Building a Business Empire with my Technological System

Chapter 227: The Setup

Meanwhile, in New York, Elena Skies was in her office, oblivious to the trap that had been set for her. She believed that her plan was proceeding smoothly and that it was only a matter of time before she had the Medipod schematics in her possession.

Her confidence would soon be shattered.

"Mrs. Skies, you have to look at the news," her assistant was saying urgently as he entered her office, holding a tablet. "It's about Aegis Pharmaceuticals."

Elena frowned, taking the tablet from her assistant. "What is it now?"

There, Elena watched as the news anchor read out the news.

"Industrial espionage seems to be unfolding at Aegis Pharmaceuticals. Sources indicate a major security breach, with sensitive information about the company's strategic plans leaked. Speculations are rife about internal sabotage, raising questions about the company's operational integrity."

Elena's heart sank as she read further. The article detailed how plans to acquire proprietary technology from Reyes Corporation had been exposed. The media was already speculating about internal sabotage and the potential fallout for Aegis Pharmaceuticals.

"This can't be happening," Elena muttered, her confidence wavering for the first time. "How did this get out?"

Her assistant shifted nervously. "It seems like someone within the company leaked the information. We're still trying to identify the source."

Elena's mind raced. She had been so careful, to the point that only the board of directors and others knew about the plan. Could one of them have betrayed her? Or was there a mole she hadn't anticipated?

"Get me the IT department," she ordered. "I want a full investigation into this leak. Find out who's responsible and how this happened."

"Yes, Mrs. Skies," the assistant replied, hurrying out of the office to carry out her orders.

Elena paced the room, trying to calm her racing thoughts. This was a disaster. If the board found out about this, her position as CEO could be in jeopardy. She needed to act fast to contain the damage.

Minutes later, the head of IT, a wiry man named Thomas, entered her office. He looked concerned but composed.

"Mrs. Skies, we're already looking into the breach. Nothing conclusive has come up yet, but we have identified several possible sources. It's going to take some time to narrow it down," Thomas reported.

Elena nodded, her expression tense. "I understand, but time is something we don't have. The stock is plummeting, and the board is breathing down my neck. We need results, Thomas, and we need them fast."

Thomas nodded. "We're doing everything we can, Mrs. Skies. I'll keep you updated on our progress."

"Good," Elena said, dismissing him. As Thomas left, she turned back to her desk, her mind racing. She had to figure out a way to spin this situation to their advantage.

She picked up her phone and dialed Richard Lawson, one of the board members.

"Elena, what the hell is going on?"

"We're handling it, Richard," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "Our IT team is working to find the source of the leak. We're also preparing a statement to reassure the investors."

"You'd better be," Richard said sternly. "The board is not happy. We need answers, and we need them now."

"I understand," Elena said. "I'll keep you updated on our progress."

Hanging up, Elena felt a surge of frustration. The board's dissatisfaction was an added pressure she didn't need. It could be one of them who leaked the information. She couldn't trust anyone.

"Thomas!" she called out, her voice echoing in the spacious office. Thomas reappeared at the door, looking expectant.

"Yes, Mrs. Skies?"

"I need you to expand the investigation to include the board members. Someone close to us might be the leak. We can't rule out anyone at this point."

Thomas nodded, though his expression showed a hint of surprise. "Understood. I'll get on it right away."

Elena returned to her desk and took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts. She needed to stay composed and think strategically. This was a crisis, but it wasn't insurmountable. She had dealt with tough situations before and came out on top. This would be no different.

She picked up the phone again and called her public relations manager, Sarah. "Sarah, we need to get ahead of this. Prepare a press release acknowledging the breach but emphasizing that we are taking immediate and decisive action to address it. We need to reassure our investors and the public."

"Right away, Mrs. Skies," Sarah responded.

As Elena hung up, she received a notification on her tablet. It was a real-time update on Aegis Pharmaceuticals' stock. Her heart sank as she saw the numbers. The stock had dropped another 5% since she last checked. This was spiraling out of control faster than she had anticipated.

Determined to regain control, Elena called a meeting with her top executives. Within minutes, they were gathered in her office, each looking concerned but ready for action.

"We're facing a serious breach," Elena began. "Our primary goal right now is damage control. We need to identify the source of the leak, reassure our investors, and stabilize our stock. I want everyone working around the clock until we get this under control."

The executives nodded and immediately started discussing strategies and delegating tasks.

As the meeting continued, her assistant entered the room, looking more anxious than before.

"Mrs. Skies, there's something else."

"Is it urgent?"

"Yes."

"Everyone, I'll excuse myself," Elena said, standing up and motioning for her assistant to lead the way.

They stepped out into the corridor, and her assistant handed her a different tablet, a look of concern on his face.

"Mrs. Skies, there is something wrong with this issue. It all doesn't add up."

"How can you tell?"

"Well…Mrs. Skies, you are a meticulous person so whenever you do underhanded tactics to gain an advantage over your competitor, you keep it a secret from others well except from the rest. But the documents that have been released, I don't think match one of our classified documents."

"So you are saying?"

"The documents are falsified. We went into a panic without verifying the documents. However, as I was reading through all the documents, one of them stood out."

"What does it say?"

"It's one sentence. "We got you, Aegis Pharmaceutical. It's like a puzzle because of the redacted names and other details, but it's clear someone wanted us to see this."

Elena's eyes narrowed as she processed the information. "So, this isn't just a leak. It's a setup."

Her assistant nodded. "It appears that way. And I think the Reyes Corporation knew about everything."