Jane's POV


It began with a call.

A strange number flashed across my screen, there was no Identity and there was no origin, it was just static.

I answered, I expected silence, however, it wast deep, robotic voice that cracked through the line.


"Your company's data is ours now."

I froze and my stomach knotted. 'Who is this?"


'Pay fifty million dollars in crypto within seventy-two hours," the voice continued 'Or we will auction your files on the dark web."

The line then went dead.

I slammed the phone down and called for an emergency meeting and within twenty minutes, my core team was in the conference room, legal, IT, cybersecurity, and top-level execs.

'Talk to me," I said sharply.

My head of cybersecurity, Mika, looked pale. 'They weren't bluffing. We found the breach, it was real. They have everything, and employee records, financials, legal case files, even internal memos."

And there was a heavy silence that fell over the room.

My lawyer spoke next. 'If any of that leaks, it could impact current lawsuits, investor trust, partnerships and everything."

I took a deep breath. 'Trace the breach. I want to know how they got in and who let them."

Hours passed and screens flickered, code scrolls and sweat builds.

Then Mika looked up. 'We have got something, Trident Corp."

I blinked. 'The startup that has been all over the news lately?"

'Exactly," she said, 'But it is a shell and no proper employees, no real headquarters. Just offshore servers and false documents. Trident is a front."

'For what?"

'For a cyber-criminal syndicate," she said grimly. 'They offered destabilization services to rival companies. Smear campaigns, leaks, blackmail and we think they were hired to destroy you."

Later that night, the hackers released samples, edited versions of my internal strategy meetings. Out-of-context clips that made me sound ruthless, cold, even corrupt.

The media started to turn again and tweets flooded in, rumors sparked and hashtags trended. My board immediately held a private session.

'Jane," one of the directors said, 'maybe it is time to consider paying them. If the full leak happens, we are done."

'No," I said flatly. 'We don't negotiate with criminals."

They murmured and some shook their heads, however I stood firm and then someone crossed my mind suddenly.

I called Raheem.

He picked up after a pause. 'You really want my help again?"

'Yes. Just this once."

He sighed. 'Alright. I will contact you. Interpol cybercrime. High clearance."

The next day, a quiet woman named Agent Marlow from Interpol walks into my office.

'We will work in silence," she said 'You bait them. We trace them." And that night, I posted a cryptic message on my social feed.

"Transfer ready. The window closed in twelve hours."*

It was bait. The hackers thought I was preparing the ransom.

But on my end, we were running a digital trap embedding trace programs into every reply channel.

At 3 a.m. we got a ping and Mika yelled 'We got them! Location traced and server farm outside town!"

___

Anonymous Hackers POV

They thought they were safe and they thought firewalls and security teams could stop someone like me.

Fools.

I watched Jane Grande's company through my screens, rows of code dancing like fire across black glass. I have been inside their system for weeks now. I was quite Invisible, and watched everything, every email, every deal and every plan.

I didn't want war, I wanted payment and easy money.

So I called her.

'You don't know me," I say in a disguised voice. 'But I know you. Your company's data is ours now. Pay fifty million. Or we release it."

She was quiet.

Then she said no. No? She dared to say no?

I slammed my fist on the desk and these rich CEOs thought they were untouchable, but I knew her secrets now, every file, every flaw and her empire was built on glass. So I did what I do best.

I released a few things, just small leaks, that was just enough to scare her. Her company scrambled. They plug one hole. I opened five more and her team worked through the night, but I was always two steps ahead. I waited for the money.

But there was Nothing.

She was calling my bluff, that made me angry, however, deep down, I was impressed.

She was not like the others, she was sharp, ruthless and brave and this was purely business.

If she wouldn't pay, I would find someone who would and her competitors would kill for her research and then I sent out feelers on the dark web.

And then, there was silence.

Her system started pushing back, it was stronger firewalls and smarter traps. She had hired experts.

I had seen this move before, and it meant she was coming for me.

'Good! Let's see who wins. This isn't just a hack anymore. It's a game and I never lose,"

Jane's POV

I sat in the control room, and stared at the main screen. It was filled with numbers, codes, red warning signs flashing like sirens.

The room was quiet except for the soft beeping and tapping of keyboards, everyone was tense.

Mikal typed so fast, her eyes were darting across the monitor.

Then he yelled 'They blocked us again!"

I frozs. 'What do you mean blocked?"

'They knew we were tracing them and we got them," Mikal said. 'They cut the signal before we could lock the location and now we were back to zero."

My heart sank.

We were so close. I thought we could finally track them, this hacker was hiding in the shadows, he was blackmailing me and he was threatening everything I built.

But they were smart, they were too smart and I clenched my fists. 'Try again."

'We have tried three times," Mikal said. 'Each time they see us coming, They are using rotating VPNs, fake signals, and bounce servers across five continents. It is like chasing a ghost."

I nodded slowly and my brain turned like gears. If we couldn't find them by tracing, we would need another way.

I walked to the window and stared out at the city.

This hacker was patient, confident and dangerous.

I wouldn't let them win and then I took a deep breath.

'If we can't track them," I whisper, 'we will bait them."

Mikal asked, 'Bait?"

I face him. 'Let's see what happens when we play dirty."