Chapter 30 Almost Busted
Over at Malcolms end, the tech team was freaking out, faces white as sheets. He couldn’t wrap his head around how their smooth operation got wrecked so easily.
Malcolm was sitting next to Carl Ward, and the office vibe was
1 colder t
than
a polar bear’s toenails. His eyes were a storm of mixed feelings.
Carl looked at Malcolm, guilt written all over his face, his voice shaky.
Mr. Flynn, we… HE
well, we blew it.”
“Didn’t you just say everything was going smooth?
Carl had also mentioned he’d dug up some dirt on this company. Said it was a pretty impressive outfit, only hitting the big leagues two years that, it was just some no–name studio. Then a woman took over it, flipped the whole thing around, and in a short time, they were on top.
nago. Before
Now, they were right on their company’s tail, and Malcolm was just starting to realize how fast they’d climbed. He wanted to dig deeper, especially since last month, they snatched one of their projects. To Malcolm, that was a slap in the face.
Carl’s voice was trembling. “Yeah… it was smooth at first. But then, I don’t know if they swapped out their team or what, but I couldn’t get in anymore. Instead, they hacked us and even stole one of our projects.”
He could barely imagine how pissed Malcolm looked right then. Malcolm squinted, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“Carl, we didn’t hire you to make things easier for the competition or to make us look like fools!“
Carl was brought on board with a fat paycheck because he was supposed to be a top–tier hacker. And now, he got outplayed so easily?
Talk about embarrassing!
Carl, scared out of his wits by Malcolm’s outburst, scrambled for a solution and blurted out, “But… but even though they hacked us, I can location
still trace t
their
Malcolm’s eyes lit up. “Well, track it down.”
He was dying to know who this hotshot was
that even the Flyn
Flynn Group’s best couldn’t handle.
In no time, Henry pinpointed it. He pointed across the street.
That person is in the cafe right
across
from us.
Malcolm’s eyes turned icy cold, and he barked at Justin.
“Get over to that cafe and check everyone out.”
There weren’t many folks sipping coffe a hit hour, and if it
them off guard. Perfect timing.
Justin nodded. “On it.”
it was a hacker, they’d probably have a standout laptop. Plus, if they moved fast, they d catch
He quickly made his way to the café across the street.
Meanwhile, Reese had no clue Malcolm was onto her. She casually took a sip of the coffey Calvin hadn’t finished.
“This coffees pretty good“:
“I’ll have them pack a cup for you to take back,” Calvin offered, reaching for the waiter.
“No need. If Everly sees me bringing back coffee, she’ll just nag me more. She’s worse than you guys.”
Reese wasn’t scared of Everly; she could shut her up with a few words. But she really couldn’t stand anyone yapping in her ear. It drove her nuts.
Calvin sighed and let it g
- gu. Reese was a knockout, no doubt, but she was no delicate flower.
As he glanced down, he noticed the bracelet on her wrist, and it threw him for a loop.
Chapter 30 Atmost Rusted
“Reese,
how’d you end up with that bracelet?”
Heese, clearly smitten with it, touched it again, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes.
My husband gave it to me.”
“Your husband dropped ten million bucks on that just for you?” Calvin chuckled, thinking back to yesterday. “If we knew Malcolm was buying it for you, we wouldn’t have bid. We jacked up the price from a few million to ten million, and your husband’s cash ended up in someone else’s pocket.”
“Yeah, no kidding” Reese hadn’t expected Malcolm to be so generous, splurging on such an expensive bracelet for her
“Alright, but I wonder if your husband would be mad enough to crush you if he knew he bought you that pricey bracelet and you stole a project from him.”
Reese raised an eyebrow. Depends.”
Calvins gave Reese a thumbs up. “No wonder I’m sticking with you till the end. You’re definitely not like other women.”
“Is that a compliment or an insult?”
Reese raised her hand, ready to punch Calvin. He grinned mischievously, taking her punch and even patting it appreciatively.
“Of course, it’s a compliment. How could I dare insult you?”
-Well…”
She didn’t even finish her sentence when she spotted a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. She instantly ducked down.
Calvin looked puzzled as Reese squatted.
“Reese, what are you doing?”
Shush. That guy in the suit is Malcolm’s assistant. He must ve tracked us down,”
Calvin suddenly remembered. ‘Oh crap, I forgot to disconnect the internet.”
Cover me. If he finds me, you better start looking for a new boss,” Reese warned him
Calvin
was brimming with confidence. “Leave it to me. Acting? I’m an Oscar–worthy actor stuck in the wrong career.”
weren’t in such a tight spot, she would’ve kicked him. How did she end up with such a boastful subordinate?
If Reese weren’t in
Justin scanned the cafe and finally zeroed in on Calvin. His laptop was closed, but the power cord was still plugged in. It was a high–end model, the kind software pros use, and it looked specially modified.
No one would need that kind of laptop for regular work.
He walked over to Calvin.
Reese clutched Calvin’s pant leg tightly, accidentally pinching his flesh, making Calvin wince in pain.
“Reese, you’re killing me.”
“Sorry, grabbed the wrong spot,” Reese quickly let go.
Calvin’s eyes widened. Grabbed the wrong spot? Where else did she want to grab?
Just then, Justin approached and politely addressed Calvin,
“Sir, excuse me, I have a document that needs to be sent out urgently, but I didn’t bring my laptop. Could I borrow yours?”
Reese, squatting under the table, thought to herself, Malcolm really trained him well. Even if he’s here to test, he wouldn’t say it outright. Such a polite and friendly request–if Calvin refused, it would only confirm that he’s suspicious.
She wondered if that fool had closed all the relevant programs. If Justin found even a trace, it would be hard to explain.
Calvin, smiling cheerfully, moved the laptop aside.
Chapter 30 Almost Husted
so it might be a bit slow.”
“No problem, go ahead. I was just playing a game, so it mig
Thanks, buddy. You wanna a coffee?” lustin’s politeness was impeccable. If he wanted to ask Calvin anything later, Calvin would be more likely to answer.
Calvin declined, “No need, 1 haven’t even finished this cup, Just go ahead.”
