CEO THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST A CLEANER—UNTIL SHE FIXED HIS $450 MILLION BLUEPRINT IN SECONDS!
Chapter 5
Lena called her mother that night.
She asked about her father’s old work.
Her mother became silent.
“Why are you asking?”
“Dad worked for Westbridge.”
“I know.”
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her mother sighed.
“Because your father didn’t want you involved.”
“Involved in what?”
“I don’t know everything.”
Lena waited.
Her mother finally said:
“He believed someone inside the company was stealing engineering designs.”
Lena froze.
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“Did he report it?”
“He tried.”
“What happened?”
“He lost his job.”
Lena stared at the wall.
That couldn’t be coincidence.
Her father had been fired from an engineering firm.
She had always believed it was because of a professional disagreement.
Now she knew there was more.
The next morning, Lena searched the Westbridge archives.
She found her father’s name.
Daniel Brooks.
Lead structural engineer.
Project: Harbor Point preliminary study.
Status: Terminated.
Reason: Confidential breach.
Lena stared.
Her father had supposedly stolen company information.
But the records didn’t explain what he had stolen.
She requested the original investigation file.
It was missing.
Adrian found her in the archive room.
“What are you doing?”
She showed him.
“My father worked for your company.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“I didn’t know.”
“He was accused of stealing information.”
“My father would have handled that.”
“Exactly.”
Adrian looked at the file.
Then he noticed something.
A signature.
His father’s.
“He fired your father.”
“Yes.”
Adrian looked troubled.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
They searched further.
An old project code appeared repeatedly:
WP-17.
Lena recognized it.
“What’s WP-17?”
Adrian shook his head.
“I’ve never heard of it.”
They searched the internal database.
Nothing.
Then Lena remembered the original blueprint.
The code was printed on the oldest version.
She enlarged the drawing.
WP-17 referred to a structural modification.
But it wasn’t part of Harbor Point.
It was something beneath the site.
A sealed underground chamber.
Adrian looked at her.
“Why would there be a chamber?”
Lena shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
They went to the project site.
The construction area was fenced off.
A security guard let them through after Adrian showed his identification.
Lena examined the ground.
The old warehouse had been demolished years earlier.
The site looked empty.
But beneath the surface were strange concrete foundations.
She measured the distance.
Then stopped.
“This is it.”
Adrian looked down.
“What?”
“WP-17.”
A section of concrete was exactly where the old blueprint indicated.
They called a survey team.
Radar scanning revealed a hollow structure beneath the ground.
A chamber.
Adrian stared.
“There’s something under here.”
Lena nodded.
“Your father knew about it.”
Adrian looked toward the skyline.
“What was he hiding?”
Before they could investigate further, Adrian received a call.
Victor Hale.
His voice was calm.
“You need to stop digging.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“How do you know what we’re doing?”
Victor paused.
Then said:
“Because your father made the same mistake.”
The call ended.
Lena looked at Adrian.
They both understood.
Victor knew exactly what was underground.
