A mole

Declan's hand disappeared into his full, black hair, and he tugged on it. "This is a mess. How am I supposed to get anything done this way?"

Stan, his assistant, stood still, not daring to say a word. He stared at the file that Declan had arranged on the table, which was in complete disarray. However, to Declan, it was the only way he could easily find anything he was looking for.

"How did this happen?" Declan pointed to the site he was looking at – Bohan's investment, D' Factor's biggest rival. "They do everything D' Factor does, and they did it faster, just a few weeks after we added that feature to our program."

Declan had just developed a new program that allowed users to earn a twenty percent referral bonus after referring anyone to the site. It was an opportunity to win new users and a bonus no investment site had ever done before. He had spent weeks developing and perfecting the program. However, Bohan's investment had also added a referral bonus to their site, just like every added feature to his site.

"How did they get the program to release it so fast? I wrote this program myself, and when I was doing research, there was barely anything online to copy from. How did this happen?"

Stan stayed quiet.

Declan paced in his office, his feet leaving a soft sound on the tiled floor. Stan found interest in the floor, avoiding any eye contact with Declan. Declan paused, "I guess there is a mole in this office."

Stan knew that Declan wasn't asking him a question; he was only thinking out loud. He glared at Stan, "Get me every programmer that was present at the presentation of this program."

Stan didn't need to be told twice; he left immediately. Declan massaged his head with his palm. He couldn't believe that someone in his office would want to betray him. He had been doing everything to satisfy his employees. D' Factor paid the best for their workers, and there were other employee benefits included in their contract. There was also a retirement bonus, and he even helped his employees with tuition and allowed family vacations, some of which he sponsored. So why would anyone want to betray him in that way?

He sat down and started studying Bohan's investment site. It was like a photocopy of his. They offered everything he did, and they didn't have anything different from his. The only time they introduced something new was a few weeks after he had already done so.

The door to his office opened, making him shift his attention to the door. The programmers and technicians filed in, confusion was written all over their faces. He had never called for a meeting in his office; that was what the conference room was for. However, he didn't think he could wait until he entered the conference room. Stan came in last, closing the door behind him, with a grim look on his face. He knew this wasn't going to end well for them.

Declan smiled at them, but it was insincere. He smiled as if he was about to butcher them. "Did you guys see Bohan's new investment benefits strategy?"

One of them cleared his throat. Steve, one of his best technicians, spoke up. "Yes, I saw it. It's the same as ours."

"What do you guys have to say about that? I designed this program myself. No one outside of this company knows about it. So how could Bohan do this in just a week? If they had to do research, it should take them longer."

Everyone was quiet. They glanced at each other, but no one said anything. Declan stayed quiet, observing everyone. He had a feeling that whoever the mole was, they were bound to make a mistake. And when they did, he was going to find them and take drastic action.

"You can all go, but I give you twenty-four hours to find out how this is happening. I want to know how Bohan continues to have the same ideas as us."

There were groans, but no one dared say anything. Stan opened the door and glared at them as they filed out.

Declan picked up a drink from his bar and leaned back in his chair. "What do you think about me relieving them all of their duties?"

Stan shook his head. "Sir, that's going to cause a commotion. You will surely be falsely accused."

Declan grumbled, "Do I care about what people accuse me of? Tell me how this is happening." He glared at Stan. "And how did you not know that this was going to happen? You should have done your best to prevent this."

Stan sighed. "I once suggested that we place a spy in their company. That way, we can easily know what they're up to and prevent things like this."

Declan sighed too. "Do I look like I'll stoop that low? I built this company from scratch without engaging in anything illegal, and I won't start any illegal activities now that I've made a name for myself in this industry."

Stan chuckled. "Sir, that's one of the reasons I love working for you. You're honest, kind, and considerate of others' feelings, even when they're trying to hurt you."

Declan glared at Stan. "I don't like you right now unless you can figure out what's happening and who's causing us this problem."

Stan nodded. "I won't disappoint you again, sir."

Declan nodded as Stan walked out of his office. He took another sip of his drink before burying himself in his work. It was way past closing hours for his workers, but he didn't have a set closing time. He only left his office when he thought he had achieved his daily goal.

Sometimes, which was a lot of times, he ended up sleeping in his office just to achieve his goal. Today he wanted to just forget things. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.