The camera lens above the screen moved again, tilting downward to frame Alexander and me.

I felt a sudden chill run down my spine, as if a physical hand had touched my neck.

“They are watching us right now,” I said.

Alexander grabbed my arm, his grip firm but gentle, and pulled me away from the camera’s line of sight.

We stood in the shadow of a large concrete pillar near the hallway.

“The bypass was initiated forty-eight hours ago,” Alexander said, looking down at his phone.

He was scrolling through a system log, his thumb moving rapidly.

“Before I even brought you here,” I said.

“Yes,” he replied. “The moment I flagged this property as my primary residence in the company database.”

“Who has the keys, Alexander? Who could do this to your own system?”

He stared at the screen of his phone, his breathing shallow.

“Myself, my lead developer in Berlin, and Marcus Vance,” he said.

“Marcus is your chief of security,” I said, remembering the name from years ago.

“He’s been with you since the beginning.”