MAKE HIM CALL SECURITY WHEN I GRABBED THE PAPERS FROM HIS DESK
Walking into Mr. Sterling’s office without knocking, I saw the document open on his desk beneath the lamp. The air in his office felt suddenly colder than the waiting room outside. The page glowed under the small desk lamp, stark white with heavy black text covering every inch of the expensive-looking paper. My name wasn’t anywhere obvious at first glance.
Then I saw it. A clause tucked away near the bottom, mentioning a “contingency in event of unforeseen circumstances” linked directly to the future of my entire division. My blood went cold, a sudden, nauseating rush. “What *is* this?” I demanded, my voice barely a whisper.
He spun around so fast his chair scraped the floor, his face instantly draining of color and twisting into pure, gut-wrenching panic. “How did you get in here? You weren’t supposed to see that!” It was the draft contract for the big takeover – but something crucial, something devastating for me, had been changed without anyone knowing. The crisp edges of the paper felt strangely slick under the lamplight.
Just as I reached across the desk, my fingers brushing the very edge of the document I desperately needed to pull closer and read fully, the heavy oak door clicked open behind me, and footsteps entered the room.
My assistant Sarah was standing in the doorway, her face completely white.
👇 Full story continued in the comments…Her eyes darted between me, the document, and Mr. Sterling, who looked like he was about to have a stroke. The silence stretched taut, heavy with unspoken accusations and sheer terror. My fingers, still hovering over the edge of the paper, trembled.
“What’s going on?” Sarah whispered, her voice tight with fear.
“Get out, Sarah!” Mr. Sterling bellowed, his voice cracking. “Now!”
But I didn’t wait. Driven by a desperate need to understand the betrayal written on that page, my hand shot forward. I clasped the heavy document, pulling it off the desk towards me. The lamplight glinted off the crisp white surface as I secured it in my grasp.
Sterling’s eyes bulged. “You can’t do that!” he shrieked, lunging forward as if to snatch it back, but he was too slow. The paper was now firmly in my hand.
He stopped dead, his face contorted with rage and panic. He ripped his desk phone from its cradle, his knuckles white. “Security!” he yelled into the receiver, his voice shaking. “Security to Sterling’s office immediately! We have an unauthorized person attempting theft of company property! Get up here *now*!”
He slammed the phone down, his chest heaving. His gaze was fixed on me, burning with a cold fury that replaced the earlier panic. “You just made the biggest mistake of your career,” he spat, adjusting his tie unnecessarily. “Trying to steal company documents. In front of a witness, no less.” He gestured towards Sarah, who stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide, hands pressed to her mouth.
The weight of the document in my hand felt suddenly immense. I hadn’t thought beyond the immediate need to see it, to understand the clause that threatened everything. Now, the reality of my impulsive action crashed down. Footsteps echoed faintly from the hallway, growing louder, faster. Sterling watched the door, a grim, triumphant look settling on his face. The heavy oak door frame filled with the imposing figures of two security guards, their faces impassive, their eyes scanning the scene.