A cold dread settled deep in Sera's stomach. Evelyn. The name echoed, a ghostly whisper from a past she desperately tried to forget, yet here it was, tied to a 'hidden vault' and 'proprietary assets' within Alaric Thorne’s empire.
Her family's stolen designs. Could they be the 'Evelyn Collection' Alaric spoke of?
This wasn't just about revenge anymore. It was about truth.
Sitting at her desk, the usual buzz of the office faded into background noise. Sera’s mind raced, piecing together fragments. She needed to investigate, but subtlety was key. Alaric Thorne was a predator, always watching.
Later that evening, after most colleagues had departed, Sera remained. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, a slight tremor running through them. She began with the most innocent search possible: 'Thorne Industries internal archives - proprietary assets.'
The company’s vast digital library loaded. Endless files, project codes, financial reports. It was a digital labyrinth, designed to overwhelm.
Hours passed. Sera sifted through general department folders, project outlines, and even old patent applications. Nothing explicit mentioning 'Evelyn' or a 'hidden vault.' The term 'proprietary assets' was too broad, appearing everywhere.
Frustration gnawed at her. This was harder than she anticipated.
Finally, nearing midnight, she found a series of encrypted files labeled 'Special Projects – Restricted Access.' A low thrum of excitement mixed with caution pulsed through her veins.
Perhaps this was it.
Trying to access them, a message flashed on her screen: 'Access Denied. Administrator Privileges Required.' Of course.
She logged out, erasing her browsing history. Alaric Thorne had eyes everywhere, even in the digital realm. Her first attempt yielded little, but confirmed her suspicions about the existence of highly guarded information.
Days turned into a grueling routine. Sera performed her duties flawlessly, never giving Alaric a reason to suspect. But beneath the surface, her investigation continued, more discreetly now.
Observing the movements of senior executives, she noticed a pattern. Certain individuals, particularly those from R&D and Legal, occasionally disappeared into a rarely used section of the executive floor.
A heavy, unmarked door. It always seemed to be locked.
One afternoon, she overheard two junior architects discussing a 'secure server room' on the second basement level, specifically mentioning 'legacy schematics' and 'old design prototypes.'
Legacy schematics. Design prototypes. The words resonated with her family’s history.
Taking a deep breath, Sera decided on a bolder approach. She fabricated a need for 'archived project data' for a task Alaric had assigned, something mundane enough not to raise red flags.
Approaching the IT department, she requested access to the 'historical design repository.' A young tech, barely out of college, looked up, his brow furrowed.