"The project aims to create a new shopping center—"

Gustav stared at Ashley, who was seated at the end of the oval conference table.

It was already her third meeting of the day after spending the entire morning reviewing documents.

He stood quietly at the side, half listening to the presentation and half lost in thought.

It would be a lie to say she doesn’t surprise me.

When Ashley first arrived to run the company, Gustav hadn’t expected much. In fact, he had fully prepared himself to spoon-feed her everything.

At best, he thought she would simply occupy Lucian’s office so it wouldn’t look empty. Or that she would end up screwing some things up. Hence, he was secretly checking the ones she finished.

Who would’ve thought she would do the job far better than expected?

In the middle of his thoughts, Ashley suddenly raised a hand. The presenter immediately stopped.

Ashley rested both hands on the armrests and rose from her seat.

"Revise everything," she said.

The room fell silent, and confused eyes fixed on her. They haven’t even gone through half of the presentation, and so far, everything has been running smoothly until now.

"From the first slide to the last," she stressed. "Revise everything. You have another month to check everything, including site visits of this area."

The presenter froze. "But, Madam, we haven’t even finished—"

"You have one final chance to present this project to me." Her gaze swept across the entire team. "Otherwise, the project will be scrapped, and the team assigned to it will be disbanded."

She nodded. "One month."

With that, Ashley turned and walked out.

The conference room remained frozen.

Gustav glanced around. Everyone looked equally stunned and confused. Not surprising since even Gustav thought there was nothing wrong with the presentation. Yet, Ashley was asking them to revise everything in one month.

"I wonder why," he muttered under his breath as he glanced at the presentation. "It feels like the master."

Lucian often shut down presentations within minutes. Sometimes for serious reasons. Sometimes for reasons so petty they left people speechless.

He once rejected an entire proposal because the slides spent more effort looking beautiful than explaining what actually mattered. And then, another one because he disliked the font used.

Shaking his head, Gustav followed Ashley.

As they walked down the hallway, he quickened his pace. Before he could speak, Ashley raised a finger.

"Shh," she hushed. "Save it for a second."

So Gustav remained quiet until they entered Lucian’s office. The moment the door closed behind them, he spoke.

"I’m sorry about Lukas’s output."

Ashley didn’t respond. She simply stood where she was and looked around the office.

"I should’ve been firmer with him," Gustav continued. "Starting today, I’ll straighten him out. I won’t allow him back into the office until he’s recovered."

Still no response.

"Once everything settles down, I’ll make sure he faces appropriate consequences and penalties—"

"Gustav."

Ashley cut him off. She had already moved toward one of the bookshelves.

"Has Lucian ever ordered you to re-screen company employees?"

Gustav blinked. "Yes." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Still watching her move around the room, he nodded. "Before anything else, he always screens the people working closest to him."

Ashley pulled out a book and checked behind it. "And what were the results?"

"I found nothing suspicious." Gustav crossed his arms. "Everyone in this department undergoes extensive background checks, interviews, and reviews. We also investigate potential connections to our enemies."

He paused. "On top of that, we secretly conduct annual screenings."

Ashley moved to another shelf.

"Just as a precaution," Gustav continued. "Most employees aren’t aware of Dominion’s existence. And we don’t forget the possibility that any of them could be bribed despite the high paycheck and bonuses."

Many employees belonged to Dominion, while the rest were ordinary employees hired through standard procedures.

Security personnel, for example, all came from one of Dominion’s legal security subsidiaries.

Numerous positions throughout the company were occupied by Dominion members according to rank and expertise. The rest were hired through proper hiring procedures.

Gustav was about to elaborate further when his brows furrowed.

Ashley was now checking beneath the desk.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked, but didn’t get an answer. "Madam?"

Still nothing.

"If you’re worried about—"

"Check that side." Ashley pointed toward the opposite corner. "Stop talking and help."

Gustav frowned. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"An insect."

His brows tightened.

"There isn’t any insect—"

Then Ashley looked at him.

The moment their eyes met, Gustav fell silent.

Since when did I start understanding that look?

He let out a quiet breath. Without another word, he moved to the opposite side of the office.

Like Ashley, he began inspecting everything: books, shelves, furniture, tables, couches.

Nothing escaped inspection.

When he finished one side, he searched the other. Only after thoroughly checking every inch of the office did he straighten.

"Everything is clear on my side."

Ashley was leaning against the edge of the desk. Her head hung slightly. One hand rested against the polished surface.

"Am I losing my mind?" she murmured.

She ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek. "Am I becoming paranoid?"

Gustav cleared his throat. "Madam?"

She looked up.

"Everything alright?"

He already understood what she had been searching for.

A bug.

A listening device.

And frankly, he didn’t think it was an unreasonable concern. If Ashley suspected something, it was his responsibility to verify it. After all, Lucian’s office contained some of the most sensitive conversations in the entire building.

"Why do you think there’s a bug in the office?" he asked carefully. Then he quickly added, "Don’t misunderstand. If you suspect it, it’s my job to make sure this room is secure."

Lucian conducted similar inspections regularly. Not personally, but he frequently ordered Gustav to clear the office before important meetings.

Still, Ashley remained silent. Her eyes narrowed.

There was a suspicion she had been carrying since yesterday.

A suspicion she didn’t want to focus on yet.

But she hadn’t forgotten it either.

Then what made her suddenly act on it?

Her expression darkened.

"That project," she whispered. Her eyes sharpened. "Why is a project that shouldn’t be presented until next year sitting in front of me today?"

She huffed and turned to him again. "Do a secret investigation on everyone in the CEO’s department. See if there’s any suspicious activity."

Because deep down, her gut was telling her... someone was messing with her.