Unsettling Encounters and a Guarded Confession

The next few days were a blur of nervous tension for Ellie. She carried the USB drive hidden deep within her uniform pocket, its presence a constant, unsettling reminder of the revelations she'd uncovered. The smiling faces of White House staff now seemed to hold hidden depths, and every polite inquiry felt like an interrogation.

Her paranoia wasn't entirely unfounded. She started noticing subtle changes. A Secret Service agent lingered a little too long outside a room she was cleaning. A new cleaner, a man with remarkably sharp eyes and a tendency to appear out of nowhere, seemed to be assigned to the same sections as her, his movements a little too precise, his questions about her Xanadu background a little too probing. He called himself "Gary," but Ellie felt an instinctive prickle of unease whenever he was near.

The most unnerving encounter came one afternoon when she was cleaning a seldom-used pantry. She heard footsteps approaching, slow and deliberate. She glanced out and saw Agent Miller, his usual stoic self, but his gaze seemed to be fixed on her, even from a distance. He paused, his eyes sweeping over the pantry door, then slowly continued walking. It was nothing overt, just a feeling, a subtle shift in the air, that made the hairs on her arms stand up. Was he one of "them"? Was he watching her?

Ellie knew she couldn't keep this to herself much longer. The burden was too heavy. And President Sterling had told her: "If you need me, you come directly to me." It was a leap of faith, but she felt an instinctual trust in him, despite the colossal gap in their positions. He had protected her before, even from her own blunders. Perhaps he could protect her from this.

That evening, as the White House began to quiet down, Ellie found President Sterling still in his study, buried under a mountain of briefing papers. He looked up as she entered, a rare smile gracing his tired face.

"Miss Chen. Trouble brewing with the dust bunnies again?" he quipped, gesturing to the floor.

Ellie swallowed hard. "Mr. President," she began, her voice barely a whisper, "I... I looked at the USB drive."

His expression immediately sobered. He pushed aside his papers, giving her his full attention. "And?"

"It's about my father. About a company, 'Northern Timber.' And a ledger. A missing ledger. And... a Minister Chen. My distant relative." She watched his face for any reaction, any sign of surprise or betrayal. There was none, just a deepening of the lines around his eyes.

"Project Phoenix?" he prompted, his voice low.

Ellie nodded, surprised he knew the name. "Yes. It seems... my father was framed. For embezzlement. To cover up something much bigger. Something Minister Chen was involved in. The ledger, it probably holds the proof." Her voice cracked slightly. "It's all so complicated, Mr. President. And terrifying. And now... now I think they know I know."

She recounted the Ambassador's unusually specific questions, her heightened sense of being watched, and the new cleaner, Gary, with his unsettling gaze. She didn't mention Agent Miller, still unsure of his role.

President Sterling listened patiently, his expression unreadable. When she finished, he leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled thoughtfully. "So, the shadows are indeed not just metaphorical. And they seem to be extending from Xanadu right into my White House." His voice held a dangerous edge Ellie hadn't heard before. "Minister Chen. A powerful man. Not afraid to play dirty."

He rose and walked to the window, looking out at the illuminated Washington Monument. "This changes things, Miss Chen. This isn't just about a father's framed reputation anymore. This is about foreign interference, potentially espionage, and it involves a US citizen – you – on US soil, right here in the Executive Residence. My residence." His voice, though calm, held a steel that sent a shiver down Ellie's spine.

He turned back to her, his gaze direct and resolute. "You did the right thing by telling me. We will handle this. But first, the USB drive. You still have it?"

Ellie nodded, pulling it out of her pocket.

"Good," he said, taking it from her. "From now on, Miss Chen, you tell me everything. Every strange encounter, every odd question. And you trust no one else. Understood?" His eyes held hers, a silent, powerful promise.

Ellie looked at him, the weight of her secret lifted, replaced by a new kind of fear, but also a profound sense of relief. "Understood, Mr. President," she whispered. The most powerful man in the world was now officially her protector. The thought was both terrifying and strangely comforting.