The conference room remained quiet for several seconds after Felix spoke.
Dayo sat across from him, one hand wrapped around the now lukewarm coffee while the black hard drive rested on the table between them like an unwanted third participant in the conversation.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, New York continued moving as though none of this existed.
Cars crawled through traffic.
People rushed along sidewalks.
Businesses opened.
etings started.
Entire lives unfolded.
anwhile, hidden behind layers of glass and steel, two n sat discussing information powerful enough to shake governnts.
Felix leaned back slightly.
Dayo looked at him "What is the plan?"
The question had been sitting in his head ever since Felix ntioned the possibility of a leak.
Not because he believed soone had betrayed him.
Because he couldn’t understand how the information had escaped.
Very few people knew about Luna.
Even fewer knew about Jennifer being his.
Those numbers beca even smaller when it ca to knowing both. His circle wasn’t large enough for random coincidence.
Sothing had happened.
The question was what.
Felix folded his arms before answering.
"Before I explain the plan, I want you to answer sothing honestly."
Dayo already knew that tone. Every ti Felix used it, the conversation usually beca uncomfortable.
"Go ahead."
Felix held his gaze. "Do you trust them?"
Dayo didn’t hesitate. "Yes I trust them."
The answer ca so quickly that Felix almost smiled.
Not because the answer surprised him because it didn’t.
Dayo continued. "Every single one of them."
Felix nodded slowly.
"That’s what I expected you to say."
"Because it’s true."
" Hahah I’m not arguing with you."
"Hehe not that you can win one against if one starts hehe."
The room settled again with a smile settling on both their faces.
Felix drumd his fingers against the table, then he spoke carefully. "I’m talking about Valerie. Urich. Wayne. Alice."
Dayo looked at him shaking his head.
"I know who you’re talking about."
"Good."
Felix nodded.
"Then tell why."
Dayo frowned.
"Why what?"
"Why do you trust them?"
The question felt strange.
Not because he lacked an answer.
Because he’d never needed to explain it before for a mont he looked toward the window.
Then he exhaled.
"Valerie practically runs half this company."
Felix remained silent.
Listening.
"When JD Records started growing faster than expected, she was the one who kept everything from collapsing. Investors, negotiations, artist managent, expansion plans, internal conflicts. Half the things I never had ti to deal with ended up on her desk."
He shook his head slightly.
"Most people see the title CEO and think it’s prestige. What they don’t see is the amount of pressure she absorbs every day."
"She was the one who started the company even before I ca I bought it from her hands and she stayed even when I was up against the whole Industry."
Felix nodded.
Dayo continued.
"Urich is even easier."
A small smile appeared.
"The man is insane."
Felix laughed.
"That’s probably accurate."
"He helped build systems most labels would kill for."
Dayo leaned forward slightly.
"Before JD Records beca what it is now, he already knew how large organizations worked. He was made a scapegoat cause of people’s mistake at UCL. They pushed him out. Their loss beca my gain."
"He built infrastructure."
"Exactly."
Dayo took another sip of coffee.
"Wayne was here before success."
His voice softened slightly.
"Before the awards. Before the artists. Before people cared."
A mory flashed briefly through his mind.
The first studio.
The old equipnt.
The uncertainty.
The impossible dreams.
"Wayne was producing songs when nobody knew who we were."
Felix nodded again.
"He stayed."
"Yeah he stayed and evolved."
The answer ca imdiately.
Then silence returned.
Only one na remained.
Felix noticed.
"So Alice?"
The room grew quieter.
Not awkward.
Just thoughtful.
Dayo stared at the coffee for a mont.
Then looked back up.
"When the whole world thought I sang nonsense during the Global Competition, nobody wanted to touch ."
The mory still carried weight.
Not anger.
Not anymore.
Just mory.
"Everyone was distancing themselves."
Felix already knew the story.
Still, he let Dayo continue.
"Alice released the original footage."
"Knowing what would happen."
"Knowing exactly what would happen."
Dayo nodded.
"She got fired for it."
The room fell silent again.
"She could have protected herself."
"Instead she protected you."
"Yes."
Dayo rubbed his jaw.
"And after all that she ca here. Helped build our marketing division from almost nothing."
"Not like we even had a marketing division during that ti."
Felix watched him carefully.
Then asked the question.
"Do you notice sothing?"
Dayo frowned.
"What?"
Felix sat forward.
"Every single thing you just ntioned was sothing they did for the company."
Dayo opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
Because halfway through the objection, he realized Felix was right.
Felix continued.
"You talk about Valerie running operations."
Dayo remained quiet.
"You talk about Urich building infrastructure."
Still quiet.
"You talk about Wayne staying during difficult years."
Dayo stared at him.
"You talk about Alice helping JD Records survive."
The room beca still.
Then Felix leaned back.
"You almost never talk about what they did for you."
The words landed harder than Dayo expected.
Not because they were cruel.
Because they were accurate.
For several seconds he said nothing.
His mind moved through years of mories.
Conversations.
Argunts.
Victories.
Failures.
Monts that had nothing to do with business, yet sohow he rarely frad them that way.
Eventually he sighed.
"I know."
Felix raised an eyebrow.
"You know?"
"I’ve always known."
The admission surprised even himself.
Felix waited.
Dayo rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I’ve never been particularly good with people emotionally."
Felix laughed imdiately.
"That might be the understatent of the century."
Dayo rolled his eyes.
"I’m serious."
"So am I."
The laughter faded.
Then Felix spoke more gently.
"You evaluate people logically."
Dayo nodded.
"I know."
"You always have."
Felix tapped the table.
"You look at systems."
Another tap.
"Patterns, results."
He shrugged.
"That’s how your brain works."
Dayo couldn’t argue, because it was the glaring true.
It had always been true.
Even before the system.
Even before the second life.
Even before fa, he had always been like this.
His mind naturally moved toward structure.
Toward outcos, toward cause and effect.
The only exception was Luna and that was after he heard of Jennifer.
Felix continued.
"The problem is that information doesn’t always move through systems."
Dayo looked up.
Now they were reaching the important part.
Felix folded his arms.
"Sotis information moves through people."
The room beca quiet.
"aning?"
Felix shrugged.
"A leak doesn’t require a traitor."
Dayo remained silent.
"A leak doesn’t require sobody getting paid."
Still silent.
"A leak doesn’t require malicious intent."
Now Dayo understood not that he didn’t know this just he hated leaks like this.
Felix leaned forward. "Sotis people talk."
The words hung between them.
"People complain."
Dayo listened.
"People vent."
Another pause.
"People drink."
Dayo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"People trust the wrong person."
The silence stretched.
Then Felix delivered the point.
"Sotis information leaks because sobody is lonely."
For a mont neither man spoke.
The statent settled naturally into the room.
Not dramatic, just uncomfortable because it felt true.
Dayo leaned back.
Thinking.
Really thinking.
Not like an executive.
Not like a strategist.
Not like soone hunting an enemy.
Like soone trying to understand people.
The realization wasn’t pleasant.
Because Felix was right.
Dayo understood betrayal.
He understood espionage.
He understood manipulation.
Those were predictable.
What he struggled with were ordinary human mistakes.
The harmless conversations.
The emotional monts.
The accidental disclosures.
The things people did without realizing the consequences.
Finally he exhaled.
"So what’s your plan?"
Felix smiled slightly.
Now they had arrived at the actual discussion.
"My plan is simple."
Dayo waited.
"We don’t investigate."
That imdiately caught his attention.
"We don’t?"
"No."
Felix shook his head.
"Not yet."
The room remained quiet.
Felix continued.
"No accusations, no traps or interrogations."
Then Felix spread his hands.
"We talk."
Dayo frowned.
"That’s the plan?"
"That’s the plan."
Felix nodded.
"Because if this was accidental, then understanding people matters more than understanding data."
The words made sense.
Annoyingly so.
Which ant Felix was probably right.
Again.
Dayo looked toward the windows.
The sunlight had climbed higher.
The city looked fully awake now.
For a mont he realized sothing uncomfortable.
He hadn’t actually sat down with all four of them together in months.
Not properly.
Not without an ergency.
Not without an agenda.
Michael.
The alliance.
Nigeria.
Montenegro.
The hard drive.
The bosses.
Every crisis demanded attention.
anwhile JD Records continued functioning.
Mostly because the people beneath him continued carrying their responsibilities.
The realization sat heavily in his chest.
Felix noticed imdiately "You see it now."
Dayo nodded slowly. "Yeah I do."
Then he pulled out his phone.
"I should call them."
"You should."
The first call went to Valerie.
She answered before the second ring.
"Please tell the building isn’t on fire."
Dayo blinked.
"What?"
Valerie laughed.
"You only call everybody together when sothing explodes."
A smile tugged at his mouth.
"That’s not true."
"It is absolutely true."
The confidence in her voice made arguing impossible.
For several monts they talked.
Not about business.
Not about reports.
Just life.
Then he explained.
"I want everyone in tomorrow."
Valerie imdiately understood the seriousness beneath the request.
Her tone beca professional.
"What ti?"
"Ten."
"I’ll clear my schedule."
"You don’t want details?"
"I’ll get details tomorrow."
The answer carried the sa calm confidence that made her such an effective CEO.
"Fair enough."
"I’ll see you tomorrow."
The call ended.
The next call went to Urich.
The assistant CEO answered while apparently eating sothing.
"Dayo."
Crunch.
"Dayo."
Another crunch.
"What?"
Dayo stared at the phone.
"Are you eating?"
"That’s usually how food works."
Felix imdiately started laughing.
Dayo ignored him.
"I need everyone tomorrow."
Urich sighed dramatically.
"Wonderful."
"What?"
"You disappear for weeks."
*Crunch.*
"You reappear."
*Crunch.*
"You summon etings."
*Crunch.*
"And sohow I’m always involved."
Dayo rubbed his forehead imagining how the six foot grew so much it seems he already the answer.
"You’re impossible."
"That’s rich coming from you."
Despite the sarcasm, there was warmth underneath.
The kind that ca from years of working together.
Eventually Urich agreed.
Then ended the call by complaining about executive life.
Dayo wasn’t entirely convinced he was joking.
The third call went to Wayne.
The producer answered imdiately.
"Dayo."
"Wayne."
A brief pause followed.
Then Wayne asked.
"When?"
Dayo smiled.
"Tomorrow."
"What ti?"
"Ten."
"I’ll be there."
No questions.
No complaints.
No hesitation.
Just trust.
The conversation lasted barely a few minutes.
Yet sohow it felt complete.
When the call ended, Felix shook his head.
"That man has never changed."
"That’s why I like him."
Then ca the final call.
Alice.
For so reason Dayo found himself hesitating briefly before pressing dial.
Not because anything was wrong.
Because he hadn’t spoken to her properly in longer than he should have.
The call connected.
"A miracle."
Dayo laughed imdiately.
"What?"
"You rembered my number." Her voice carried amusent.
Genuine amusent.
The kind that instantly made the conversation easier.
"I call occasionally."
"Twice this century."
"That’s unfair." Dayo said a bit defensive.
"It’s accurate."
The exchange continued naturally.
Comfortably.
Like old friends who understood each other’s rhythms.
Eventually Alice asked about Luna.
Then about Jennifer.
The conversation softened.
"How’s she doing?"
Dayo smiled despite himself.
"Growing too fast."
"That’s every parent’s complaint."
"It turns out they were right."
Alice laughed.
The sound felt lighter than he rembered.
Healthier.
Like soone who had finally found stability again.
They talked for several more minutes.
Then Dayo explained.
"I want everyone in tomorrow."
"eting?"
"Sort of."
She paused.
Then agreed.
"Alright."
"Ten."
"I’ll be there."
The call ended.
Dayo lowered the phone slowly.
For a mont the conference room beca completely silent.
The city stretched endlessly beyond the windows.
Sunlight reflected off distant buildings.
Traffic crawled below.
Life continued.
Felix looked up from his laptop.
"Everybody coming?"
"Yeah."
Felix nodded.
Then returned to typing.
Several seconds passed.
Then he stopped.
"Think we’ll find anything?"
The question lingered.
Dayo looked down at the black hard drive.
Then toward the city.
Then toward the empty chairs that would be filled tomorrow.
Valerie.
Urich.
Wayne.
Alice.
People who had helped build sothing from almost nothing.
People he trusted.
People he considered family whether he admitted it often or not.
The answer took longer than expected.
Because the truth wasn’t simple.
Eventually he exhaled.
"I hope not."
Felix understood imdiately.
Because finding the answer might solve one problem.
But it could easily create another.
And for the first ti since the hard drive arrived in New York, Dayo realized that so truths were far heavier than secrets.
So truths involved people you cared about.
Those were always the hardest ones to carry.
A/N: Sorry for not posting yesterday was still not myself but I am getting better and would try to keep it up. Thanks.
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