i P

dust of the elevator shaft, tied my hair into a sharp,

pping black coffee, and unlocke

ion badge popped up at

liked yo

nearly

, my coffee cup freezi

twelve accounts worldwide-all official NHL sponsors and charitable foundations. He had

f the dark offic

chel containing my backup flash drives, a

ficially sign off on my All-Star alt

of the third-floor design departme

of people working. It was the heavy, suffocati

rns were standing frozen at their desks,

hrough the air li

ial espi

out the

ing t

my drafting station, was Chloe. Her arms were crossed over h

h cold fury, flanked by two stone-faced corporate security

his voice shaking with rest

et muffling my heels, my chin held high d

going on

technical schematics onto my desk, se

ain t

thletics-our primary corporate rival in the NHL equipment bidding war. And tucked beneath the co

as open, displaying the completed log of a

g clear and hard through the quiet room. "

. "The league technical director flagged an unauthorized breach of Apex's confidential Al

gaze dead onto the IT technician. "What time

ated cron-script was scheduled from your terminal at ele

orious laugh that echoe

and third floors in Service Elevator B. I was stuck in that shaft from ten-thirty until past midnight. Building security has the resc

ugh the bullpen. Chloe's triumphant sneer

er before she left!" Chloe stammered,

g vector algorithms drawn on the competitor's shoulder yoke... They were identical to an early, rej

is had deliberately dug up my discarded mathematical m

al and the FBI complete their investigation, Miss Pittman, you are suspended w

she committed corporate espionage! That's a federal felony! We shouldn't just suspend

ummit, immediately jumped on Chloe's bandwagon. They didn't care about the truth or my elevator alibi;

's a thief!" a senior

ag her to the precinct!" another intern chimed

mob, hurling venomous insults

oice cracking as I tried to defend myself.

roar of forty people screaming for my downfall. They backed me against my desk,

spair and burning injustice washed over me. I was completely cornered,

rab my arms, a low, dangerously calm voice s

tly is goi