Chapter 6

It would be morning, and the sun light seeped through the blinds of Victoria’s apartment and formed a rectangle on the floor. She was seated at her kitchen table, keeping her laptop engaged at the newest details provided by Chloe. The conversation she had during the night was already in her mind. Adding to the intensity of the situation, Chloe had warned them about a new development.

Victoria’s phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. This was from Chloe meaning.

‘I have discovered something important.’ This means that it is time for me to meet you at the office because we can only discuss the issue that we have at hand.

Victoria frowned and suddenly became interested. If Chloe had come across something of significance, then this could be what they needed. She soon packed all her belongings, ready to solve the mystery that was bothering her.

At Carrington Tower, Victoria directly went to Chloe’s office, thanking God that no one was following her. The lobby that was often filled with social activity was rather tense and infused with the air of anticipation. She slowly got out of bed and walked toward Chloe’s workplace, holding the file tightly while her heels clicked on the hard floor of the corridor.

Chloe’s door was half opened, and so before stepping in, Victoria knocked. The latter was standing at her workplace wearing an austere look, and papers were all over the table.

“Morning,” Victoria greeted Edward and walked into the room.

I held my breath, waiting for her reaction; it was a combination of something resembling relief and apprehension. I'm glad you received my message; we have something to discuss about it.

Victoria sat right opposite Chloe and her body; you could feel the heavy beating of her heart. “What’s going on?”

Chloe brought it near her mouth and spoke softly. “I went through the threat messages and the prior board leaks; there is a pattern that does not indicate a furious insider.”

“That you were killed by a car crash!” Victoria answered shocked but immediately tried to regain her composure.

I went through the data, and while cross-checking some of the details with our network records, I stumbled on something that worried me, Chloe said.

We have access that leads back to this system; it belongs to someone who has the means and motive to do this to us.

Victoria’s pulse quickened. Just having a basic doubt, who are we talking about?

Chloe hesitated before responding. “Especially if it looks like it was carried out by a couple of rogue employees who have something to do with Alexander’s recent move against Carrington Enterprises? Clearly, somebody with a long-standing grudge against him is making use of this opportunity to bring down Carrington Enterprises and its CEO. ”

These words smirked on Victoria, and her brain started spinning. “But who would have the resources to pull something like this off? And why?” you may ask.

Chloe frowned, and her eyes turned into slits Jim detected. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. But there’s one name that keeps coming up in the background checks and financial transactions: William Davenport. ”

Victoria’s eyes widened. Looking at me, she seemed shocked. “Davenport? The chairman of the board?”

“Yes,” Chloe confirmed. “It appears he has been engaged in several suspicious deals that took place around the time of the threats and the board’s intrusion to the company’s business, probably as a way of consolidating power or to do away with Alexander.”

The thoughts raged inside of her, and she tried to process all the things that she had just heard. Davenport was an influential man, and if he was the one prone to making the threats, then it would be easy for the board to take aggressive action.

“It is time to go head to head with Davenport,” Victoria proclaimed. “If he is behind this, then he has to be outed.”

Chloe nodded. In this world, you can't afford to carry out a raid without any substantial evidence. I hope you understand.

Victoria let out the depressed breath, realizing the danger they were in. This was the tone in our conversations: “What do we do now?”

Chloe rose from the chair; her determination to get on with it was clearly written on her face. “I will continue my investigation and see what more I can find out, O'Reilly, sir. For now, we have to be very careful. Go on with the public outings and appearances as if there are no cracks within us; it’s the only way we can keep Davenport and his friends guessing.

Victoria nodded. "Okay, I will continue to engage my end and see what more I can get out of them... Let us communicate often and report whatever new discoveries we make.”

Victoria knew that she had to do something as she stepped out of Chloe’s office, but at the same time she was feeling nervous. They were in a very risky move, or at least so it seemed for them, and therefore it was not something that they could do hurriedly. She understood that to blow the lid off Davenport was a big prospect, but it was a prospect they had to take.

The evening spent together was followed by a business lunch, for which Victoria and Alexander were expected to appear in public together. It was, as has already been mentioned, a perfect chance to remind their audience of their status and to play the game of couple. However, the feeling that they were being watched never left Victoria, as they remained alert due to the danger around them.

During the luncheon, Victoria and Alexander had the company of other ironies of the city, with both of them being engaged in small talks and portraying a couple. This was in line with the perception of the public in regard to the event, but Victoria was so worried about the findings of Chloe.

And at the moment when they were about to go, Alexander whispered: Page 39. "Well, did everything go off as planned?”

Victoria nodded absent-mindedly. "Yes, for now. Hey, I have to speak to you about something.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is everything alright?”

“I do,” Victoria said, but her voice sounded uncertain. I have information about the threat, but I need to clear a few things before I do something.

Alexander’s expression grew serious. When we are out of the office, we will talk about this. We got to be careful. We can afford to be caught off guard like that.

It was a decision that Victoria could not agree with more because she immediately began to analyze the current situation that they are in. She realized fully well that there was no way that this was going to be an easy battle and that they had to brace for what was coming next.

The lines of attraction between Victoria and Alexander seemed to have thickened at Carrington Tower as they headed back to the office. Finally, Victoria was ready with the results, but she was also thinking about how to handle the issue appropriately.

They both went to the office where Alexander offered her the seat while she exploded with questions, so first and foremost she had to catch her breath.

I heard from Victoria this morning; she started the conversation earlier today.

”“She was reading something that looks like there is a plot to frustrate us, and the name Davenport has featured prominently.”

Alexander’s expression darkened. “Davenport? That is a very serious matter. What do we do next?”

“Let’s wait and see first before taking any action,” Victoria added.

“Chloe is on it, but while she sorts it, we carry on business as usual, and publicly, we have to be very careful of anything new out there.”

Bemusedly, Alexander scoffed and nodded his head. ‘Sure,’ he said. “Fine, we will wait and see how to go about it, and I will keep you posted.”

Victoria concurred, aware that everything that will happen next will greatly define their outcome. The other day as she was leaving the office, she had a kind of sensation that they were working on the very edge, and any moment a breakthrough will occur—some profound discovery that will redefine everything.

It was as Victoria came out of Carrington Tower that she noticed shadows standing across the street staring at her. In the dying light, she could hardly see the person’s face, but seeing them gave her the shivers. It was as if they were waiting for her to make a move, and she did so many times.

Reading the man’s actions and his ability to sneak around, Victoria left her car and quickly drove back, sensing danger was nearby. Could someone have been stalking her with the intention of threatening her, or have they been following her for some other evil purpose?

The answer was just out of reach, but one thing was certain: The danger was increasing and stakes were much higher than before.