Chapter 36
hapter 36 Traitor
36 Traitor
That sentence flew through the company like wildfire, reaching every corner in seconds.
Even though it felt like a lot had happened, barely a couple of minutes had passed.
Back in the IT department, people were catching on quickly.
“Isn’t Mr. Hayden still in the building? But I’ve never seen an office that fancy here before.”
“Seriously, that room looks like it belongs to someone high up. Only top execs get that kind of setup.”
Alice hit the intercom button.
“Security, this is IT. Someone is using a company computer near the CEO’s office to steal data. Please check it out.”
After she said that, the IT department went silent.
Chloe spoke up, “Maybe Mr. Hayden is just testing our system?”
Before anyone could say anything else, Troy’s sinister voice came through the speakers.
“I’m in. I’m downloading all the confidential files now.”
Chloe looked like she had been slapped across the face. Her cheeks turned red.
Alice threw it back at her. “Is this how your ‘drills‘ usually go?”
Chloe shut up right away.
Even if IT ran practice drills, giving full system access was never part of the plan.
It wasn’t allowed, and doing that would instantly raise suspicion.
So, whatever Troy was doing had definitely crossed the line.
Other departments might not get what was going on, but everyone here could reau the code flying by on the monitors.
It was obvious Troy was seriously trying to break in.
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11:19 Mon, 30 Jun G
36 Traitor
Right then, Alice hit a few keys, and security camera footage popped up live on the screen.
The guards showed up near the CEO’s office on the top floor.
Just as they were about to knock on Ruby’s door, Alice said, “Try the room next door . ”
They didn’t waste time, ditched the knocking, and stormed straight in
Troy, completely spaced out and off in his world, whipped around in shock.
“What are you-
Before he could get another word out, the security team had already grabbed him.
Almost right after, the cyber police showed up.
The cops didn’t wait for higher–ups to say anything. They took him away immediately.
While that happened, Troy’s computer was still running what Alice had set up.
Sensitive company data was being copied.
The progress bar showed it was already 60% done.
Officers snapped photos and gathered digital evidence.
Right when everyone thought the chaos had ended, Alice fired off a mass email across the
network. company
It read, “Why was Troy Hayden, who already quit, caught near the CEO’s office? Ms. Randall, mind explaining?”
That one line turned everything upside down for Ruby .
-Nobody dared bring it up in the official group chat, but behind the scenes? Total meltdown.
In the CEO’s private restroom, Ruby stared at the email, her expression stormy.
Thankfully, she’d stepped out earlier to the restroom since she wasn’t feeling w
If she’d still been in that office, security would’ve found her as well.
If the board started pointing fingers, she’d be the first to go.
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36 Traitor
Alice… that cunning woman ! I seriously underestimated her.
Ruby could only blame herself. She should’ve figured it out. If Alice were just some lucky charm, there’s no way she could’ve snapped Oscar and Erie back to normal.
It was obvious that Alice had a lot more going on beneath the surface.
Just then, Ruby’s phone rang.
It was Keith Zinn, the second–largest shareholder in the company and Jimmy’s close friend.
Even Ruby had to show respect to him. No way she was ignoring that call.
“Greetings, Mr. Zinn.”
“Oh, look who’s being polite now!” Keith snapped, clearly furious.
Ruby felt as if they were face–to–face, and he might’ve exploded on her.
She forced a smile. “Please, Mr. Zinn, don’t be upset.”
“How am I supposed to stay calm?” he barked.
“You let someone steal sensitive company info! Weren’t you saying you’re managing things for Oscar? You seem more like you’re trying to take over!”
Ruby quickly explained, “You’ve got the wrong idea. I’ll post a full explanation on the intranet right away. I swear it’ll clear things up.”
He snorted coldly. “Too late. Reporters are already sniffing around. You’d better pray it doesn’t blow up in the headlines. If it does, no one’s gonna save you.”
Ruby’s forehead was sweaty.
She hadn’t seen this mess hitting the media. Now it was spiraling fast.
She had a strong feeling Eric was behind the chaos, stirring the pot.
It was obvious he wanted to take her down.
But there was no way she would let them have their way.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it under control.”
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36 Traitor
After the call ended, her expression turned icy.