”
“And the outcome?”
“The outcome is uncertain.”
Anthony’s jaw tightened. “What’s the second option?”
“Negotiate an early settlement.”
Anthony’s voice dropped slightly. “Negotiate?”
“It would reduce the criminal exposure.”
“And?”
“It would protect you personally.”
Anthony knew what was coming next.
“At the cost of the company’s public reputation.” The words hung between them.
Anthony stared out the window at the city lights beginning to appear.
“Neither option is acceptable,” he finally said quietly.