LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 129: Crisis
The sound of Elsa's war heels echoed around the silent hallways of the WireFrame building. Everybody was busy doing the best they can and the most important ones? They were in the crisis room.
She walked into the crisis room, the place a hive of activity as voices rose and keyboards clicked, everybody trying to contain the storm.
She walked until she stood at the center of the room. As always, she was dressed immaculately. She couldn't allow herself to show weakness in front of her employees who unconsciously looked to her for strength.
Besides, a disaster wasn't any excuse to look shabby. It wasn't as if this was not also a storm that would soon pass.
She crossed her arms, her eyes moving from screen to screen, taking in everything all at once. An unconscious smile appeared on her face at the thrill of it all. She really had been born for this. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire
The monitors kept displaying a constant stream of data, urgent emails, and news headlines speculating about the company's "security vulnerabilities." Her engineers and cybersecurity experts worked like there was no tomorrow, while the PR team huddled in one corner, whispering about statements and damage control.
There was a sense of hysteria everywhere and that was not good. She needed level headed people, not a panicking crowd.
"Everyone!" She called out, her clear voice ringing around the room. There was a moment of silence as everyone in the room turned to look at her.
"Focus, people! Do not panic! That's not what we're here to do. We're here to fix this and worrying will do no good, understand? This is WireFrame. We've done this before and we'll do this again." She nodded to them and her employees took a moment to calm themselves. Good.
"Now, I want my updates."
Her head of cybersecurity, a man who was always seen in a suit and nothing else, stepped forward, holding a tablet.
"So?" Elsa's eyes narrowed. "What's the scale of the damage?"
He hesitated and then sighed before answering. "Substantial."
"Some of our proprietary algorithms were leaked, and several client files have been accessed and copied. We've shut down the breach, but the damage has already been done. Preliminary analysis suggests this was deliberate sabotage."
"Sabotage?" Elsa frowned slightly. "By whom? What motive?"
He looked a bit uncomfortable as if he didn't want to confront reality as he answered her question. "We're still investigating, but given the timing and how effective it was, this feels... targeted. Like it could be internal."
"I see." Elsa's eyes roamed around the room, taking in the eyes of the workers who were watching the both of them instead of doing their job. Deliberate sabotage? That means it could be one of them. Whoever did it could be in this room with her right now.
If she found the person…
Whoever had done this knew exactly where to hit WireFrame. And now, their reputation as the gold standard in data security was under fire. Worse, this would directly impact Nico Voss and his plans for Imperium Holdings, something she couldn't allow.
"How's the client fallout?" She asked, looking towards her head of PR.
The woman grimaced. "Bad. We've already had two major clients pause their contracts and a third is threatening legal action. The press is circling like vultures, and competitors are using this to paint us as unreliable."
Elsa's eyes went to the huge monitors at the front of the room. "Not on my watch."
She turned back to the woman. "Draft a press release immediately. Acknowledge the breach, but emphasize that it's contained. Highlight our quick response and our commitment to transparency."
She turned to her head of cybersecurity. "I want a full forensic report on my desk by midnight. I want to know every employee that assessed the system. I want to know every step they took, and every file they accessed. Understood?"
"I'm on it." The man nodded.
Elsa turned to her COO, Sophia, who had been quietly monitoring the room. "Sophia, what's the financial exposure?"
Sophia flipped through her notes. "If we lose the three clients currently threatening to pull out, that's a $30 million revenue hit this quarter. If the breach shakes client confidence further, we could see up to $100 million in losses this fiscal year."
Elsa chuckled to herself as she heard those numbers. Her company has never once suffered a loss and this year won't be the time it'll happen. "We won't lose them." She said. "Offer discounts, additional services, whatever it takes to keep them on board."
Sophia nodded. "Understood."
She raised a brow as her head of PR raised a hesitant hand. "Elsa, the media's already running stories about 'WireFrame's fall from grace.' Do we address it directly or ignore it?"
"We don't ignore it." Elsa held her head high. "Have our social media wizards working their magic and schedule interviews with me for every major news outlet. I want our side of the story out there before the narrative gets away from us. We'll remind the world why WireFrame is the best in the business."
The hours dragged on and after some more damage control and a quick call to touch base with Nico, she found herself in her office with her head of cybersecurity standing at attention.
"So?" She raised a brow in question. "What did you find?"
"Here's the report." The suited man placed the file in front of her and as she opened and began reading, he explained. "We've traced the breach to an internal source, ma'am."
"One of our employees, Mr. Fiske, used his administrative privileges to plant a data siphoning tool. And as you already know, the tool targeted our client portfolios, algorithms, and... sensitive contracts. However, we're not sure about his motive."
"I see." Ezra flipped between the pages. "And where is he right now? This Mr… Fiske?"
"He's still in the building."
"Good." Elsa closed the report, looking up at the man. "Have him secured immediately."
"I already have men on it."
"Good." Elsa nodded before standing. "Let's see what he has to say for himself."