New Discovery

The morning light in the office had no right to be that bright. Not when Renee felt like she’d barely slept. Not when her pulse had been a constant staccato drum since last night’s confession to Sierra. Tyler was already at his desk when she walked in—tie loosened, sleeves rolled, hair slightly messy like he’d run his hands through it too many times. He didn’t look up when he said: “You’re early.” “So are you,” she replied, pretending her voice didn’t wobble. He didn’t respond. Didn’t smile. Didn’t tease. Instead, he clicked to the next tab on his screen with the kind of slow, deliberate calm that made Renee’s stomach twist. She set her bag down, trying to play it cool. “Did you get through the rest of last quarter’s files?” “No.” A beat. “I got through yours.” Her heart stopped. Just—stopped. Then picked up again, triple speed, like it was trying to escape her body. “Oh?” She swallowed. “And?” Tyler finally looked at her. Really looked. His eyes sweeping over her face, unreadable and too sharp for 9 a.m. “There’s something off in the records, Renee.” She forced a breath. “Off… how?” He clicked again. Numbers filled the screen. Columns. Dates. Codes she knew too well. “There’s a pattern,” he said. “Small transfers. Hidden in legitimate payments. Almost invisible unless you know exactly what to look for.” Her throat dried instantly. Because he was right. Because she had made sure those red flags were almost invisible. Almost. Tyler leaned back in his chair, gaze narrowing. “You want to explain this?” Renee felt the world close in—the hum of fluorescent lights, the tick of the wall clock, the faint scent of his cologne that suddenly felt suffocating. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied, and the lie tasted bitter. Tyler didn’t buy it. Not for a second. He stood, taking a single step closer to her. Not threatening—worse. Controlled. Calm. Calculated. “If there’s something I should know,” he said quietly, “now would be a very good time to tell me.” His voice wasn’t angry. It was disappointed. And that was somehow more terrifying. Renee met his eyes, pulse thundering, every instinct screaming to run. Because Tyler hadn’t just found the anomaly. He had started connecting the dots. And if he connected all of them… It wouldn’t just ruin the job. It would ruin her.