The office was silent, save for the steady hum of the fluorescent lights above and the occasional tap of Elara's fingers on her keyboard. Cambria stood by the window, her eyes fixed on the city below, but her thoughts were elsewhere. The message from the unknown number had set her nerves on edge. The threat "I know everything. And I'm going to destroy you, Cambria" haunted her. She had no idea who it was, but the urgency in their words was undeniable. She couldn't afford to ignore it.
The world outside seemed unchanged people going about their lives, unaware of the war that was quietly unfolding behind the walls of her empire. But for Cambria, nothing would ever be the same. The betrayal by Maddox, the video that had torn her family's legacy apart, the looming threat of Elena all of it pressed on her with a weight that seemed unbearable.
Elara's voice broke through her thoughts. "Cambria, we need to get ahead of this. Elena is moving faster than we anticipated. She's getting help from someone close to you, and I need to find out who it is."
"I know," Cambria said quietly, still staring out at the city. "I don't trust anyone right now. Not even Maddox."
Elara moved closer, her footsteps light against the polished floor. "Cambria, we can't afford to shut everyone out. We need to know who's really behind this. And if we don't figure it out soon, Elena will have complete control."
Her words hit harder than she expected. Elena was playing a game Cambria wasn't sure she could win, and the rules were changing with every passing second. The video had already done its damage. Now, the only thing that mattered was finding the traitor in her midst. And the more she thought about it, the more Cambria realized that the biggest threat might not be Elena at all.
It could be someone within her own company.
The message from the unknown number was a warning, but it didn't specify who the enemy was. She couldn't afford to wait for more threats to surface. The time to act was now.
Elena's Strategy
As Cambria sat in her office, her mind raced through the possibilities. Who could be working with Elena? There were too many people with access to the inner workings of her business, too many potential suspects. The message had confirmed her worst fear that someone close to her was feeding Elena information. But who?
Maddox was still the most obvious suspect, despite his desperate attempt to win back her trust. He had been the one person she thought was completely loyal, yet his involvement with Elena's family had put everything into question. Had he been playing her from the beginning, or had he truly tried to help her from the inside? The fact that he was still trying to prove himself made it harder to see the truth. Was he just trying to salvage what was left of their relationship, or was he still secretly working with Elena?
There was also Knox Maddox's half brother. Cambria had never fully trusted him. He had always been too eager, too manipulative, and she had caught him in lies more than once. But could he be the one working with Elena? The thought chilled her, but she couldn't ignore the possibility. He had always been a wildcard, someone who could go either way, and he had the resources to hurt her if he wanted to.
And then there was the rest of the team her executives, her employees any of them could be the ones feeding Elena the information she needed. But no one else stood out as much as Maddox and Knox. And now, with the video circulating, Cambria had to figure out who was still loyal to her, and who had already made their choice.
"Elara," she said, her voice steady as she pulled herself from her thoughts, "I need a full audit of everyone with access to my accounts. We need to know who's been making calls, sending emails, who's been communicating with Elena. We'll find the leak. I'm sure of it."
Elara nodded, already pulling up files on her laptop. "I'll get started right away. But Cambria, we need to move quickly. Elena is making her move, and if she has someone inside, she could be one step ahead of us at all times."
"Then we make sure she's never one step ahead again," Cambria replied, her voice growing colder with each word. "It's time we turned the tables."
Maddox's Visit
The next few hours felt like a blur of phone calls, meetings, and strategies. Cambria worked through every possibility, sifting through the chaos that Elena had wrought. But no matter how hard she tried to focus, her thoughts kept circling back to one question what was Maddox's role in all of this?
As evening approached, there was a knock on her office door. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. His presence was like a shadow that had followed her everywhere she went.
"Maddox," Cambria said, her voice cool, emotionless. "I told you, I don't need your help right now."
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His face was strained, the weight of guilt still hanging over him like a dark cloud. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Cambria. I don't even expect you to trust me right now. But I need you to listen."
She turned toward him, her arms crossed. "What is it, Maddox? What else could you possibly have to say?"
He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers. "I'm not the one you should be worried about."
Cambria's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"I've been trying to fix this, Cambria," Maddox continued. "But I've realized something. Someone else has been pulling strings from behind the scenes. I thought it was all Elena. But I was wrong. Someone inside your company someone close to you has been working with her all along."
Cambria's heart skipped. Could it be true? Was Maddox finally admitting the full extent of the betrayal? Had he been complicit in this all along, or was he trying to protect her by pointing the finger at someone else?
"You don't know what you're talking about," Cambria said, her voice cold, but her mind was racing. "I don't have time for games, Maddox. If you're trying to protect yourself, I'm done. I won't tolerate any more lies."
"No," Maddox said quickly, shaking his head. "I'm not trying to protect myself. I'm telling you the truth. There's someone else involved. Someone close to you."
Before Cambria could respond, her phone buzzed again. It was Elara.
"Cambria, we have a problem. We've found the leak. It's worse than we thought. It's someone you know. Someone you've trusted."
Cambria's pulse quickened. Her eyes met Maddox's, and for the first time, she saw the same realization in his eyes. It was someone they both knew. Someone they both trusted.
Cambria's phone buzzed again, but this time, it wasn't Elara. The message was from an unknown number.
"Cambria, I'm still watching. The game isn't over yet. And neither is the truth."
The chill in her spine spread to her fingertips. Whoever was sending these messages, whoever was pulling the strings, had made it clear Cambria was not in control.
And as the seconds ticked by, she realized that in this dangerous game, the rules had already been rewritten. And this time, the enemy wasn't just someone she had already lost trust in it was someone who had been with her the entire time.
Who had been playing her all along?
The answer was coming for her, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face it.