Chapter 25 The Trap
The relief was so sharp it felt like pain. My knees actually went weak for a second, and I had to lock them to stay standing. He believed me. He knew.
But the confusion that followed was colder, slicker. It coiled in my stomach. “Then why… why did Marcus just…”
“Because the leak didn’t come from Crestline,” Rhys said. He took a step closer. That scent of his—sandalwood and something like a storm on the horizon—filled the space between us. His eyes weren’t icy anymore. They were dark, focused, intense. “It came from inside my house. Someone within Axiom is trying to sabotage Titan. And they’re trying to frame you for it.”
He let that sit there for a beat, heavy and awful.
“I need your help to find them.”
I just stared at him. My mind was racing, tripping over itself. Help him? I was the one who’d just been marched in here like a criminal. My reputation was hanging by a thread out there, in that frozen office landscape where everyone thought I was a traitor.
“My help,” I repeated, the words flat. “While everyone, including your brother, thinks I’m guilty. What kind of help can I possibly be? I’m the poison in the room.”
“You’re the bait,” he said, and his voice was low, matter-of-fact. It wasn’t cruel, just brutally honest. “And the only other person who knows you’re clean.”
The word bait sent a chill down my spine. “So this is a trap. You’re using me as the trap.”
“I’m asking you to walk into the trap with your eyes open,” he corrected. He moved to his desk, leaning against the edge. The power in him was relaxed now, but it was still there, like a big cat at rest. “If we announce you’re innocent, the real leaker goes deep underground. They’re smart. The spoofing was sophisticated. They’ll wait, they’ll try another way. But if they think their plan is working… if they see you under suspicion, watching your career implode, maybe even getting officially blamed…”
“They get comfortable,” I finished, the analyst part of my brain finally clicking back online, pushing past the fear. “They get arrogant. They might make a mistake.”
He gave a single, slow nod. “Or they might approach you.”
That thought was worse. “Approach me?”
“If their goal is to discredit you and blow up the deal, they might try to contact you. To offer a way out. A fake confession for a payoff, maybe. Or to gloat. To make sure you’re properly broken.” His eyes held mine. “People who do this, they like to see the damage. They like to feel clever.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold. The air conditioning in the massive office felt arctic. “And what am I supposed to do in the meantime? Go back out there and just… take it?”
“You go back to Crestline,” he said, his voice shifting into a commander’s tone. It was the voice that said this is the plan. “Silas will be told the truth. You’ll have one ally there. Your work continues, but you watch. You listen. You note anyone who acts strangely—too sympathetic, too curious, anyone trying to get close to you or your files for the wrong reasons.”
“And here? At Axiom?”
“Here, you are in the lion’s den. You’ll be monitored. Marcus will have someone watching you. Elinor reports everything. Use that. Let them see you acting shaken, defensive. But you also watch them. You have a reason to be in meetings, to interact with various departments. Notice inconsistencies. Who seems unusually pleased? Who avoids the topic of the leak altogether?”
It was a dizzying array of instructions. Spy on my own colleagues. Pretend to be a pariah. All while doing my actual, highly demanding job.
“And how do I report to you?” I asked. “If I’m being watched, I can’t just stroll in here.”
“We’ll meet. Discreetly. My driver, Leo, is discreet. He’ll pick you up a block from your apartment tomorrow at seven a.m. We’ll talk in the car. No notes. No texts about this. If you need to reach me urgently, call my private line and hang up after two rings. I’ll find you.” He recited it all calmly, as if arranging clandestine meetings was a Tuesday for him. Maybe it was.
The sheer practicality of it, the cold efficiency, was a lifeline. It gave me steps to follow. A role to play. It was better than just being a victim.
“Why?” The word left my mouth before I could stop it. It wasn’t about the plan. It was about last night. About the thumb on my cheek. The shared silence. “Why trust me with this? You could have just told me I was cleared and handed it to your security team.”
For the first time since I’d entered, his perfect control flickered. He looked away, out at the city again, his jaw tightening. “My security team is led by a man who reports to Marcus. I don’t know who inside this building I can trust. The leak came from the executive suite. That narrows it down to a handful of people with that level of access. It could be anyone.”
He turned back, and his gaze was unguarded for a split second. Just fatigue, and a simmering anger. “And you… you’re an outsider. You have no loyalties here, no history. And you have the most to lose if we don’t find who did this. That makes you the only person I can be sure wants the truth as badly as I do.”
It was the loneliest, most clinical reasoning possible. And it was the most real thing he’d said to me. He didn’t trust me out of some feeling. He trusted me out of necessity. It should have hurt. Instead, it felt like a solid floor under my feet.
“Okay,” I said. My voice sounded strange to my own ears. Resigned. Determined. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Good.” He pushed off the desk. The moment of vulnerability was gone, sealed shut. “Now, you need to leave looking like you’ve been through the wringer. Because you have. Marcus will be waiting. He’ll want to see the damage.”
I swallowed, nodding. I could do that. The fear and the anger were still right there, close to the surface. I just had to let them show.
I turned to go, my hand on the cool brass of the door handle.
“Harper.”
He said my name. Just my name. Not Ms. Ellis. I glanced back.
“Be careful,” he said. It wasn’t gentle. It was a warning. A command.
I didn’t answer. I just pulled the door open and stepped back into the deep freeze.
Marcus was, as predicted, standing by Elinor’s desk. His eyes raked over me, looking for signs of destruction. I made sure he saw them. I didn’t meet his gaze, letting my eyes stay downcast and red-rimmed (rubbing them subtly in the elevator had helped). I clutched my laptop bag to my chest like a shield. I let my shoulders slump, just a little.
“Ms. Ellis,” Marcus said, his voice a dry, satisfied slice. “I trust the meeting was… illuminating.”
I just gave a small, tight nod, as if I couldn’t speak, and hurried toward the elevators. I felt his eyes on my back the whole way.
The walk through Axiom was even worse than before. Now the stares weren’t just suspicious; they were pitying. She’s been formally accused, they whispered without saying a word. She’s done. I kept my head down, playing the part.
The elevator ride down felt like an eternity. In the mirrored wall, I saw the pale, guilty face from this morning. Only now, it wasn’t just scared. It was calculating.
Back at Crestline, the atmosphere had shifted again. The hushed tension had morphed into something else—a morbid curiosity. Chloe practically lunged at me from her cubicle, pulling me into a supply closet.
“What happened? Oh my god, Harper, your face. Did he fire you? Are they suing?” Her words tumbled out in a frantic whisper.
I leaned against a shelf of printer paper, letting the exhaustion I felt show. “Not fired. Yet. But it’s… bad, Chloe. They have logs. They think it’s me. Rhys Thorne… he was like stone.” The lie tasted bitter, but I sold it, letting my voice crack.
Chloe’s face crumpled in sympathy. “This is insane. I know you didn’t do it! We have to fight this. Silas has to—”
“Silas can’t fight Axiom,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m on probation. All my access is being ‘reviewed.’ I’m just supposed to… keep my head down and work on what they still let me touch.” I watched her closely as I said it. Her outrage seemed genuine, her worry real. But I noted it. One ally. Maybe.
The rest of the day was an exercise in silent torture. I sat at my desk, feeling the weight of a hundred sideways glances. I took a trip to the kitchen for coffee, and a group of junior analysts fell silent as I approached, scattering like birds. It was isolating. It was humiliating. And it was exactly what was supposed to be happening.
At 5:30 PM, Silas’s door opened. He stood there, his face unreadable, and beckoned me in.
His office was warm, lined with books. He didn’t sit behind his imposing desk. He pointed to the small sitting area by the window. “Close the door, Harper.”
I did, my heart hammering. This was the moment. Would he play along?
He waited for me to sit, then took the chair opposite. He steepled his fingers, looking at me for a long moment. “I just got off the phone with Rhys Thorne,” he said, his voice low.
I held my breath.
“He told me a very interesting story.” Silas’s eyes, usually sharp with ambition, were now sharp with something else—concern, and a dawning anger. “He told me you’re being set up. That the threat is inside Axiom.”
The air left my lungs in a quiet rush. “So you know.”
“I know,” he said. “And I know what he’s asking you to do. It’s dangerous, Harper.”
“Not doing it is more dangerous,” I replied. “My career is over if we don’t find who did this.”
Silas nodded slowly. “He’s smart. Using you as the pressure point. They’ll be watching you, hoping you crack or do something stupid.” He leaned forward. “You have my full support here. Whatever you need. But you must understand… if this goes south, if Axiom decides to cut their losses publicly, my hands will be tied. Crestline’s survival comes first.”
It was a cold, necessary truth. “I understand.”
“Good.” He stood up, signaling the end of the confidential talk. His voice returned to its normal, brusque tone, slightly louder for the benefit of anyone outside the door. “Your system access will be restricted to the Titan sandbox environment only until further notice, Ellis. The Axiom security team will be auditing your work. Keep me updated on your progress.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, standing, playing my part.
I left his office feeling strangely adrift. I had two allies now, but both were hidden. To the rest of the world, I was sinking.
That night, in my apartment, the silence was deafening. The high from the morning’s confrontation, the strange thrill of the secret alliance, had faded. All that was left was the reality. Someone in that sleek, powerful building hated a project enough to try to kill it. And they had chosen to try and bury me in the process.
I looked out my window at the glittering city. Somewhere out there, that person was probably feeling very pleased with themselves. They thought they were safe. They thought I was scared and alone.
A slow burn ignited in my chest, utting through the fear. It wasn’t just about saving my job anymore.
They wanted to see me broken?
Fine.
Let them watch.