Chapter 147

Oscar dragged the audio file into the conference room's sound system and hit play.

"...confirmed. The list is with Isabella."

"...she didn't show it to me, but I saw new files on the encrypted flash drive she brought back from Zephyria. Same format as the Maple Hill Township ones."

"...Daphne's asking about progress. I told her we're still waiting."

"...got it. I'll keep an eye on things."

After the call ended, Kyle's voice fell silent for two seconds in the empty hallway, then came the sound of luggage wheels rolling again.

Isabella leaned back in her chair as the recording finished, her expression blank.

Alexander sat beside her, hand resting on the armrest, his fingertips rubbing back and forth across the leather surface.

After a moment, he said quietly, "He's been with me for four years."

After a few seconds of silence, Isabella knew what Alexander was thinking.

Four years of trust and one betrayal sat on opposite sides of the scale. He needed time to process.

But she also knew he wouldn't let emotion cloud his judgment.

"When did he first make contact with Daphne?"

Oscar pulled up another data file. "Three months ago. First encrypted call was the week before your accident."

Alexander's fingers stopped moving.

Isabella turned to look at him. He wasn't looking back—his gaze had fallen on the audio playback device on the table, though his focus seemed elsewhere.

After a few seconds, he said quietly, "How involved is he?"

"What we can confirm so far is information transfer." Oscar's voice was grave. "He's been feeding them internal updates from the Radcliffe Group, including travel schedules for you and Ms. Fairfax. Whether he passed along the information that led to the accident that day—we still need to confirm that."

Alexander stood and walked to the window.

The conference room curtains were only half-drawn. Outside, the sky was darkening.

His silhouette was slightly blurred in the backlight.

Isabella said nothing.

She waited a moment, then rose and walked to stand behind him. She didn't touch him, just stood close.

The space between them was barely a fist's width. She could see the muscles in his forearm beneath his shirt cuff, slightly tense.

When he spoke, his voice was lower than before. "Keep watching him. Don't move on him yet."

Isabella said quietly, "Will he realize we're investigating him?"

"No." Alexander turned around. "I'll make him think he's safe."

"Every piece of information he passes along will go through me first."

Octavia knocked on the doorframe. "Finnian's finished the forged documents. Want to take a look?"

Isabella glanced at Alexander. He gave a slight nod.

As the two of them walked out of the conference room side by side, the lights at the end of the hallway cast their shadows almost overlapping.

Finnian projected the fake list onto the conference room screen.

The first page was a standard-format project overview, with margins nearly identical to the sample from the leaked Maple Hill Township files.

He flipped to the second page. "The numbering system is a complete copy of their old version. Even the annotation format is mimicked."

"The only difference is the watermark. I raised the encryption level one tier."

"If they try to decrypt it with their old key, they'll get partial content, but not everything."

Oscar added, "I just opened a hole in their data transmission channel and tested the insertion path. Took one minute seventeen seconds. System didn't trigger any alarms."

If Daphne's system couldn't even detect planted data, their network security was lower grade than estimated.

If their system couldn't identify a fake list, cutting off their communications during the real operation wouldn't be too difficult...

Isabella stood before the screen, quickly scanning the list's contents.

The fake list contained twelve code names, each with a brief associated description beneath it. The descriptions were part truth, part fiction, maintaining a seven-to-three ratio.

The truthful portions were mostly public information already leaked from old Maple Hill Township archives. The false portions pointed toward various relay points she wanted Daphne to pursue.

Isabella said quietly, "Turn to page three."

Finnian turned to page three.

The header read "Aurora-Related Contact Appendix," with six names listed below, each corresponding to an encrypted email and virtual address.

"All six names are fabricated, but the fabrication process referenced their known activity patterns. Geographic locations and personnel characteristics can withstand initial verification."

After reviewing it, Alexander said, "They'll investigate the backgrounds of these six names. How long do you plan to let them dig?"

"Three weeks." Isabella's voice was quiet. "Long enough for them to think this lead is solid, and long enough for Kyle to pass information two to three rounds."

Octavia spoke up from the side. "What if they discover you made it up within three weeks?"

"Then let them discover it." Isabella's eyes were cold. "By the time they figure it out, they'll have been running in the wrong direction for three weeks. And in those three weeks, we'll have finished what we need to do."

Octavia considered this, then nodded.

Oscar encrypted and packaged the fake list, inserting it into the preset data transmission channel.

The progress bar on screen slowly completed. When the final segment turned green, he said, "It's out."

Isabella watched the screen. "Good. Now we wait for them to bite."

Three days after Daphne received the fake list, she asked Isabella to meet at that coffee shop in the CBD.

She wore a cream-colored light knit sweater, hair pulled into a low bun, makeup subtle.

When she pushed through the door, Isabella was drinking coffee. She glanced up at her, then pushed another cup across the table.

Daphne sat down without pleasantries, placing her phone on the table face-down. "I saw your list."

Isabella set down her coffee cup. "Which list?"

"The one you brought back from Zephyria." Daphne looked directly at her. "I know what you got."

Isabella neither denied nor confirmed. She picked up her coffee cup and took another sip, then set it down. "You say you saw it. So what do you think of that list?"

Daphne's fingers tapped lightly on the table's edge. "The first two pages are real. The third page—I'm not sure about."

"If you're not sure, you can have someone verify it." Isabella's tone was casual, almost careless. "Either way, I've already shut down that channel. Even if you wanted to look, you couldn't."

Daphne's gaze shifted slightly. She gave a low laugh. "You're more difficult than I expected."

"You're more direct than I expected." Isabella returned the comment. "But direct is good. Saves time. Just tell me—which part of that list do you want?"

Daphne didn't answer immediately.

She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, then set it down. "Aurora's contacts. Those six."

Isabella studied her, eyes darkening slightly. "Those six are all fabricated."

"I know." Daphne's voice was quiet. "But I need them to 'look' real."

For her purposes, that was enough.