Sophie stood outside Alex Wolf's office, her hand hovering over the polished brass door handle. The weight of what she'd uncovered pressed down on her shoulders like a lead blanket. Every instinct urged caution — but her gut told her that waiting could be worse.
She drew in a steadying breath, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
Alex sat behind his broad, dark-wood desk, the city skyline stretching out behind him like a living painting. A half-drunk coffee sat near his laptop, and a faint crease lined his brow as he scrolled through something on the screen. When he looked up and saw her, his expression hardened first, then flickered with curiosity.
"Sophie," he said, voice even but low. "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."
She didn't waste time. "Mr. Wolf, I found something. I think I know how the data leak at Vanessa's firm is happening."
His chair creaked softly as he leaned back, dark eyes pinning her in place. "Talk."
She stepped closer, heart pounding so hard she feared he could hear it. "Earlier, before my access got cut off and my laptop got infected — I noticed something odd. In about a third of Vanessa's firm's quarterly updates, there's a small hyperlink at the bottom. Always labeled something innocuous like 'Extended Forecast' or 'Supplemental Review.' It looked harmless — but when I clicked it, that's when the virus hit."
Alex's expression darkened, the room seeming to tighten around them.
"I took the files to IT," she pressed on, swallowing the dryness in her throat. "They confirmed it wasn't just my laptop at risk — that link was built to send copied data to a third party. And it's hidden in multiple reports over months. It's deliberate, not an accident."
He didn't speak right away, and the silence stretched, heavy as stone. Sophie forced herself to hold his gaze, even as part of her wanted to shrink back.
Finally, Alex rose, the movement slow, deliberate. He came around the desk until he stood just a few feet away, his height turning the space between them electric.
"You're telling me," he said, voice dangerously quiet, "that Vanessa's quarterly updates contain a built-in breach — one that's been active for months?"
"Yes," she said, her voice small but steady. "And it means someone inside her firm is either careless… or actively helping whoever wants that data."
His jaw clenched, the muscles shifting under his skin. "Show me."
With slightly shaking hands, she laid out her printed notes, the timeline she'd built, and circled every instance of the suspicious link. Alex leaned in, eyes narrowing as he traced the connections she'd found.
After a moment, he straightened, his gaze locking onto hers — sharp, assessing, yet tinged with something like reluctant respect.
"You've done good work," he said finally. "Very good work." Then, quieter, almost to himself: "Better than half the analysts in compliance."
She exhaled, the tension in her chest loosening just slightly — but only slightly.
Then his expression hardened again. "But do you have any idea what this means, Sophie? If we move on this too openly, Vanessa's firm could collapse overnight. Lawsuits. Regulatory investigations. And if she realizes we know, she'll bury whatever evidence remains."
Sophie swallowed. "What do we do?"
He paced back behind his desk, running a hand through his hair in a rare show of agitation. "We'll need to confirm the source of the malware, trace the destination, and see if there's a money trail. Quietly, and quickly. I'll have the security team and legal looped in — off the books."
"And me?" she asked, voice lower now.
Alex's gaze returned to her, sharp as a blade but softer around the edges than before. "You," he said, "keep digging. Quietly. Don't use the internal network. Use external sources, public records, anything else."
She nodded, feeling both the weight of the responsibility and an unexpected flicker of pride that he trusted her.
As she turned to leave, Alex called after her, voice rougher than before: "And Sophie — good work today. Really."
She paused, warmth flooding her chest despite everything. "Thank you, Mr. Wolf."
Outside the office, as the door clicked shut behind her, the adrenaline caught up with her — hands trembling, breath quickening. But underneath it all, something steadier had settled in.
For the first time since stepping into Wolf Industries, she wasn't just the assistant who stumbled into trouble.
She was part of something that mattered — and it terrified her and thrilled her in equal measure.
The door closed behind Sophie with a soft but final click.
Alex stayed where he was, eyes on the papers she'd left on his desk. The pattern she'd uncovered was sharper, clearer than anything his own analysts had flagged — a hidden thread of transactions and digital breadcrumbs leading directly toward Vanessa's firm.
For a moment, the satisfaction of discovery was tempered by a sharper awareness: Sophie now knew something that could ruin reputations, tank negotiations, and destabilize everything he had built.
And she was new. Untested. Emotional.
That thought sat like a stone in his chest. Useful, yes — but potentially explosive.
Alex turned toward the window, the city skyline cut by late-afternoon glare. His mind slipped into its familiar mode of calculation: ruthless, deliberate, step by step.
Step one: Contain the leak quietly. The trojan Sophie's computer caught had already tried to exfiltrate data; the IT team confirmed their firewalls blocked the worst of it. But the fact someone inside Vanessa's circle was willing to use malware to cover tracks made the threat immediate and real.
Step two: Track the recipient. Whoever planted the virus wouldn't have worked for free. Offshore accounts, hidden ownership structures — somewhere, there was a payment trail. If he found it, he'd have leverage.
Step three: Decide Vanessa's fate. She was a skilled negotiator, but if she was complicit — or even just reckless enough to let this happen — Alex couldn't afford sentiment. His reputation and Wolf Industries' stability came first.
He drew in a slow breath, the weight of leadership pressing harder than usual.
And then there was Sophie.
She had stumbled onto something that seasoned legal teams had Ms. ed. Instinct, luck, or sheer stubbornness — whatever it was, it had forced his hand sooner than planned.
Yet now, she carried fragments of a secret powerful enough to destroy Vanessa's firm — and damage his own if it leaked uncontrolled.
Alex ran a hand along his jaw, his expression unreadable.
Could she be trusted not to panic? Not to speak out of turn?
Or worse, could someone else coax it from her? She was sharp, yes, but also raw, untested — someone whose loyalty had yet to be proven.
He picked up the phone, dialing quickly. "Claire."
"Alex," came her calm reply.
"Have the security team isolate every external communication tied to Vanessa's firm for the last six months. Quietly. Only Mark handles the analysis."
"Understood," Claire said. Then, a pause. "And Sophie?"
"She keeps digging, but offline — public records, external data only," Alex said. His tone softened by a fraction. "She has good instincts, but she doesn't fully grasp how dangerous what she's found really is."
"Then maybe tell her," Claire suggested gently.
"I will — in time," he muttered, though he wasn't sure if it was for her protection or his.
"Alex," Claire added, her voice lower now, almost tired, "go home tonight. You look like you haven't slept in days."
His first reflex was to argue, but he caught himself.
Maybe she was right. Burnout served no one. Especially now.
"I'll think about it," he conceded, the closest thing to agreement she'd get.
After the call, Alex leaned back in his chair. His gaze moved from the city skyline to Sophie's notes, neat but urgent, filled with arrows and underlined dates.
She had moved pieces on the board he hadn't even known were loose.
And now, she held enough knowledge to force his hand — or become his strongest asset.
It was a risk. But business, he knew, was built on calculated risks.
His jaw tightened.
If Vanessa was behind the leak, he'd bring it to light — and take control.
If Sophie proved she could handle the weight of what she'd discovered, she might earn a place by his side — closer than any assistant before her.
But if she slipped, if the secret escaped her lips in the wrong company…
Then even Alex Wolf wouldn't be able to contain the fallout.
His next moves had to be precise. Quiet. Unrelenting.
And as for Sophie Carter…
She had just been given a glimpse behind the curtain — and there was no going back.