“It bypassed the standard firewalls because it was flagged as an internal security diagnostic,” he added.

“He masked it,” I said.

“Perfectly,” Alexander said. “Under the guise of protecting the company’s intellectual property.”

He locked the phone, then unlocked it again, his jaw set in a hard, rigid line.

“I need to hear him say it,” Alexander said.

He slid his finger across the screen and pressed the speed-dial for his chief of security.

The phone began to ring, the sound amplified by the concrete walls around us.

It rang three times before a deep, steady voice answered.

“Sir,” Marcus said. “I’m monitoring the penthouse feeds now. Is everything secured?”

Alexander did not answer immediately.

He let the silence stretch, heavy and thick with accusation.

“Where are you, Marcus?” Alexander asked.

“In the security hub at the office, sir,” Marcus said.

“You’re lying,” Alexander said.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

I could hear the faint, rhythmic clicking of a turn signal in the background of the call.

“Sir?” Marcus asked, his tone perfectly measured.