Chapter 9 Lines Blurred

• Mariana sat across from Diego in his dimly lit office, the air thick with unspoken accusations. He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin, studying her with sharp eyes that missed nothing. She knew the moment he closed the laptop the night before, her position had become more precarious than ever.
• “An IT glitch?” Diego’s voice was smooth, but the skepticism curled beneath it. “That’s what you were fixing on my laptop?”
• She nodded, feigning confidence. “Yes. The system was flagging restricted files under my profile. I was removing the alert before it raised security concerns.”