I Thought My Coworker Was Flirting With Someone Else Until She Pulled Me Aside and Told Me the Truth
Chapter 2
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was the only reaction my brain could find.
“My name?”
Hannah nodded.
“Your employee ID.”
“What evidence?”
She looked through the stairwell window before speaking.
“Someone has been moving money through one of our international accounts.”
“How much?”
“Almost four million dollars.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why my name?”
“Because your login credentials were used.”
“That isn’t possible.”
“It is.”
I shook my head.
“My password isn’t shared.”
“I know.”
“Then someone hacked me?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
She looked frustrated.
“I don’t know yet.”
“So why were you with Daniel?”
“Because I think he knows more than he’s telling us.”
That confused me even more.
“You were flirting with him to investigate him?”
“Yes.”
“You had your hand on him.”
“I needed him to talk.”
“You laughed.”
“He was telling me where the records were stored.”
I stared.
“You expected me to believe that?”
She sighed.
“I don’t expect you to believe anything.”
She reached into her bag.
Then handed me a folder.
Inside were screenshots.
My employee ID.
My password reset request.
Transaction approvals.
A digital signature.
All in my name.
I felt cold.
“I didn’t do this.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because the timestamps don’t match your calendar.”
I looked at her.
“You checked?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She hesitated.
Then said,
“Because I trust you.”
Those four words hit harder than they should have.
I looked back at the documents.
“Who else knows?”
“Daniel.”
“Anyone else?”
“Maybe the CFO.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because if they move the money again, you’re going to get blamed.”
I swallowed.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find proof.”
“By flirting with executives?”
She gave me a look.
“Apparently.”
I almost laughed.
She smiled.
For one second, things felt normal again.
Then she said,
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“Not even HR?”
“Especially not HR.”
“Why?”
“Because the HR director reports directly to Daniel.”
That made my stomach tighten.
“You really think this goes that high?”
“I know it does.”
“How?”
She pulled out another document.
A transfer from one of our shipping accounts into a private consulting firm.
The firm’s owner was Daniel’s brother.
I stared.
“That’s bad.”
“Yes.”
“Then why hasn’t anyone noticed?”
“Because the payments are hidden inside legitimate invoices.”
“How long?”
“Two years.”
I leaned against the wall.
“And Daniel?”
“He’s one of the people approving them.”
I looked at her.
“So why are you getting close to him?”
“To make him underestimate me.”
That answer sounded insane.
But somehow, I believed her.
Then the stairwell door opened.
We both turned.
Daniel stood there.
He looked at us.
His eyes moved from Hannah to me.
Then to the folder in my hand.
He smiled.
“Working through lunch?”
Hannah stepped forward.
“Just talking.”
Daniel nodded.
“Good.”
He walked away.
Hannah waited until the door closed.
Then whispered,
“He knows.”
“About us?”
“About the investigation.”
I looked at her.
“What do we do?”
She took my phone.
Removed the folder’s digital copies.
Then handed it back.
“Tonight, delete everything.”
“Why?”
“Because by tomorrow morning, someone is going to search your apartment.”
I stared at her.
“How do you know?”
She looked frightened.
“I found a duplicate key request.”
“My apartment?”
“No.”
She swallowed.
“Your old apartment.”
I frowned.
“You mean the apartment I moved out of last year?”
“Yes.”
“Why would anyone still have access?”
Hannah looked at me.
“That is exactly what I am trying to find out.”
She opened the stairwell door.
Then stopped.
“Don’t trust anyone who asks you about the audit.”
I nodded.
She left.
I stood there alone.
Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
One sentence.
Stop listening to Hannah.
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
She is not protecting you.
She is using you.
For the first time, I wondered whether Hannah had told me the truth.
