Chapter 6 Erased Footage

• I thought surviving my first board meeting at Orion Corporation would be the hardest part of my day, but the elevator scene the previous day didn't let it happen.
• The boardroom felt colder than usual.
• Not physically.
• But in the way silence behaves when something dangerous has already happened and nobody is talking about it.
• I sat at the long glass table with my files neatly arranged in front of me, but I hadn’t looked at a single page in over ten minutes.
• My mind was still stuck at what had happened the previous day at the elevator.
• The flickering lights,the sudden stop.
• That shadow.
• And the way it ran past like it wasn’t part of this building at all but something that knew exactly where to go and how to disappear.
• I swallowed lightly and forced my eyes back to my report documents.
• The board members were already talking.
• Something I should have been listening to.
• But I wasn’t.
• Because I kept thinking.
• Who could have tampered with the elevator.
• That wasn’t random, it was obviously planned.
• “Miss Olive.”
• I froze slightly.
• My name snapped me back into the room.
• I looked up.
• One of the board members was staring at me.
• I cleared my throat quickly.
• “Yes, sir?”
• He adjusted his glasses.
• “Your department’s report on client acquisition strategies is incomplete.”
• I blinked.
• “I submitted the full file yesterday morning.”
• He looked down,then back up.
• “It appears the system shows only a partial upload.”
• "I'm not surprised," Maria said with a mocking laugh from across the table.
• "This is exactly what happens when you hand important work to someone who barely knows what she's doing."
• A few board members exchanged uncomfortable glances.
• Maria folded her arms confidently.
• "Orion Corporation isn't a training center. We can't keep babysitting untrained idiots."
• The words hit me harder than I expected.
• I forced myself to stay calm.
• "With all due respect, Miss Maria," I said evenly, "I uploaded the complete report yesterday. Something must have happened after I submitted it."
• Maria scoffed.
• "Excuses already? How predictable."
• My fingers tightened slightly on the table.
• That wasn’t possible.
• I always double-checked.
• My eyes shifted instinctively just for a second to Dennis.
• He wasn’t looking at me.
• But I could tell he was listening.
• Carefully.
• Too carefully.
• “I can resend it,” I said calmly.
• Before she could continue, the boardroom doors opened.
• Everyone turned.
• Daniel, the CEO’s personal assistant, stepped inside.
• And the entire atmosphere changed instantly.
• Without acknowledging anyone else, he walked straight to Dennis and leaned down to whisper something into his ear.
• I didn't hear anything.
• But whatever Daniel said made Dennis's expression harden.
• When Daniel stepped back, Dennis finally stood.
• The room went silent instantly.
• Every board member straightened.
• He didn’t speak at first.
• Just looked around the room slowly.
• “Meeting dismissed.”
• Two words that was it,no further explanation.
• He turned and walked out.
• And I followed without thinking.
• The hallway outside the boardroom was empty.
• Too empty.
• Like the building itself was holding its breath.
• Dennis stopped walking only when we were far enough from the room.
• Then he turned slightly.
• Not fully facing me.
• But enough.
• “ Someone accessed the CCTV from yesterday,” he said.
• My blood went cold.
• “The footage from the service elevator between 9:30pm to 11Pm is gone.
• I slowly looked up surprised.
• “That means someone planned it carefully.'' I replied quietly.
• His eyes shifted toward me then.
• Just slightly.
• “You think it was targeted?” he asked.
• I hesitated at first.
• “Yes,” I said finally. “It wasn’t random.”
• A heavy Silence settled between us.
• Then he spoke again.
• “The elevator system is secured. Only internal access can override it.”
• Daniel nodded.“ It's an inside job sir, someone with access“.
• My stomach tightened slightly.
• “So it’s someone inside the company?” I asked before I could stop myself.
• He didn’t answer immediately.
• And that silence was worse than a yes.
• He started walking again.
• I followed him.
• We didn’t go back to the boardroom.
• Instead, we ended up in a quieter corridor near the executive floor.
• No one around.
• Just glass walls and the faint hum of air systems.
• He finally stopped.
• Turned to me fully this time.
• And for the first time since the elevator.
• I felt like he was looking at me properly.
• Not as a secretary.Not as staff.
• But as someone who had been inside that moment with him.
• “You were in there,” he said quietly.
• I nodded.
• “Yes.”
• Another pause.
• His jaw tightened slightly.
• “Did you see anything?”
• I hesitated.
• The image flashed again.The shadow.
• The fast movement
• Too precise.
• “I saw something,” I admitted carefully. “But it was too quick to identify.”
• His gaze narrowed slightly.
• “Describe it.”
• I swallowed.
• “ I can't figure out the image I saw ,” I said. “But it passed above the elevator panel right before it shut down completely.”
• His expression didn’t change.
• That much was clear.
• Then he turned slightly away, as if thinking.
• “Whoever it was,” he said finally, “knew the system well enough to erase everything.”
• I felt a chill run down my spine.
• “And they didn’t leave a single trace?” I asked.
• Daniel shook his head once.
• “The person behind this knew exactly which cameras to wipe and exactly when to do it.”
• This means someone had done it intentionally with a hidden intention.
• And intention meant someone was aiming for something.
• Or someone.
• I opened my mouth to speak again.
• But stopped.
• Because something caught my attention.
• Down the corridor there was a faint movement.
• I looked, but I couldn't see anyone.
• Just a passing shadow near the glass exit doors.
• But I was sure I saw it.
• A figure.
• Standing still for half a second.
• Then gone.
• My breath caught slightly.
• I turned back to Dennis And Daniel.
• But they weren't looking at me anymore.
• They were looking at the same direction.
• “Did you see that?” I whispered.
• He didn’t answer immediately.
• Then slowly.
• “Yes.”
• His voice dropped lower.
• “Don’t move.” he said slowly.
• My pulse spiked instantly.
• “What is it?” I asked.
• But he didn’t respond.
• He was already walking towards the direction.
• Daniel and I followed instinctively.
• But when we reached the exit.
• There was no one.