The figure, now inside Snow's office, moved with chilling precision. They bypassed the main lights, using a small, specialized torch to illuminate specific areas. Their movements were methodical, clearly focused on information gathering rather than theft. Kane, watching from his vantage point, relayed every detail to Alex, his voice tight with anticipation.
Inside, the intruder made a beeline for Snow's main workstation. With practiced ease, they inserted a small, sophisticated device into a USB port, initiating a rapid data transfer. The screen glowed faintly, showing lines of code and diagrams of EdenTech's proprietary formulas and processes.
Snow, stirring from her doze, murmured softly, shifting in her chair. The intruder froze, a shadow clinging to the periphery of her awareness. They waited, motionless, until Snow settled back into a deeper sleep. Then, with renewed urgency, they accelerated the data transfer.
As the device whirred, downloading EdenTech's invaluable research, the intruder glanced towards Snow, a flicker of something unreadable in their eyes – not malice, but perhaps a cold, professional detachment. It was in this moment, as they briefly turned towards the ambient light filtering through the window, that Kane's high-powered camera captured a clear, undeniable image.
He zoomed in, his breath catching. "Alex," he whispered into his mic, a tremor in his voice. "I have a visual on the intruder. And… you're not going to believe this."
Alex's voice, usually so composed, held a rare note of impatience. "Who is it, Kane? Don't tell me it's Ravenna herself."
"Worse, sir," Kane replied, the single photo of the intruder, a still from his video feed, already encrypting and sending to Alex's phone. "It's Miss Cassandra."
A stunned silence stretched on Alex's end. "Cassandra?" he finally uttered, disbelief warring with a dawning realization. "But… she works for me. I just used her to expose Ravenna to Snow."
"Precisely, sir," Kane confirmed, his tone grim. "Looks like she's playing both sides, or perhaps… more than two. She's copying everything from Ms. White's main server right now. Proprietary formulas, research, financial projections… the works."
Alex's mind raced. Cassandra, the woman he had just used as a pawn, was now making her own game-altering move. This wasn't just about money for her; this was a complete betrayal, stealing EdenTech's entire intellectual property. And it was happening on his watch, under the very nose of the security he had put in place to watch Snow. The irony was bitter.
But then, a twisted, brilliant idea sparked in Alex's mind. A way to turn this disaster into a triumph. A way to completely discredit Andreas, and make Snow utterly dependent on him.
"Alright, Kane," Alex commanded, his voice now dangerously calm. "Do not interfere. Let her finish. But when she leaves, I want you to make sure a copy of her camera feed, the one on her lapel, and a few of her files, mysteriously fall into the hands of a very particular journalist. One who's known for exposing corporate espionage and high-profile betrayals. And make sure the leak points away from me, and possibly even hints at Andreas's security being compromised."
Kane paused, understanding the ruthlessness of the order. "Understood, sir. A strategic leak. She'll be exposed, and so will… others."
"Precisely," Alex purred. "Let's see how my brother, the 'protector,' handles this. And let's see how Snow Whitey reacts when she realizes the truth about her 'trusted' confidantes. This, Kane, is how you win the game."
Inside Snow's office, Cassandra completed the data transfer, her device beeping silently. She unplugged it, slid it back into her bag, and with one last, unreadable glance at the sleeping Snow, slipped back out through the fire escape, disappearing into the pre-dawn light, unaware that her act of betrayal had just been captured, and her fate sealed by a man far more ruthless than even Ravenna.