I Thought My Coworker Was Flirting With Someone Else Until She Pulled Me Aside and Told Me the Truth
Chapter 3
I didn’t sleep much that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same things.
Hannah laughing with Daniel.
The folder.
My employee ID.
The messages.
By morning, I had convinced myself to trust nobody.
That lasted until Hannah showed up at my desk with my coffee.
She set it down.
“You’re pale.”
“I didn’t sleep.”
“Why?”
I looked at her.
“Who has access to my old apartment?”
Her expression changed.
“Who told you about that?”
“So there is something.”
“Not here.”
“Then where?”
She looked around.
“Roof.”
We took the elevator to the top floor.
The city was gray beneath us.
Hannah leaned against the railing.
“You have to trust me.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because you keep looking at me like you don’t.”
“You were with Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“To protect you.”
“From what?”
She hesitated.
“From being the person they blame.”
I stared at her.
“Why me?”
“Because your department handles the final authorization reports.”
“So?”
“So if the money moves, the paper trail points to you.”
She handed me a small USB drive.
“What’s this?”
“Proof that your account was cloned.”
I looked at it.
“You copied it?”
“Yes.”
“From where?”
“Daniel’s laptop.”
I stared.
“You stole from an executive?”
“I borrowed something.”
“You stole it.”
She smiled faintly.
“I prefer borrowed.”
I couldn’t help laughing.
Then she became serious.
“I need you to do something.”
“What?”
“Pretend you don’t know anything.”
“That sounds difficult.”
“You’re good at it.”
I frowned.
“Thanks.”
She looked toward the door.
“There is a meeting tonight.”
“About the audit?”
“Yes.”
“Who’s attending?”
“Daniel. The CFO. The board’s legal adviser.”
“And us?”
“Only if we make it look accidental.”
I understood.
“We need to keep watching Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I think he’s taking orders from someone else.”
“Who?”
She didn’t answer.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because I don’t know.”
She walked toward the door.
I stopped her.
“Hannah.”
She turned.
“Did you ever flirt with me?”
She stared.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
A tiny smile appeared.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“You’re impossible.”
“You’ve been telling me to trust you while you’re hiding half the truth.”
She stepped closer.
“I’ve never lied about how I feel.”
That sentence stayed with me.
“Then how do you feel?”
She opened her mouth.
Then the door behind us clicked.
Someone was entering.
We moved apart.
The CFO walked onto the roof.
He looked at us.
“Everything okay?”
Hannah smiled.
“Just getting air.”
He nodded.
Then his eyes moved to me.
“Daniel asked me to check whether you’re ready for the meeting.”
“I am.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
After he left, Hannah whispered,
“He’s watching you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know more than you’re saying.”
She looked at me.
“Yes.”
“Then tell me.”
She took a breath.
“Your name appeared in a confidential report six months before you ever joined this company.”
I stared.
“What?”
“That’s impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
She showed me a document.
It contained my name.
A handwritten note.
Potential candidate. Strong compliance profile. No known family ties.
I frowned.
“Who wrote this?”
“Your signature wasn’t on it.”
“It wasn’t my signature.”
“I know.”
She looked at me.
“I think you were hired for a reason.”
I stared at the page.
“By whom?”
“That is what I’m trying to find out.”
Then her phone buzzed.
She checked it.
Her face went pale.
“What?”
She turned the screen toward me.
A photo.
My old apartment building.
Taken that morning.
Underneath:
He knows now.
I looked at Hannah.
“Who sent it?”
She whispered,
“They’re getting closer.”
And suddenly, our investigation was no longer about stolen money.
Someone had been watching me since before I even joined the company.
