Chapter Two: The Traitor Within

Silence.

No one spoke.

No one even dared shift in their seats.

Alexander's words lingered in the air like a death sentence.

"Someone inside this company sold our secrets."

Every executive in the boardroom instinctively looked at one another.

Suspicion spread through the room faster than panic ever could.

At the head of the table, Frank Montuigo remained perfectly still.

His fingers rested lightly against the black folder before him.

His expression was unreadable.

Then.....

"What do you mean..."

His calm voice sliced through the silence.

"...our secrets?"

Alex met his father's eyes.

His face remained composed, but exhaustion was evident beneath it.

"I wish I had the answer."

A murmur swept across the room.

"You don't know?" one director blurted out.

Alex turned to him.

"I know the information was leaked, I know Helios had access to figures that should never have left this company, after a pause he continued, and I know someone betrayed Montuigo Group, but I don't yet know who."

Frank leaned back slowly.

"And your evidence?"

Alex reached for a folder resting on the table.

He slid two thick files toward his father.

"Our proposal."

"And Helios' final bid."

Frank opened the first file.

Then the second, page after page, profit projections, investment timelines, material costs as well as acquisition strategies.

Every figure was nearly identical.

Only one difference stood out.

Helios had reduced their final quotation by less than one percent........

Just enough to beat Montuigo Group.

Nothing more.

Frank shut the files, his jaw tightened.

"They knew exactly where to undercut us."

Alex nodded.

"They didn't guess, they knew." His voice boomed.

Silence settled once more.

One of the older directors slowly removed his glasses and retorted

"This proposal was classified and only the senior management had access."

"Correct." Alex dittoed

Alex pressed a button on the conference table. "And that is why I have this"

The projector flickered to life.

A list of names appeared.

Proposal Access Log

Alexander Montuigo - Executive Director.

Frank Montuigo - Chairman

Victor Hayes - Vice Chairman.

Sophia Grant - Chief Financial Officer.

Richard Cole - Chief Legal Officer.

Daniel Brooks - Executive Assistant.

"The list of people who had access to this file." He added

The room froze.

Six names.

Only six.

Frank's eyes lingered on the screen.

"So..."

His voice remained steady.

"The traitor is sitting somewhere among these six people."

No one answered.

The words were answer enough.

Victor Hayes suddenly pushed back his chair.

"This is ridiculous!"

His voice echoed through the room.

"I've devoted twenty-two years to this company!"

"You think I'd sell confidential information?"

Alex didn't react.

"I accused no one." He said

"But you just displayed our names!"

Victor shot back.

"You've made every one of us a suspect!"

Alex folded his hands behind his back.

"I displayed the facts and If the facts make you uncomfortable..."

His voice remained level.

"...perhaps the problem isn't the list."

Several directors lowered their heads.

Frank watched his son in silence.

There it was again.

The composure.

The ability to separate emotion from evidence.

It was exactly why he had entrusted Alex with increasing responsibilities over the past four years.

But being composed...

Didn't mean being right.

Frank rose from his chair.

The scrape of wood against polished flooring echoed through the room.

Every executive stood immediately.

"Sit."

His single word sent everyone back into their seats.

He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.

For several long moments, he said nothing.

Then..... He called out

"Head of Security!."

A man in a dark suit immediately stepped forward.

"Yes, Chairman."

"Effective immediately..."

Frank turned.

"Seal every executive office, no documents leave this building."

"No electronic devices leave this building."

"I want every access log, every surveillance recording, every email, every file transfer, review the last sixty days."

"Yes, Chairman." The man replied with a polite bow

Frank's gaze swept across the room.

"Until this investigation concludes..."

"...no executive is to discuss this matter outside this room and I don't care if it's your spouse, your child or your closest friend."

"If a single word leaves this building..."

His eyes hardened.

"...consider your resignation already accepted."

Not one person questioned the order.

The authority in Frank's voice left no room for argument.

He finally looked at Alex.

"You."

Alex stepped forward.

"You initiated this investigation."

"Yes, Chairman."

"You will lead it."

A flicker of surprise crossed several faces.

Frank continued.

"But understand this."

"If you accuse someone..."

"You have to prove it and you know I don't tolerate assumptions."

"I don't tolerate guesses and I certainly don't tolerate injustice."

Alex nodded once.

"I understand."

Frank walked back to his chair.

"The meeting is adjourned."

The executives began gathering their files.

Slowly.

Quietly.

Each one avoiding the eyes of the others.

Moments ago, they had entered this room as colleagues.

Now...

Every person wondered whether the traitor had been sitting beside them all along.

As the boardroom gradually emptied, Alex remained standing.

He stared at the list of names still projected onto the screen.

Six names.

Six trusted people.

One traitor.

Behind him, Frank spoke without turning around.

"Alexander."

"Yes, Chairman?"

Frank's voice was quieter now.

"The company can survive losing one contract."

Alex looked up.

"But it cannot survive losing its trust."

For the first time that morning...

Alex's confident expression faltered.

Because he understood exactly what his father meant.

Finding the traitor wasn't just be about recovering a lost contract.

It was about protecting the foundation on which the Montuigo Group had been built for generations.

Outside the boardroom, beyond the glass walls, whispers had already begun to spread through headquarters.

No one knew the details.

Only one thing was certain.

Something had broken inside the Montuigo Group.

And until the traitor was found...

No one was above suspicion.

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