Emmanuel

Cave Season: Finding Glory in Hiding

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Chapter One: The Calm Before Elena's POV The sun was barely peeking through the curtains of the Marple View apartment when a cold, wet sensation hit my face."Wake up, Sleeping Beauty! The numbers are calling, and they sound very bored without you!"I gasped, sitting up so fast I nearly knocked heads with my younger sister. Maya was standing over the bed, holding a half-melted ice cube and wearing a mischievous grin that could only mean trouble."Maya! It’s still six in the morning!" I groaned, wiping a stray drop of water from my cheek. "I was having the best dream. I finally balanced a budget that had been haunting me for weeks.""You are such a nerd, El," Maya laughed, dancing away as I tossed a pillow at her. "Normal girls dream about vacations or handsome actors. You dream about spreadsheets. Now, get up! I made pancakes. Well, I tried to make pancakes. They’re a little… crunchy. But the coffee is perfect!"The morning was a whirlwind of sisterly chaos. Maya spent ten minutes trying to convince me to wear a bright red dress. "You’re twenty-four, not eighty!" Maya argued, holding the dress up. "You look like a spy in those gray suits. A very boring, very invisible spy.""Invisible is good, Maya," I said, sticking to her classic charcoal blazer and white blouse. "At Blackwood Global, you want to be the person no one notices. That way, no one asks you to do their extra filing.""One day, a handsome billionaire is going to see you across a crowded office and realize you’re a secret goddess," Maya teased, shoving a piece of overcooked pancake into her mouth.I rolled my eyes. "In the real world, Maya, billionaires only notice if their profit margins go down by one percent. Now, give me my bag. I can’t be late.""Love you, El! Don't let the numbers bite!" Maya called out as I headed for the door.The Blackwood Global Headquarters was a terrifyingly tall tower of glass and steel in the heart of New York City. It looked like a giant silver needle piercing the sky. To the rest of the world, it was a symbol of success. To me, it was just a place with very cold air conditioning and a lot of security guards.I swiped my badge at the front desk, and gave my usual polite nod to the guards."Morning, Elena," an older accountant from the fourth floor called out cheerfully. "Back for more punishment?""Just trying to keep the lights on, Marcus," I joked. I spent the day moving through the halls like a ghost. I was the ‘quiet girl’ in Finance. I grabbed my coffee, sat at my desk, and disappeared into my computer screen. My colleagues, Sarah and Dave, chatted about their weekend plans around me, but I just smiled and kept working. I was currently finishing up a massive report called the ‘Quarterly Asset Allocation’, a document so long and dry it would put a caffeinated squirrel to sleep.By 6:00 PM, the office began to empty. "You staying late again, Vance?" Dave asked, grabbing his coat. "The building feels creepy when the sun goes down.""Just another thirty minutes, Dave. I want to round up this Asset report before tomorrow morning," I replied without looking up."Suit yourself. Don't let the ghosts get you!"“Funny.”One by one, the lights on the main floor dimmed. By 8:00 PM, the floor was eerily silent. The only sound was the hum of the vending machine and the clicking of my keyboard. I finished the report and stretched, my back aching. "Finally," I whispered. I stood up like a robot, and went to save the work into the main server when my mouse hovered over a folder I had never noticed before. It wasn’t labeled with a department name or a date. It simply said: Project Hades.“What's this?”I double-clicked on the project immediately. The screen didn’t show boring tax forms. It showed maps… private shipping ports in Europe. Names of senators with dollar signs next to them. Then I saw the Expense list. It wasn’t for office chairs or laptops. It was for Logistics–Heavy Weaponry, and Clean-up–Nightshade.My breath hitched. ‘This isn’t a business, It’s a ledger for a global mafia network.’“Oh…my .” I muttered under my breath.I saw Killian Blackwood’s digital signature at the bottom of every page. My handsome, mysterious boss isn't just a businessman; he is a king of crime!“What the fuck,” my heart beginning to race.I knew I had to get out, but I needed proof. If I went to the police with just a story, I’d be dead by morning. I pulled a small silver USB drive from my bag and shoved it into the computer.Copying... 10%... 20%...The progress bar felt like it was moving in slow motion. I kept looking over my shoulder at the dark shadows of the empty office. Every little creak of the building made me jump.50%... 70%...“Come on, come on,” I hissed at the screen.99%... 100%.I grabbed the drive and stood up, my hands shaking so hard I almost dropped my bag. I needed to reach the elevators, get to the street, and find a crowded place. I turned toward the exit, and suddenly, the e

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