Chapter 11 - Vance’s Counterattack
Two weeks into his new role in logistics, Ethan was working late at his cubicle when his computer screen suddenly flickered and went black.
A red warning banner flashed across the monitor: SYSTEM BREACH - UNAUTHORIZED DATA TRANSFER IN PROGRESS.
Ethan sprang to his feet, rushing over to Sarah's office, only to find her staring intently at her mainframe with a pale face.
'What's happening?' Ethan asked urgently.
'Someone is hacking our primary proprietary algorithms from inside the building,' Sarah said, her fingers flying across her keyboard. 'And they're routing it through your terminal credentials!'
Ethan's blood ran cold. 'My terminal? But I was just sitting there!'
Before Sarah could answer, the penthouse security doors burst open, and three armed federal agents strode into the room, flanked by local police.
'Ethan Hayes?' the lead agent asked, holding up an arrest warrant. 'You're under arrest for industrial cyber espionage against Sterling Technologies.'
Ethan stepped back in horror, shaking his head. 'No! This is a setup! I didn't do anything!'
Sarah stood up defensively. 'Agent, this is a mistake! His credentials were cloned!'
'Tell it to the judge,' the agent replied coldly as two officers grabbed Ethan's arms and slapped handcuffs on his wrists.
As they dragged him past the glass walls, Ethan caught a glimpse of Antoine stepping out of the private elevator, his face an mask of absolute stone.
'Antoine, you know I didn't do this!' Ethan shouted desperately as the elevator doors closed.
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Antoine watched him leave without a word, his expression unreadable, leaving Sarah and the entire office wondering if Antoine had turned on him.
In reality, Antoine knew exactly who was behind the frame-up-Victor Vance, striking back from the shadows.
