"And Ava's after-hours access?"
"Faked. The program created those logs to make it look like she was accessing sensitive files."
Max felt a mix of relief and anger. "So she's been set up. But by who?"
Alex's fingers danced across the keyboard again. "That's where it gets interesting. I managed to trace the origin of the program to an external server."
"Can you identify it?"
"Not directly. It's registered to a shell company – BlackStar Technologies."
Max frowned. The name didn't ring any bells. "Can you find out who's behind BlackStar?"
Alex shook his head. "That's beyond my expertise. You'd need a financial investigator for that."
Max nodded, his mind already racing. "I think I know someone who can help. Alex, thank you. This is... this changes everything."
"Happy to help. But Max?" Alex's expression turned serious. "Be careful. Whoever is behind this is dangerous and well-connected."
"I will be. And Alex? Not a word of this to anyone."
"Of course."
Max left Alex's office, h