Chapter Twenty

Elsa collapsed onto her office bed, looking up at the ceiling and taking the idea of ditching work for the rest of the day very seriously. Her coworkers didn't want anything to do with her at best and despised her at worst, Sheila was gone because of her, Hannah definitely hated her, and Anna…

Well, in a strange turn of events, it seemed like the one person who hadn't been particularly nasty with her today was also the one person who had the most reason to. Aside from Hannah, who cashed in her "Be nasty to Elsa" card right away much like the majority of her employees.

Seeing the two of them together and in her territory, it was jarring and unexpected obviously, but it was also surreal. And Elsa, bystanders be damned, could have tried at least to bury the hatchet with the both of them today, and relieve at least one of the nagging headaches in her life; but instead she decided to be her usual, stubborn self and let the resentment towards her continue to pile up. She knew for sure that Hannah still hated her, but Anna?

There didn't seem to be any resentment on Anna's part, or at least there wasn't any on the surface, but how did Elsa feel towards her? Did she hate her? And what was their relationship now that their dirty laundry had finally been aired out? And why was she so relieved to hear that Anna and Hannah weren't dating? Amidst the craziness that occurred since the festival, Elsa hadn't placed much thought on any of these questions but seeing them again gave her enough reason to confront these thoughts head-on.

Which is exactly why she wanted to escape ArenCorp, to keep from having to confront these thoughts.

She wouldn't be afforded that luxury, however, because once she found the slightest motivation to at least sit up from her bed, her phone vibrated with a text message and photo from her least favorite person. Her stomach dropped when she unlocked her phone and saw the package of bad news awaiting her.

UNKNOWN: Well don't you two look like a perfect match. ; )

Accompanying this message was a picture of Anna and Elsa arguing just a few minutes ago, taken from somewhere outside the building. Elsa's back was turned towards the camera, but Anna's face could be seen as clear as day, looking like she wanted to be anywhere else in the world than talking to her. Trying to stay undeterred despite knowing how close her blackmailer was during this whole interaction- and trying to brush away the thought that her bad day had just gotten worse- Elsa replied.

Elsa: You've already proven that you've got eyes on me at all times, you creep. This is old news.

UNKNOWN: I am rubber, you are glue.

Elsa: I'm assuming you staged that display at the lobby.

UNKNOWN: Oh I wish, but some things just seem to fall perfectly into place without you having to lift a finger. This was one of those times.

Elsa wanted to be done with this pain for good, but that meant keeping them talking so that Flynn could work his magic and finally figure out their identity. That motivation, however, was dwindling with each second that her life continued to crumble, each letter she had to type, each message she had to read.

Regardless, she at least felt like she was getting better at doing this, if that held any reassurance. She also knew to be extra careful with her words, she had one question to ask after performing this task that they claimed to have no part in orchestrating, and she wanted to get as much information on them as she could.

Elsa: You had to at least lift a couple fingers to take that "scathing" picture of yours. I'm lifting a finger right now, I bet you can guess which one it is.

UNKNOWN: Haha, I'm definitely going to miss this banter once my job's done.

Being spoon-fed bits of information about this person's motivations was making Elsa more and more agitated; she still had no idea if they were a he or she, but she did learn that they had a job to do, it required her obedience, and, as she just learned, there was an end date on the job. Learning this new bit of information without having to ask her question should have made her feel a tiny bit determined to keep going, but it just made her, once more, agitated.

Once the wave of agitation subsided, however, an idea formed in her head. One that would make her feel less helpless than she was feeling right now. And if it worked, it would give her a win she so desperately needed.

Elsa: Just tell me what my next job is.

UNKNOWN: Ooh, getting antsy now, are we? Are you sure you don't want to ask your question first?

Elsa: …fine, who do you work for?

She had this suspicion that whoever they were, they weren't working alone. Some higher-up was calling the shots, and if she was somehow able to figure out who, or at least be given a hint, it'd be a massive help to the investigation.

UNKNOWN: Ooh, that is a GREAT question. And one that I'm definitely not going to answer. Here I thought you were actually getting smarter.

Elsa: You don't strike me as the vengeful type, all your tasks have been meant to discredit me but you haven't asked me to do anything too humiliating. I have to assume, then, that someone has it out for me, and I want to know who.

Elsa: And if you tell me, I'll make sure to make it worth your while.

Elsa gritted her teeth before sending that second text, hoping that they would take the bait. If they not only believed that Elsa wasn't going to seek revenge on them but would also give them some sort of incentive for honesty, then hopefully they'd willingly rat out their employer and bring Elsa one step closer to bringing the both of them down.

After a couple minutes of silence, however, she was beginning to get worried. What if she had screwed this whole thing up? What if she had pried too far, and they decided to send the article out? She quickly went through the emails on her phone, seeing nothing new other than a follow-up email from another CEO she was meeting with at a later date. She also scoured the Internet, searching for her name and any new articles posted about her, but nothing had been posted recently.

This should have put her at ease, but instead it just made her even more on edge than she already was.

Finally, after five of the longest minutes of her life, she got a reply.

UNKNOWN: I'm listening.

A smile crept up Elsa's face despite herself, as did a wave of relief; it seemed as if they took the bait.

Elsa: If you tell me something, anything, about your employer, preferably a name, I will make sure that you don't face any criminal charges for blackmailing the CEO of a highly influential company. You'll be able to walk away from this with a clean slate, or as clean as you can possibly make it, and we'll part ways pretending that this never happened.

Another five minutes passed, although this seemed to go faster than last time.

UNKNOWN: That is a…very intriguing offer. How will I know that you'll keep up your end of the deal?

Elsa: I'll sign a contract stating that I won't be pressing any charges against you. You can hang it up on a mantle, or take it up in court on the off-chance I decided to break my promise. In the long run, this will benefit you more than it will me.

For once she was happy that this entire interaction was happening through text, it made it so much easier to lie when you didn't have to see their face.

UNKNOWN: And how will I know that you won't break your promise?

Elsa: You've trusted me this long, haven't you?

UNKNOWN: Hmm…true, you have proven to be a very trustworthy tool.

Elsa winced from being called a tool, but it would fade as long as they agreed to the deal.

Elsa: So, what do you say?

Ever since this whole charade started, she felt powerless, watching her world around her crumble and not being able to do a damn thing about it. And as she waited for a reply, she thought that if they agreed to her terms, then all that control and power would come flooding back. She could finally be herself again, put this whole thing behind her.

But as the reply came, she realized that wouldn't be happening for a while.

UNKNOWN: Come on now Elsa, you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that to fool me.

"Dammit.", she muttered under her breath.

UNKNOWN: I will admit, that would have been pretty clever if it worked, but I'm better at this game than you are. ; ) Now that we've gotten that silliness out of the way, I think it's about time I gave you your next task. That is…unless you had any more tricks up your sleeve you wanted to try.

"Condescending prick.", Elsa said hoping they heard it somehow. Her Hail Mary plan hadn't worked, and now it seemed like she was out of options. Once again, she found herself at the mercy of this person's master plan, but feeling as defeated as she was, Elsa wasn't even sure she would go through with the next task. Not out of protest, but out of apathy- she was beginning to not care whether they published the article or not.

Elsa: What do you want now?

UNKNOWN: That's the spirit! Fair warning, this is probably going to be the hardest task you've had to face. Even harder than seeing both your ex-girlfriends at the same time. In one week's time, you're going to be having a meeting with the CEO of Corona International…

UNKNOWN: At that meeting, I want you to break off your partnership with them.

Elsa stifled the gasp that threatened to escape from her lips, a grave chill rattled her from head to toe. Corona International was one of ArenCorp's longest standing partners, the contract was signed way before Elsa even got to the company. Throughout the long-tenured history of both business giants, they remained on top for so long together rather than tearing each other down. Of course, it didn't hurt that both companies were started by a brother and sister wanting to see who would rise to the top of the business world first. The bond between both corporations was strong and practically unbreakable, every couple years, the two companies came together for one massive party to celebrate their partnership, and the party was next week. And she was going to be having her meeting with the CEO at that party.

Instinctively, Elsa typed out her response.

Elsa: No. I've done a lot of degrading things for you already, but this is where I draw the line. Corona International is one of our most trusted allies, and I'm not going to ruin that to appease some egomaniacal psychopath.

UNKNOWN: Oh Ms. Andersen, you flatter me. Now I know you've got a lot to think about it, so I'll tell you what? I'll give you a week to comply, give me an answer after the meeting is over.

Elsa: I already gave you my answer, I'm not doing this. I'm tired of this game and I'm not playing it anymore, go and send the article out for all I care. Do your worst.

No more, Elsa decided, she was done playing this sick, twisted game. Both due to apathy, and now due to protest. After weeks of being on edge, wondering what she'd be forced to do next, wondering who she'd have to hurt, watching her allies fall to the way side and seeing her reputation get crushed further and further into the ground…she'd had enough. For the first time in a long time, she put her stubbornness aside and admitted one truth to herself: She was broken.

UNKNOWN: …you have one week to comply, Ms. Andersen.

Elsa let out a frustrated yell and threw her phone hard against the wall, hearing the sickening crack as it hit and fell to the floor. She buried her face in her hands as her breathing picked up, the strained panting rivaled the pace of her heartbeat. She wanted to cry, curse out the people responsible for this, including herself, and retreat from everything and everyone for as long as it took for this whole thing to blow over.

It was clear that she had lost the game, and anyone that would even remotely support her in this time. If the article got released, then so be it. She didn't care anymore, there was one last thing she had control over and that was the fate of her company; and she wouldn't give up that control for anything.

So, if that meant tarnishing her own reputation, then so be it. She didn't have much left to tarnish anyway.

Sometime during her silent lamenting, she heard a knock at her door. She fought the urge to stay on her bed and let them see themselves out and wiped the tears from her face. Before she stood up, she did her best to steel herself and put on the face of a consummate professional who hadn't just thrown her phone across her office and spent an embarrassing amount of time crying over a problem she had caused. Thank goodness her office was soundproof.

Every step proved to be more difficult than the last, but somehow she found herself at her door and opened it, actively trying to keep her chin up and face straight. On the other side was a face she hadn't seen in a while, but one she was happy to see. Or as close to happy as she could be in her situation.

"Flynn.", Elsa stated neutrally, knowing the only reason he would be at her office. "Any news?"

The ArenCorp employee/appointed spy for the CEO grinned, "Yes actually, I've got good and bad news."

A muted relief came over Elsa and she gestured for him to come in, "Well tell me the good news first."

Flynn walked inside and looked around, no doubt ensuring that they were truly alone. Elsa wouldn't have let him in if she wasn't, but she decided against telling him that, not wanting to waste any time. Even if she had already conceded defeat, if there was even a sliver of hope that she could somehow gain the upper hand, then she wanted to hear it right away. "Well first of all, I'd just like to apologize for not getting you any new information as of late."

"Noted, now the good news.", Elsa responded impatiently.

"The good news…", Flynn continued as he fished his phone out of his pocket and waved it towards Elsa, "…is that with your help I was able to close in on the location of your mystery blackmailer even more than before. Not only is the signal coming from somewhere here in Arendelle, but the signal was strongest right here at ArenCorp."

The realization hit Elsa right away, "Wait…are you saying that it could possibly be someone working for ArenCorp?"

"They could have also just happened to be in the area when they sent those messages to you, but I don't believe in coincidence. I think you're right, we're looking for an ArenCorp employee."

Elsa had a hunch that they might be close by- a bit too close by- but never gave a lot of thought on the idea that one of her employees could be trying to sabotage her this entire time, she believed that up until now she'd been doing her best to ensure she built up at least a decent relationship with her employees, and no one ever expressed any ill will towards her during meetings or through the mouths of her advisors. Even despite her recent fumbles.

With that being said, the list of people in her company that she'd wronged badly enough that they'd resort to these drastic measures was impressively blank.

"But that doesn't sound right.", Elsa replied, voicing her thoughts. "I honestly can't think of anyone that would be out to get me inside my own company. And anyone that could even be considered a culprit wouldn't have a reason to go after me unless I wronged them after this whole mess started. Well, everyone except…"

Elsa stopped herself. The list of people she wronged after the first email she received may have been uncomfortably long, but the list of people she wronged before the email conjured up two names.

"Everyone except who, Elsa?", Flynn asked, but Elsa ignored him as the uneasiness inside her continued to grow.

Anna was obviously the first name, but despite the distance they'd put between each other, she knew that Anna wasn't a vengeful person. In fact, their big blow up was at the festival and, as much as it pained her to admit it, Anna held all the cards after that exchange. She was a compassionate person by nature, there was no way she'd kick Elsa while she was down, despite everything that had happened.

Which means that only left one person on her list: Hannah.

"No…", she said breathlessly to herself.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was waiting in the car for Elsa after the festival, at some point she could have recorded the video of her argument with Anna. She was the one that first suggested that Elsa do nothing other than comply to the mystery person's demands. Being Elsa's assistant, she was privy to a lot of information- including Elsa's schedule- which meant she would know when Cruella would come to her office and the reason for her visit.

The more that Elsa thought about it, the more it all made sense; and yet she didn't want it to, she refused to believe that Hannah was capable of such vengeance either. Then again there was that old adage: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

If it was Hannah, she couldn't blame her for going the lengths she did, but Elsa wanted so desperately to believe that it wasn't. Maybe because she wanted to somehow, someway, reconcile with Hannah for everything she did to her; or maybe because there was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she wasn't the one blackmailing her this time. She was operating off a need for reconciliation and stark denial that Hannah was the blackmailer; and if that's all that Elsa was working on, then she'd take it.

Knowing all this, she hastily changed the subject before Flynn got too suspicious, "You said you had bad news too, what is it?"

From the suspicious look on Flynn's face, she knew that he was seeing right through the obvious subject change, but thankfully he didn't pry. He sighed heavily, "Well…the bad news is that whoever this is seems to have somehow caught on that I've been spying on your conversation. Take a look at this."

Flynn handed Elsa his phone, on the screen was a singular text message from a familiar friend of hers.

UNKNOWN: I don't very much appreciate you intruding on the conversation between me and Ms. Andersen. Continue to do so, and I will ensure that you are punished as much as her.

The irony of the need for their privacy to be respected was not lost on Elsa. "How were they able to figure out you were spying on them?", she asked as she gave Flynn back his phone.

Flynn shrugged, "I'm not sure, all I know is that for your sake and for mine as well, I'm going to have to bow out of eavesdropping on the both of you any further. But don't worry, I have another plan so I don't leave you purely defenseless."

He pulled a phone case out of his pocket, one that looked incredibly similar to the one he gave Elsa to monitor the conversation in the first place. "I definitely believe that whoever this is works for ArenCorp, and this phone case will help you track them down. It acts as a homing beacon of sorts, once you flip the switch on the bottom, it will send out vibrations that get stronger and faster the closer you get to their phone. Once you've gotten close enough to whoever it is that's blackmailing you, your phone will go off and play a generic sounding ringtone."

"Once that happens, you can just pretend to take the call and nab the suspect before they have any idea what's happening. I wish I could help you out more than this, but I can't risk things more than I already have."

"You've done way more than enough, Flynn.", Elsa reassured him. "More than I could ask for, honestly. I don't know how much information I would have been able to gather by myself, and I'm glad you're on my side."

Flynn smiled, "Well that's good to hear. Now if I can just have your phone, I'll switch out the case I put on it before with this new one."

Elsa's lips pursed and shifted her eyes to the wall, she walked over to where she had thrown her phone in a fit of rage before, hoping for the best. It had landed just to the left of her bookshelf, and had left an impressive dent in the plaster.

On the floor were the remains of her phone, plastic and glass shards were scattered all around the main body, which was cracked and shatter beyond repair, the inner workings let out one more pitiful spark, almost like a final dying breath.

Flynn hissed, "That's…gonna be a problem."

Surprisingly, Elsa didn't agree. Seeing what was left of her phone, strangely, had kickstarted this new wave of determination in her. Fate had thrown her a bone, given her new information to work with. As much as she hated to think of who in her company would want to take her down, and as much as she wanted it to not be Hannah, she was one step closer to finally getting rid of this major problem in her life for good.

Elsa the cowardly recluse was no more, and Elsa the dominant CEO was clawing her way back up to the surface. She didn't have to fake bravado anymore, she didn't have to feign confidence, because it was finally, actually there. It may have been small and dwindling, but it was here. She had let this game go on for far too long, and she was going to put an end to it by any means necessary.

"I'll get a new phone.", she said as she took the new phone case from Flynn. "Thank you again for everything, Flynn, but I've got everything under control from here on out."

"You sure?"

Elsa walked over to her massive window and looked out at the Arendelle skyline with fresh eyes, "I'm sure. You've done your part, and now it's time to do mine."

A/N: If I said I was on a soul-searching journey for the past year where I gained a lot of life experience and honed my writing skills, and totally didn't just drop the story for a year because I got burnt out and bored and focused on school and stuff, would you believe me? Well either way I'm back for the foreseeable future, and I said it before so I'll say it again: I hate when writers drop stories before they finish them, so no matter what I'm going to see this story to the end. Even if that takes till Frozen 2 comes out.