Maya left the conference room with her mind racing.
Olivia's confidence was unsettling.
Most people would panic after hearing their own voice used as evidence against them. But Olivia had laughed. She had remained calm—almost amused.
That meant one thing.
Olivia believed Maya still had nothing strong enough to hurt her.
The elevator ride down felt longer than usual. Maya leaned against the cold metal wall, replaying the conversation in her mind.
"Evidence can be dangerous… but only when it's used correctly."
Olivia's words echoed in her thoughts.
By the time Maya reached the building lobby, she had already made a decision.
She wasn't thinking big enough.
If Olivia felt untouchable, it meant the real evidence wasn't in conversations or small files.
It was somewhere deeper.
Somewhere powerful enough to destroy the entire system protecting Olivia.
That night, Maya met Ethan again at his apartment.
The room was filled with screens showing financial records and old investigation notes.
Ethan looked up when Maya entered.
"You look like someone who just discovered something important," he said.
Maya sat down across from him.
"Olivia isn't worried about the recording."
Ethan frowned.
"That means she knows it's not enough."
"Exactly."
Maya leaned forward.
"So we're looking in the wrong place."
Ethan crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"What are you thinking?"
Maya pointed at the files on his computer.
"The corruption you discovered three years ago—how big was it?"
Ethan sighed.
"Bigger than I could prove."
"How big?"
He hesitated before answering.
"Millions of dollars."
Maya's eyes widened.
"That's not small fraud."
"No," Ethan agreed quietly.
"That's organized financial crime."
Maya stood up slowly.
"If Olivia's father is involved…"
"Then exposing the truth would destroy the entire company," Ethan finished.
They both fell silent.
The idea was dangerous.
But it also explained Olivia's behavior.
She wasn't just protecting herself.
She was protecting a massive secret.
Ethan turned his laptop toward Maya.
"There is one system we never accessed."
"The executive financial database," Maya said immediately.
Ethan nodded.
"That system stores every internal financial transaction."
Maya stared at the screen.
"If the corruption is real, the proof must be there."
Ethan sighed.
"There's only one problem."
"What?"
"Only three people have access."
"Let me guess," Maya said.
Ethan nodded.
"The CEO… the chief financial officer… and Olivia."
Maya's jaw tightened.
Which meant Olivia had complete control over the most dangerous information in the company.
But suddenly Maya smiled.
"What?" Ethan asked.
"She's confident because she thinks we can't access it."
"And?"
Maya leaned forward.
"But she forgot something."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"People inside the company still hate her."
And somewhere inside that company…
Someone might be willing to help.