That's not normal. That's not acceptable. It's reality. Elena moved back toward the window, putting distance between them. And now I have to decide how to handle it.
Cancel the product launch, increase security, show weakness to everyone watching for me to fail. You show strength by staying alive, Marcus said. Everything else is secondary. She looked at him, something that might have been wonder in her expression. You really believe that?
I know what it's like to have someone depending on you. To know that your choices, your survival determines their entire world. Marcus thought of Lily. You have thousands of employees whose livelihoods depend on this company. You owe it to them to protect yourself.
Is that the only reason? Elena asked softly. The employees? The question hung between them, heavy with implications. Marcus wasn't ready to examine.
Before he could answer, the door opened. Webb entered with two other security personnel. Ms. Hart, we have a situation. His face was grim. We've identified the individual in the catwalk.
Elena's spine straightened. Authority flooding back into her posture. "Who?" "His name is Daniel Porter." He's been with building maintenance for 8 months.
Background check was clean. References verified. Webb pulled up an image on his tablet. A man in dark maintenance coveralls. His face clearly visible on the security footage.
But we just discovered his employment application used a false Social Security number. Someone planted him here. "Planted him?" Elena repeated. Someone spent 8 months positioning an operative inside my building just to That's our assessment.
We're searching his locker and contacting authorities now. Webb's expression darkened. But there's more. He pulled up another image, a screenshot of an email from an anonymous account. This was sent to three business journalists 40 minutes ago before the incident.
Marcus read the text over Elena's shoulder. Claims that Hart Technologies had been falsifying financial records, inflating revenue numbers, deceiving investors. The timing suggests whoever sent it expected you to be in no position to defend yourself. Webb said the full picture clicked into place. This wasn't just an assassination attempt.
It was coordinated destruction. Kill Elena. Release damaging accusations. Tank the company's value all at once. "The allegations are false," Elena said flatly.
Our books are audited quarterly by independent firms, but proving that will take time and the accusation alone will damage investor confidence. Not if you're standing in front of cameras tomorrow morning very much alive with security footage showing an attempted murder that coincides with fraudulent allegations. Webb leaned forward. That's not whistleblowing. That's a conspiracy.
We need to find Porter before he disappears, Elena said. And I want to know who hired him. Someone with resources. Someone who understands this company well enough to coordinate this kind of attack. We're on it.
Webb nodded. In the meantime, I'm assigning personal security. You don't go anywhere without protection until No. Elena's voice cut like steel. I'm not hiding behind bodyguards like I'm afraid.
We handle this intelligently, but I won't give anyone the satisfaction of seeing me cower. Webb looked like he wanted to argue, but knew better. At minimum, you need someone watching your immediate environment, someone you trust. Elena's eyes found Marcus. Something passed between them.
A silent conversation that excluded everyone else. Marcus stays close, she said. He's already proven he can identify threats I can't see. He works on the executive floor anyway. Nothing changes visibly, but he's there.
"Ms. Hart, with respect, Mr. Cole is maintenance staff." He's not trained for Mr. Cole saved my life while your security personnel were watching cameras and patrolling hallways. Elena's tone left no room for argument. I trust his instincts. He stays.
Webb nodded reluctantly. We'll need to brief him on protocols. Provide communication equipment. Fine, do it tonight. I want this handled before morning.
Elena turned to Marcus, her expression unreadable. Unless you have objections to expanding your responsibilities. Marcus thought about what he was being asked. Thought about Lily. About the risk of putting himself between Elena and whoever wanted her dead, about walking away, choosing safety, protecting the fragile stability they'd finally achieved.
But when he looked at the Lena, really looked at her, he saw the vulnerability she was hiding behind steel and authority. Saw someone who'd built walls so high she couldn't see over them anymore. Someone who trusted so few people that asking him to stay close was an act of profound faith. "No objections," he said. "Whatever you need."
The relief that flashed across Elena's face was brief, but it had been there. real and raw before she locked it away again. The next 3 hours blurred together. Security briefings, equipment distribution, coordination with law enforcement. Marcus was fitted with a discrete earpiece that connected him to the security network. Shown emergency protocols given access codes for systems he'd never imagined needing.
Web ran him through threat assessment basics. what to watch for how to respond. Your job isn't to engage threats, web emphasized. It's to get Ms. Hart to safety and alert us. You see something suspicious, you call it in. Understand?
Understood. Though privately, Marcus wondered what he'd actually do if someone threatened Elena in his presence. The tackle on stage had been pure instinct. He suspected his instincts wouldn't wait for security protocols. It was nearly 11:00 p.m. When he finally made it home, Mrs. Chen had put Lily to bed hours ago.
A note on the counter mentioned the math homework Lily had struggled with and the chicken soup warming in the fridge. Marcus stood in his daughter's doorway, watching her sleep. She clutched that worn, stuffed rabbit against her chest, breathing softly, completely unaware of what had happened today. He'd crossed so many lines. professional boundaries, class divisions, the careful distance he'd maintained between himself and Elena's world. Tomorrow he'd cross more, standing close to her, not as invisible maintenance staff, but as something else entirely.
His phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number. Thank you for today, for everything. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be complicated.