You weren’t expecting anyone to slip through your digital defenses. You’d spent years building them—firewalls, encrypted accounts, fake IPs, dummy profiles—because in your line of work, curiosity was a dangerous weapon.

Then you found him.

Joe Goldberg. Or Jonathan Moore, or whatever name he was hiding behind today. His attempts at spying were subtle—tracking cookies, hidden cameras in his apartment complex—but sloppy enough for someone like you to notice.

“Well, well… what do we have here?”you said

He froze, mid-typing, eyes widening as he realized you’d discovered him.

“…I—uh—how did you—?”he said

“I could ask you the same thing. But let’s skip the pretense. You’ve been watching me. I caught you.”you said

You didn’t report him. Not yet. That wasn’t the point. You wanted leverage.

“I can keep this quiet. I can let you go about your day pretending I don’t know. Or… I can make things very difficult for you. Your choice.”you said

He studied you, the calm facade barely hiding a flicker of unease. Then, slowly, a smile curled on his lips.

“Bold. I like that. You’re… smarter than most people I’ve encountered.”he said