Chapter Six: Chosen

Emily couldn't stop thinking about the message. She had read it so many times that the words no longer looked real.

Chosen for what? And by whom?

She barely slept that night, and by morning, she had convinced herself that someone was trying to frighten her. She had no connection to Sterling Group beyond the job she desperately needed. At least, that's what she believed.

She arrived at work earlier than usual, hoping the familiar routine would settle her nerves, but it didn't. The moment Emily reached her desk, she noticed a thin folder sitting beside her computer as she saw that her name was written across it. She frowned because she hadn't seen it before.

Opening it, she found copies of her résumé, application form, references, and employment documents. Everything appeared normal until she reached the final page. A single sheet had been added to the file.

At the top was a date, three weeks before her interview. Emily's eyebrows drew together.

Below, it was a request for a background investigation.

Subject: Emily Carter.

Her heart skipped. Someone had investigated her before she had even attended the interview. She quickly scanned the page, but there was no name of the person who had requested it, only an internal Sterling Group reference number.

Emily stared at it. How could the company have a background report on her before she had even been interviewed?

“Emily?”

She quickly closed the folder as she heard her name.

Sophie stood beside her desk.

“You're here early.”

Emily forced a smile.

“Couldn't sleep.”

Sophie glanced at the folder.

“What are you working on?”

“Nothing important.”

Sophie gave her a suspicious look but didn't press.

Emily slipped the document into her bag. She needed to find out who had requested the investigation, and she knew exactly where to start.

Alexander was in his office when Emily knocked.

“Come in.”

She stepped inside.

He looked up from his computer.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

His eyes immediately settled on her expression.

“Something happened.”

It wasn't a question.

Emily placed the folder on his desk.

“I found this in my employment file.”

Alexander opened it, and his expression changed almost instantly.

Emily noticed.

“You know what it is.”

He continued reading.

“Where did you find this?”

“In my file.”

Alexander looked up.

“Who gave you access?”

“No one. It was already there.”

He picked up the document again.

Emily watched him carefully.

“This investigation was requested before my interview.”

Alexander didn't answer.

“Why?”

He finally looked at her.

“I don't know.”

Emily's frustration rose.

“You're the CEO. You expect me to believe you don't know?”

“I didn't authorize this.”

“Then who did?”

Alexander stood.

“I'll find out.”

Emily folded her arms.

“That's not good enough.”

His gaze softened.

“Emily, if someone investigated you before you joined this company, I need to know why.”

She stared at him.

“Someone already warned me.”

Alexander went still.

“What?”

Emily immediately regretted saying it. She hadn't planned to tell him but she couldn't keep carrying everything alone.

“Someone sent me a message.”

“What did it say?”

She hesitated before she showed him her phone.

Alexander read the message. His face hardened almost immediately.

“You should have told me immediately.”

“I didn't know if I could trust you.”

He looked at her for a long moment.

“That makes two of us.”

The words caught her off guard.

“What does that mean?”

Alexander closed the folder.

“It means I don't know who we can trust.”

For once, there was no arrogance in his voice but only concern.

Emily studied him.

“Did you hire me because of this?”

Alexander didn't answer immediately, and that silence told her more than she wanted to know.

“At first,” he finally said, “I needed to understand what happened with the briefcase.”

“And now?”

His eyes remained on hers.

“Now I'm trying to understand why someone was interested in you before you ever walked into this building.”

Emily's chest tightened because that was exactly what she had been afraid of.

Alexander moved around the desk and said

“I'll handle the investigation.”

Emily shook her head.

“No.”

He stopped.

“I want to know too.”

“It's dangerous.”

“So is being kept in the dark.”

For a moment, Alexander said nothing, and then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“You're stubborn.”

“I've been told.”

He almost smiled. The tension between them eased for a moment before his phone rang.

As he answered, Daniel's voice came through urgently.

Alexander's expression changed as he ended the call and looked at Emily.

“Someone accessed your employment file again.”

Emily's stomach dropped.

“Who?”

“We don't know yet.”

By lunchtime, Emily couldn't concentrate. She kept thinking about the investigation. Someone had looked into her life before she ever applied to Sterling Group, and that means it wasn't random and wasn't a mistake. Someone had known her name, and somehow, that person had wanted her inside the company.

Sophie noticed her distraction.

“You're definitely hiding something.”

Emily looked at her.

“I found something strange in my employment file.”

Sophie leaned closer.

“What kind of strange?”

“Someone investigated me before I was hired.”

Sophie frowned.

“Why would they do that?”

“I don't know.”

They were interrupted by a notification on Emily's computer. As she opened it, a new document appeared in her employee portal.

Background Investigation: Carter, Emily.

Emily's pulse quickened as she hadn't opened it.

Sophie leaned toward the screen.

“That's weird.”

Emily clicked the document, but it was empty except for one line.

You were never supposed to find this.

The screen immediately went blank. Emily stared at it as Sophie also looked unsettled.

“Okay. That's creepy.”

Emily closed the laptop. Someone knew she had found the file, which meant someone was watching her actions inside Sterling Group.

That evening, Alexander stood alone in the security room with Daniel. They had finally found the account responsible for accessing Emily's file.

Alexander stared at the screen and saw that the account belonged to an executive-level employee. Someone with unrestricted access to several departments.

Daniel watched him carefully.

“Do you know him?”

Alexander's expression remained hard.

“Yes.”

“Do you trust him?”

Alexander didn't answer. His eyes stayed on the name displayed on the screen. For years, the man had worked beside him, he had attended private meetings, handled sensitive information and in all, he had earned Alexander's trust and now, his credentials had been used to access Emily's file.

Alexander closed the screen.

“Don't tell anyone.”

Daniel nodded.

“And Emily?”

Alexander looked through the glass toward the nearly empty office floor. Emily was still at her desk. He watched her for a moment, and then his phone vibrated with an unknown number.

A message appeared.

You're looking in the wrong direction, Alexander.

Another message arrived

She was chosen long before you met her.

Alexander's blood ran cold.

Then a photograph appeared. He opened it and saw that it was Emily, standing outside her home, but the date on the photograph was from months before she applied to Sterling Group.

Alexander stared at the screen again.

Whoever had taken the photograph had been watching Emily long before the collision, long before the briefcase, long before he had ever known her name, and suddenly, Alexander understood something terrifying.

Emily hadn't accidentally entered his world, but someone had already brought her into it.