Chapter 33 - Confessions in the Dark
Elena stood perfectly still, her sharp gaze drilling relentlessly into Julian’s terrified eyes. The shock of the betrayal was rapidly morphing into a cold, calculated fury. She signaled for Vargas and his men to step back slightly, giving her the space she needed to confront the traitor who had infiltrated her inner circle.
"Explain?" Elena repeated, her voice dangerously quiet, lacking any trace of the warmth she usually showed him. "Explain how you orchestrated a cyberattack to steal millions of dollars from a charity fund meant for disaster victims? Explain how you sat right next to me, pretending to help me find the thief, while you were the one holding the digital knife?"
Julian slumped forward, looking utterly defeated. He didn't look like a criminal mastermind; he looked like a terrified, desperate young man who had made a catastrophic error in judgment.
"It wasn't my idea, I swear to God, Elena," he pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I didn't want to steal from the Foundation. I believe in what you do. I believe in your mother’s legacy."
"Your actions strongly contradict your words," Elena snapped harshly, refusing to offer an ounce of sympathy. "Who are you working for? Who gave you the malicious code to bypass our firewall?"
Julian swallowed hard, trembling violently. "I... I owe a massive amount of money. Gambling debts. Dangerous people bought my debt. They told me if I didn't plant the backdoor software on your server, they would hurt my family. They gave me the USB drive and told me exactly when to deploy it. I was just a pawn, Elena. They are the ones pulling the strings."
May you like
Elena’s expression hardened even further. "Who are 'they', Julian? Give me a name."
Julian hesitated, terrifyingly aware of the danger he was in. "They call themselves the Vanguard Syndicate."
