Everyone's faces immediately illuminated with relief and curiosity. "What is it?" they asked Ellie eagerly, leaning forward.

Ellie pointed at her laptop screen. "I just now noticed something. This document... is edited."

They listened intently as she continued. "Someone has edited this file. It’s not the original agreement."

Freya looked thoughtful. "Do you remember, Ellie, that all the files were moved to a new central server about three years ago? Wouldn't the metadata just reflect that migration date?"

"Maybe, Freya," Ellie acknowledged. "But the digital properties clearly show this document was edited only two days ago. And look here, at the last page where the specific amount, the number of years, and the ten percent increase are mentioned—the font is subtly different. It clearly indicates someone has tampered with the file."

Tony and Ethan were stunned. "Who would have done it?" Tony asked.

"That is not important right now," Nick interjected, refocusing the team. "If this is not the original agreement, then where is the original agreement?"

Silence fell over the group as they contemplated the impossible task of finding a two-decade-old agreement.

Nick suddenly looked at Freya. "Freya, do you know how many servers we have changed since the company started?"

Freya thought for a moment. "I think four major server changes over the years."

"Do you know where the backup of the oldest server is stored?" Nick pressed.

As Freya tried to recall, Ethan snapped his fingers. "I know where it is! I still use some of the old systems to pull ancient data. There’s a small, decommissioned server room in the basement of the old admin block."

Tony immediately stood up. "Then, Ethan, we both can go to the office right now. We can connect our systems, and I can help you retrieve the backup."

Ellie looked concerned. "There will be security, right? Will they allow you access since it's so late?"

"I'll talk to the security team right away," Nick said, already pulling out his phone.

Ethan and Tony quickly left for the office. Nick then turned to the ladies. "In the meantime, Ellie and Freya, I want you to collect the details of the current CEO of 'Five Star Softwares.' I'll check the list of all our past VH Group CEOs who were in charge twenty years ago."

After about an hour, Ellie’s phone rang. It was Ethan. She put the call on speaker.

"Ellie, tell me the required details, and I’ll put everything on a portable hard drive," Ethan instructed, sounding rushed. "The data is enormous, so we can only bring back selected documents. We found the old server!"

Ellie instructed him precisely on the file names and types of documents they needed to look for. Ethan and Tony started the arduous task of transferring the necessary files to the laptop.

By that time, Nick had an idea.