"The Wrong Briefcase"

1. Monday Morning Madness

Adrian Cole had never been late to work—not once in seven years as an analyst at Westbridge Financial. But this Monday, the train was delayed, his phone alarm didn’t go off, and to top it off, his coffee exploded all over his white shirt. Muttering curses under his breath, he ducked into a dry cleaner and bought the only spare dress shirt they had—two sizes too big and banana yellow.

He stumbled into the subway station with only minutes to spare. The train screeched into the platform, and Adrian shoved himself through the doors just as they were closing. As the train jostled to a start, he sank into a corner seat, clutching his black leather briefcase, the one his sister gave him on his first day at the firm.

Across from him, a man in a charcoal suit and sunglasses sat motionless, his identical black briefcase on the floor beside him.

Neither man noticed when the train lurched to a halt, nor did they notice when the briefcases bumped against each other.

When Adrian stood up and grabbed the one next to him, he didn't realize it wasn't his.

2. The Switch

Adrian didn’t notice the difference until 10:45 a.m.

He had dropped the briefcase on his desk, breezed through morning meetings, and finally sat down to prep the Henderson pitch. When he clicked open the locks, expecting charts and a laptop, he was greeted instead by a sealed manila envelope, a small black pistol, and a phone with no unlock screen.

“What the hell?” he whispered.

He shut the briefcase, heart pounding.

There was no way this belonged to him. He opened it again. Same contents.

His first instinct was to call HR. His second, more rational instinct, was to not call anyone just yet.

3. A Message Arrives

The phone buzzed.

One new message from an unknown number:

“Package retrieved. Await further instructions. DO NOT OPEN.”

Adrian’s stomach flipped. This wasn’t a misplaced briefcase. This was something criminal.

He stood, briefcase in hand, and hurried to the office restroom.

“What do I do? Police?” he whispered to his reflection.

The phone buzzed again.

“Change of plans. Drop location moved. 3 p.m. Central Park fountain. Leave the case. Walk away.”

Adrian’s palms were sweating. “This isn’t happening,” he told himself.

Then he remembered—his real briefcase, with all his financial projections, his client info, and his own phone, was probably with whoever this was meant for.

4. A Stranger’s Mistake

Miles away, on the other side of the city, Nathan Varga stared at the opened briefcase on his lap in horror.

Color-coded spreadsheets. A lunchbox with a sticky note labeled “Don’t Forget to Eat – Mom.” And a LinkedIn printout of “How to Survive Your First Client Pitch.”

“What is this crap?” he hissed.

He had one job—retrieve the drop, deliver it to the contact. He’d been told to wait on the 7:45 subway train, where the exchange would be “clean.”

But somehow, the nerd in the yellow shirt had walked off with his delivery.

And now Nathan had...a financial analyst’s life in a briefcase.

5. The Decision

Adrian made a choice he never thought he’d make. He would go to Central Park. He would do the drop. And he would stay hidden, call the police, and maybe—just maybe—get his own briefcase back.

At 2:55 p.m., he approached the fountain, heart pounding.

A woman in a red trench coat walked up moments later and sat beside him.

“You’re not Vince,” she said without looking at him.

“I—I think there’s been a mistake,” Adrian said. “I accidentally took—”

The woman turned slowly. Her expression hardened.

“You opened the case, didn’t you?”

Before Adrian could answer, two things happened: a man behind the fountain pulled a gun, and the woman whispered, “Run.”

6. Running for His Life

Adrian ran harder than he ever had, the briefcase bouncing against his side.

Shots rang out behind him.

Pedestrians screamed. Sirens wailed. Somewhere, a dog barked hysterically.

He ducked into a subway entrance, taking three stairs at a time. By the time he got onto a train, he was sweating, shaking, and questioning every decision he had ever made since high school.

7. The Hacker

Nathan, meanwhile, had gone through Adrian’s laptop and phone. He wasn’t proud of it, but he needed leverage.

He learned a lot in one hour.

Adrian lived alone. Worked too much. Had a nervous habit of scratching behind his ear when stressed. And he had an upcoming pitch worth over $5 million for Henderson Industries.

Nathan smiled.

He dressed in one of Adrian’s spare suits and showed up at Westbridge Financial the next morning.

“Adrian Cole,” he said smoothly at the front desk. “Meeting with Henderson in 15.”

No one questioned it.

8. Impersonation and Opportunity

By the time Adrian recovered enough to get to the police, it was too late.

Nathan had not only attended the Henderson meeting, he had secured an agreement for a trial partnership.

Westbridge was thrilled.

Adrian was...confused.

When he confronted his boss, Mr. Lyle, in a panic, all Mr. Lyle said was, “Why are you dressed like a train station busker again? And didn’t you just knock that pitch out of the park?”

Adrian blinked.

“I—I did?”

“Hell yeah. We’re giving you a raise.”

9. Unraveling Truths

Back at his apartment, Adrian found a package at his door.

Inside: his real briefcase. A burner phone. And a handwritten note.

"You did me a favor, so I returned yours.

Stay out of the subway next Monday.

—N"

Adrian sat on his couch, staring at it all.

Was this...a thank-you?

Was this some Robin Hood criminal thanking him for botching a delivery?

10. One Week Later

Adrian’s raise was official. Henderson was happy. And Nathan Varga—wherever he was—had vanished.

Adrian decided he would never take the subway again.

But on Tuesday morning, as he passed the same coffee shop he always did, he spotted a man in a charcoal suit.

It was Nathan.

He raised his coffee cup in a mock toast. Then turned and disappeared into a black SUV.

Adrian never saw him again.

11. Epilogue – Unexpected Consequences

The Henderson account made Adrian a star at the company. His name was floated for VP by year's end.

But he kept the note, the burner phone, and the briefcase—locked in his closet.

Sometimes he thought about that day and what might’ve happened if he hadn’t picked up the wrong briefcase.

And other times...he wondered if he had ever really picked up the wrong one at all.