And I would do it again without thinking twice. Elena's breath caught. For a moment, he thought she might say something that would change everything between them. But her phone buzzed, shattering the moment. She looked away, composing herself piece by piece.
Security found evidence in the catwalk," she said, her voice steadier now. ""Tools. Cut cables. They're reviewing all footage from the building."" She met his eyes again. "Whoever did this will be caught. Do you know why someone would target you like this?"
A bitter smile crossed Elena's face. "I'm a young woman running a multibillion-dollar company in an industry dominated by men who think they deserve what I have. I've made enemies, acquiring competitors, refusing partnerships, choosing merit over politics, she paused. The list of people who'd benefit from my death is longer than I'd like to admit. The casual way she said it, people who'd benefit from my death, made Marcus' hands curl into fists.
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.