Chapter 6: The Enemy Inside the Company
Three days after the investigation began, Ethan Vance stopped pretending everything was normal.
The Grand Regent headquarters had become a place of tension.
Executives whispered in hallways.
Managers avoided eye contact.
Employees wondered who would be questioned next.
For years, the company had operated like a perfect machine.
Now Ethan was opening every hidden compartment.
And some things inside were not pretty.
Theodore Grant arrived at headquarters at exactly nine o’clock.
As always, he looked professional.
Perfect suit.
Perfect haircut.
Perfect confidence.
But his confidence was beginning to crack.
He entered Ethan’s office without waiting.
“We need to talk.””
Ethan looked up from his documents.
“Close the door.””
Theodore did.
“You’re making a mistake.””
Ethan continued reading.
“Explain.””
“You’re allowing emotions to influence business decisions.””
Ethan finally looked at him.
“Interesting.””
“What?””
“Everyone who is afraid of accountability suddenly calls it emotion.””
Theodore’s jaw tightened.
“I have spent eight years building this company.””
“No.””
Ethan shook his head.
“You helped manage it.””
Theodore stepped closer.
“You think you can walk in after months away and understand everything?””
Ethan remained calm.
“I understand enough.””
“Do you?””
Theodore laughed.
“You built a beautiful company, Ethan. But you were never interested in the details.””
That sentence was designed to hurt.
And it did.
Because part of Ethan feared it was true.
He had trusted people.
Maybe too much.
But trust was not weakness.
Betrayal was.
“I trusted you,” Ethan said quietly.
Theodore looked away.
“That was your choice.””
“And your mistake was believing trust meant permission.””
The room became silent.
Ethan placed a file on the desk.
“Northbridge Solutions.””
Theodore froze.
Only for a second.
But Ethan noticed.
“What about it?””
“You tell me.””
Theodore sat down slowly.
“I have no idea what you’re implying.””
“Good.””
Ethan opened another folder.
“Then you won’t mind answering questions.””
Theodore looked at him.
“Questions?””
“Yes.””
“From legal?””
“From investigators.””
Theodore’s expression changed.
“You’re investigating me?””
“I’m investigating everyone.””
“That includes your own executives?””
“That includes anyone who threatens this company.””
Theodore stood.
“This is insulting.””
“No.””
Ethan’s voice became firm.
“This is necessary.””
Theodore stared at him.
Then he smiled.
A small, cold smile.
“You really think you know everything.””
Ethan said nothing.
“You think you’re the hero because you caught a rude receptionist.””
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“This is not about Madison.””
Theodore smiled wider.
“Exactly.””
He walked toward the door.
“Because Madison was just a symptom.””
Ethan watched him carefully.
“What does that mean?””
Theodore stopped.
For a moment, it looked like he might reveal something.
Instead, he simply said:
“Ask yourself why the company changed while you were gone.””
Then he left.
Ethan sat silently.
Because those words bothered him.
Not because Theodore was right.
Because they suggested something larger.
That night, Ethan returned to the hotel.
Not as the owner.
As a guest.
He walked through the lobby where everything had started.
Madison was gone.
Her position had been temporarily filled.
Lupita was working nearby.
When she saw Ethan, she smiled.
“Mr. Vance.””
“Lupita.””
She looked happier.
More confident.
“I heard things are changing.””
“They are.””
She nodded.
“That’s good.””
Ethan studied her.
“Lupita, I need to ask you something.””
“Of course.””
“Before that night, did you ever try to report problems?””
She became quiet.
“Yes.””
“How many times?””
“Three.””
“And what happened?””
She looked away.
“My reports disappeared.””
Ethan felt anger rise.
“Who received them?””
“My manager.””
“Who reported to?””
She hesitated.
“Regional management.””
Theodore.
Again.
Ethan thanked her.
Then he walked away.
But this time, he knew.
The problem was deeper than one executive.
Someone had built a system where complaints vanished.
Where employees stayed silent.
Where guests were judged.
Someone had slowly changed the company Ethan built.
And now Ethan was ready to tear that system apart.
But before he could continue, his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A disguised voice spoke.
“Mr. Vance.””
“Who is this?””
“Someone who knows what happened to your wife’s investigation.””
Ethan froze.
“What?””
“You’re looking in the wrong place.””
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“Theodore Grant is not the only person involved.””
Ethan’s grip tightened around the phone.
“Where are you?””
But the caller was already ending the call.
Before disconnecting, the voice whispered one final sentence.
“The person closest to you is the one you should fear most.””
The call ended.
Ethan stood in the quiet lobby.
For the first time since starting the investigation, he felt something he rarely experienced.
Uncertainty.
Because if the enemy was truly someone close…
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Then the greatest betrayal had not happened outside his company.
It had been sitting beside him all along.
