Chapter 130: The Sinking Office

Selen’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, her throat feeling dry as she faced the finality of the choice. Any response she typed now would be taken as an official, unalterable answer.

She was entirely done running away, but she still did not know if staying in Kent meant finding her ultimate security or stepping straight into another calculated configuration.

She clicked away on her keyboard, and closed her laptop with a firm click, the absolute clarity she needed still completely out of reach.

She decided to do one last thing to finalise her choice. She picked up the phone and called her assistant in Spain

Selen walked away from her computer and picked up her phone. She knew that waiting around for the automated screening queue in Madrid was completely unproductive.

Instead of dialing the main administrative hub, she bypassed the system entirely and called her personal assistant back in Spain on her direct line.

The call rang multiple times before it finally connected. Her assistant’s voice sounded frantic, low, and completely guarded. "Selen? You should not be calling this number right now. The office is in a complete lockdown." she said.

"I am calling because my stipend is delayed, my messages are being ignored, and I am entirely done being kept in the dark," Selen said, her tone sharp, direct, and completely stripped of any pleasantries.

She stood by the study window, her posture rigid as she forced her authority down the line. "I need answers right now. No more vague updates about executive logistics or budget restructuring. Tell me exactly what is going on at the ministry." she said clearly.

The assistant hesitated, her breathing shallow over the speaker. "I can not say anything, Selen. The confidentiality protocols are strict, and the oversight committee is monitoring all communication logs." she said.

"Listen to me carefully," Selen countered, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that left absolutely no room for negotiation.

"I am the one out here in Kent managing a foreign post under false parameters. My children’s healthcare funds are being blocked by your sudden bureaucracy. If you do not give me the truth this exact second, I will file an official breach report with the central council and pull your name into the middle of it. What are they hiding from me?" she threatened .

The threat worked. A sharp sigh came through the receiver, followed by the quiet sound of a door being locked on the other end. "Okay, fine, just please keep my name completely out of your official reports," the assistant stuttered out, her voice trembling.

"The department is facing a massive internal collapse. The primary legal advisor and a secondary ministry official named Maria, who was one of your direct bosses, is currently under investigation by the central authority. It is not a glitch or a budget delay. The ministry is incredibly strict and is following due protocol to the letter." she said.

Selen felt her chest tighten as the reality of the situation surfaced. Maria was the one who had cleared her relocation across the English Channel, signed off on her financial provisions, and guaranteed her family’s insulation from corporate pressure.

"What are the details of the investigation?" Selen asked. "They are auditing every single document, every contract, and every piece of personal capital Maria touched over the past five years," the assistant explained quickly, trying to pass the information before getting caught.

"Because the ministry is so strict about protocol, anyone and everyone associated with Maria is taking a hit as well. They have frozen the department’s active funds to prevent any unrequested movement. Even I am even taking a massive hit, Selen.

My access permissions were revoked this morning, and they are reviewing my personal files. You are facing these security blocks because your entire deployment layout was authorized under Maria’s jurisdiction. To the oversight committee, you look like part of her network." she explained.

"So they are cutting my family’s security just to follow a procedural timeline?" Selen asked, her fury rising.

"They do not care about your situation or your children’s medical checks right now," the assistant said honestly. "They only care about containment. Until the legal advisor clears the audit, your stipends will remain frozen, and nobody from the office is allowed to contact you. You are completely on your own out there." she said quickly.

The line went completely dead as the assistant hung up to avoid tracking. Selen slowly lowered the phone, a profound sense of clarity finally taking over her spinning thoughts.

Everything was finally beginning to make sense. The silence from her handler, the system errors on her terminal, and the delayed funds were not because her bosses were busy, it was because her bosses were being systematically dismantled by their own employers.

She walked back to her desk and stared at the open email from Robert Vance. The timing of Vanguard’s aggressive offer was no longer a mystery. The multi-billion-pound conglomerate must have flagged the ministry’s internal investigation through their own high-level networks.

They knew Selen’s safety net was actively breaking down before she even realized it herself. Vance’s Monday deadline was a calculated move to corner her at her absolute most vulnerable moment, offering her an independent line of defense just as her foreign post turned into a total trap.

She sat down in her chair, her mind reviewing her final options. Staying with the Spanish office meant remaining tied to a sinking structure, facing permanent financial blocks, and leaving her children exposed to an administrative audit.

She looked out the window as the afternoon turned into evening. Clancy would be arriving soon to see the kids for their usual visit soon. He would notice the friction, he would see the delayed medical paperwork, and he would instantly try to intervene with his own family’s assets.

But after her silence in the foyer, she could

not bring herself to lean on his protection. She had to resolve this entirely on her own terms.

She reached out, opened her laptop terminal, and focused her gaze on Vanguard’s contract. The choice was heavy, but the parameters were clear. She had until Monday to sign her own rescue lines, or let the crumbling ministry drag her family down into the fallout.