Felix stared at the wall-sized display in silence.Rows of photographs covered the screen.

Names.

Locations.

Employment histories.

Patterns.

Connections.

Every piece of information they had been able to pull from Silas’s network sat organized in neat columns.

Dayo stood beside him with a cup of coffee that had gone cold almost thirty minutes ago. Neither of them had touched their drinks. The room was quiet except for the low hum of the servers running behind the glass partition.

Felix finally broke the silence. "We have all six."

Dayo nodded. "Show me."

Felix tapped a key.

The first photograph expanded.

A woman in her late thirties.

Sharp eyes.

Professional smile.

The kind of face people trusted instinctively.

"Wendy Brooks," Felix said.

Dayo immediately recognized her.

Alice’s therapist. Or at least the woman pretending to be one.

Felix continued. "Forty-one years old. Former behavioral consultant. Worked three years with a private intelligence firm before disappearing from public records."

Another file appeared.

"Not licensed as a therapist."

Dayo’s jaw tightened. "Of course she isn’t."

"She specializes in emotional extraction."

Dayo looked at him.

Felix shrugged.

"That’s what we call people like her."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she doesn’t force information out of people."

Felix enlarged several reports.

"She builds relationships."

Another report.

Another file.

Another identity.

"Friends."

Another.

"Mentors."

Another.

"Romantic partners."

Dayo sighed.

"So she gets people talking."

"Exactly."

Felix switched to the next photograph.

A tall man wearing glasses. Clean haircut. Forgettable face. The kind of face that disappeared in a crowd.

"Marcus Hale."

"What does he do?"

"Financial analyst."

Dayo looked at him weird how he had the same name with his late uncle.

Felix smirked.

"No."

Dayo nodded.

That answer told him enough. Marcus Hale was whatever Silas needed him to be. The title was irrelevant.

Felix continued. "Assigned to Valerie."

Dayo frowned. "Valerie?"

"Yeah."

He enlarged several photographs.

Coffee shops. Business events. Industry conferences. The same man appearing in different locations. Always nearby. Never too close.

"He’s been tracking her schedule for almost seven months."

Dayo stared at the screen. Seven months. That wasn’t surveillance. That was obsession.

Felix switched again.

A younger woman appeared.Dark hair. Friendly smile and a professional clothing.

"Rebecca Lin."

Another file.

"Assigned to Wayne."

"What was her angle?"

"Music production."

Dayo blinked that was a hook for Wayne he would have fall for he would always like to converse about music so she could succeed.

Felix nodded.

"She approached him twice."

"When?"

"Three months ago."

Felix opened two reports.

"Both times Wayne was too busy to notice."

A small smile escaped Dayo that sounded exactly like Wayne.

Felix moved on.

"Nathan Cole."

A photograph appeared. Corporate consultant. Clean suit. Perfect posture. Artificial smile.

"Assigned to Urich."

Dayo laughed softly.

"I almost feel bad for him."

Felix actually smiled.

"Why?"

"Imagine trying to manipulate Urich."

Felix nodded.

"According to the reports, Nathan hates him."

That got a genuine laugh from Dayo. The first one all morning.

Felix switched again.

Another operative.

Then another.

Every executive.

Every close associate.

Every person Silas believed could provide information.

Each had been assigned someone.

Not to recruit.

Not to attack.

Not even to steal.

Simply to watch.

To wait.

To look for openings.

The realization made Dayo’s stomach twist.

The amount of patience behind it was unsettling.

Silas hadn’t built this network in weeks.

He had built it over years.

Quietly.

Methodically.

Without anyone noticing.

Dayo leaned against the table.

"So what’s the play?"

Felix looked at him.

"We tell them."

"Everything?"

"Not everything."

Dayo nodded.

That made sense.

The hard drive.

Michael.

The investigation.

None of that needed to be discussed.

Not yet.

"But enough."

Felix pointed toward the screen.

"They need faces."

Dayo understood immediately.

If people knew what to look for, they would recognize danger before it got close.

If they didn’t know, Wendy could happen again.

And they couldn’t afford another Wendy.

Not now.

Especially not now.

Felix closed several windows.

"We bring them together."

Dayo nodded.

"Today."

"Today."

The meeting was arranged less than two hours later.

The same conference room.

The same people.

Valerie arrived first.

Then Wayne.

Then Urich.

Alice came last.

She looked much better than she had a few days earlier.

Still tired.

Still carrying some guilt.

But better.

The moment everyone sat down, Valerie looked around the room.

"Okay."

She crossed her arms.

"What happened now?"

Wayne laughed.

"At this point I think that’s the official company greeting."

The tension eased slightly.

Even Dayo smiled.

Urich leaned back in his chair.

"I’d actually be more worried if Dayo called a meeting and said everything was fine."

"Fair."

Alice nodded immediately.

"Very fair."

The room laughed.

Dayo waited for the noise to settle.

Then he became serious.

The laughter faded naturally.

"First."

He looked toward Alice.

"I want to make something clear."

Alice immediately stiffened.

Dayo shook his head.

"You are not in trouble."

The relief on her face was immediate.

Visible.

Almost painful.

Dayo continued before she could speak.

"What happened wasn’t your fault."

Alice looked down at the table.

Dayo understood exactly what she was feeling.

The guilt.

The embarrassment.

The endless replaying of every conversation.

Every detail.

Every possibility.

Felix took over.

"The problem wasn’t Alice."

Everyone looked at him.

"The problem was preparation."

The large display behind him came alive.

Photographs appeared.

Names.

Profiles.

The room grew quiet.

Valerie leaned forward first.

"What is this?"

Felix pointed at Wendy’s picture.

"You’ve already met her."

Alice froze.

Immediately.

The color drained from her face.

"That’s Wendy."

Felix nodded.

"Yes."

Nobody spoke.

The room felt colder.

Alice stared at the screen.

Not because she was shocked.

Because everything suddenly made sense.

Every conversation.

Every question.

Every coincidence.

Every moment that had felt slightly off.

Now she understood why.

Dayo watched the realization happen.

It wasn’t pleasant.

But it was necessary.

Felix moved to the next image.

"These are the others."

One by one he introduced them.

Marcus.

Rebecca.

Nathan.

The rest.

Nobody interrupted.

Nobody joked.

Nobody laughed.

By the time he finished, the atmosphere had completely changed.

Valerie sat back slowly.

"You’re telling me these people have been following us?"

"Monitoring."

Urich snorted.

"That’s a very polite word."

Felix ignored him.

"They were looking for opportunities."

Wayne frowned.

"To do what exactly?"

"Get close."

That answer landed heavily.

Because everyone understood what came after that.

Conversations.

Trust.

Information.

Mistakes.

Alice finally spoke.

"So Wendy wasn’t random."

"No."

Felix’s answer was immediate.

"Nothing about Wendy was random."

Silence followed.

Not uncomfortable silence.

Processing silence.

Everyone trying to fit the pieces together.

Dayo stood.

"What I’m about to ask is simple."

All eyes shifted toward him.

"If any of these people approach you."

He pointed at the screen.

"Walk away."

Nobody spoke.

Dayo continued.

"Don’t confront them."

"Don’t threaten them."

"Don’t try to outsmart them."

He looked around the room.

"Just walk away and act tired or not interested don’t let them suspect we don’t want them spook that we know."

Valerie nodded slowly.

Wayne nodded too.

Alice looked relieved.

Urich looked disappointed.

Dayo noticed.

"Urich."

"What?"

"You are absolutely not allowed to mess with them."

The room erupted.

Even Alice laughed.

Urich looked offended.

"I’m hurt that you think I’d do that."

Valerie immediately pointed at him.

"You would absolutely do that."

Wayne nodded.

"One hundred percent."

Alice joined in.

"Without question."

The room burst into laughter again.

Urich sighed dramatically.

"This company has trust issues."

The mood lightened.

Just enough.

Not too much.

The seriousness remained.

But the fear was gone.

That was important.

Fear made people unpredictable.

Awareness made them careful.

And careful was exactly what Dayo needed.

After another fifteen minutes, the meeting ended.

People gathered their things.

Conversations started again.

Normal conversations.

Work.

Deadlines.

Artists.

Schedules.

Life returning to normal.

One by one they left.

Until only Dayo and Felix remained.

The conference room fell quiet again.

Dayo sat down heavily.

Felix looked at him.

"You okay?"

Dayo laughed softly.

"No."

"Fair."

They sat there for a few moments.

Neither speaking.

The building hummed around them.

Employees moved through hallways.

Phones rang somewhere in the distance.

Life continued.

But something had changed.

The board was shifting.

Slowly.

Almost invisibly.

Yet both of them could feel it.

Felix opened another file.

A new photograph appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

Dayo frowned.

"What are those?"

Felix zoomed in.

"Backup assets."

Dayo’s expression darkened.

"What do you mean backup assets?"

Felix rubbed the back of his neck.

"I mean if Silas lost one operative..."

He pointed toward Wendy.

"...he’d activate another."

The room became quiet again.

Dayo stared at the photographs.

New faces.

New names.

New identities.

People they had never seen before.

People who might already be moving.

Already watching.

Already waiting.

"How many?"

Felix hesitated.

Dayo immediately noticed.

"Felix."

Felix sighed.

"At least fifteen."

Dayo closed his eyes.

For a moment he simply sat there.

Fifteen.

Fifteen potential openings.

Fifteen possible threats.

Fifteen opportunities for something to go wrong.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked strangely calm.

Not relaxed.

Not comfortable.

Calm.

The dangerous kind.

The kind Felix recognized immediately.

"You’re angry."

"A little."

Felix laughed.

"A little?"

Dayo leaned back.

"I hate people touching my people."

Felix nodded.

That answer made sense.

More sense than anything else.

This wasn’t about information anymore.

It wasn’t even about strategy.

It was personal.

Silas had inserted strangers into the lives of people Dayo trusted.

People he considered family.

And that crossed a line.

A very specific line.

Felix studied him for a moment.

Then nodded slowly.

"Good."

Dayo raised an eyebrow.

"Good?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Felix smiled.

"Because I know that look."

Dayo sighed.

"No you don’t."

"I do."

Felix pointed at him.

"That’s the look you get before somebody regrets something."

For a second neither spoke.

Then Dayo laughed.

A genuine laugh.

Tired.

Frustrated.

But genuine.

Felix smiled too.

Outside the conference room, the company continued its day.

Inside, the game had quietly entered a new phase.

The operatives had been identified.

The warning had been given.

The leaks had been contained.

But somewhere beyond the walls of JD Records, other players were already moving.

People who didn’t yet realize their cover had been blown.

People who still believed they were invisible.

People who still believed they controlled the board.

And for the first time in a very long time, Dayo wasn’t interested in simply defending himself.

He was interested in finding out exactly how far the roots went.

Then pulling every single one of them out.

One by one.