Broken Code

Part 12

As I dug deeper into the mystery, Simon suddenly messaged me again. There was an unsettling tone to his words this time. We continued our exchange, but I began noticing peculiar details that made my stomach churn. He knew things about ongoing work projects—details that hadn't yet been published in our reports.

"You know," he wrote, "I have access to your computer and all the files on it."

His message hit me like a thunderclap. Corporate espionage? Surely not.

At first, I couldn't bring myself to believe it. Panic rose in my chest. How could this be possible? Surely this was some kind of twisted joke. Why would he even say such a thing?

I sat frozen, trying to process his words, when another message popped up.

"Don't panic. I have access to all the company's computers, but that doesn't mean I know everything about you. By now, though, you must have guessed who I am."

"Are you some kind of spy?" I asked bluntly, my anger flaring. "Why are you doing this? And why me?"

His reply came after a pause, as though he were savouring my indignation.

"I see you every day. I've liked you since the moment you joined, but I couldn't imagine flirting with you in the office."

"Well, obviously," I thought, rolling my eyes. The idea of someone openly behaving that way in our office was laughable.

"And you think this is acceptable?" I finally managed.

"I just didn't know any other way to approach you. The world is so complicated, and I wanted to know you better."

Simon's words left me reeling. Was he being sincere, or was this all some elaborate game? Then again, how many people in our company had access to the entire IT infrastructure? Five? Maybe ten?

One name popped into my mind: Jamal. He was notorious for boasting that the CIA was after him because he held the keys to half a thousand websites on our servers.

Could it be Jamal? The thought made my stomach sink. Not that I had much of a preference for anyone else, but the idea of it being him was... disappointing.