Rae smiled when she saw something stand out from from her inbox filled with work. She thought that she was opening a birthday greeting. The email had the subject ‘Belated Happy Birthday” yet what was written in the message body sent chills up her spine.

'Stay out of the investigation. Be a good girl so you won't be next.'

She looked around the office but it seemed like no one had received the same disturbing email. Rae was puzzled why she got such letter.

'Out of sight. Out of mind.' Rae told herself when she decided to delete the message but not permanently since she decided to keep in the trash bin.

A minute after Rae saw her boss, their lawyers handling the case, and two police officers step out of the meeting room. She did not see them walk inside the room since she came for work, which meant they’ve been there before she arrived, which has been at least one hour.

Rae then connected the dots. Was the email meant as a threat related to the case?  

Rae was going crazy with the 'what-if’s' so she decided to ask for answers. She walked towards her boss’ office and knocked on the door to be let in.

“Yes Rae?” Her boss asked as soon as she entered the room. Rae immediately noticed the stressed look on his face.

“Why were the police and lawyers here? Is there any update?” Rae curiously asked. She has always been vocal about asking for updates, whether there has been a progress or not.

“Rae, I’m sorry but I can’t disclose any information right now. Please understand.” 

This statement made Rae more anxious. If they were keeping new information under wraps then it must be something big, and it can either be very bad news or  a good one, and she’s dearly hoping it’s the latter.

Rae has had a habit of checking the news on the phone during her lunch break. She usually checks out a mixture of news from entertainment to current events. She was in the middle of drinking her coffee when one headline caught her attention, it affected her so much that she choked on her drink.

The article stated that one of their witnesses for the case against the charity’s ex-vice president was involved in a car accident and died on the spot. Rae lost her appetite as soon as the information sink in. So that’s why they had a confidential meeting earlier. Her boss knew how this would throw her off and make everyone in the company scared.

‘The authorities are still investigating whether the accident was due to mechanical failure or human error.’

The more Rae read the article, the more her suspicions rose about the ‘accident’. The witness apparently rented a car to drive towards the countryside for a short vacation yet it ended in a nightmare when his car crashed.

This case is seemingly turning for the worse worse as they get more details and concrete evidence against Mr. Park, the once generous vice-president. The last Rae heard before this bad news was that the police received a legitimate tip that led them to the area where Mr. Park is supposedly hiding.

She just hoped this witness’ death won’t be in vain. She prayed that her parents won’t use this to really take her out from the company.

As news got out, the president finally stepped in to reassure every staff that the police are assisting them in stepping up to take more protective measure to keep everyone safe.

Rae heard murmurs from her other co-workers thinking of quitting because they feared for their lives. Rae couldn’t blame them. However, instead of feeling the same, Rae felt more compelled to see everything through and be more proactive in helping this case out.

She debated on whether she should tell her boss about the threat disguised as a birthday greeting that she received earlier. She got her answer when their lawyer advised them to report any suspicious happenings, even if it’s just a prank call and especially if they feel that they are being watched or followed.

Rae confided with the ones involved in the case. The I.T personnel tried to trace the IP address of the sender but the signal showed up in different cities.

“This looks like work from a professional. It won’t be long before they try to hack our system even though I already upgraded our security. We should all be careful with everything, whether it’s what we click online or the info we pass to whoever. You never know who can be listening.”