Chapter 70 It’s Reese, not Rose
Alyssa’s head was spinning, courtesy of Reese. She was sure she had seen her clearly. There could be no mistake, could there?
She quickly pulled out her phone and showed it to Reese.
“Look, isn’t this your name?”
“She does go by Reese, but it’s Reese, not Rose.”
“Wait, what?” Alyssa blinked in disbelief. Was she getting that old, mistaking names now?
She leaned in closer and almost cursed out loud. It really was Reese, not Rose. But just yesterday she had clearly seen Reese’s name, and wasn’t there even a video of her?
“Look, that right there is obviously you.” Alyssa was adamant about not being wrong.
“The person in this footage doesn’t even show their face clearly. Besides, if I had competed in a world championship, I’d definitely be boasting about it to you.”
Reese laid it out like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Alyssa paused, almost convinced by Reese’s ruse.
“That does sound like you. With your insufferable arrogance, if you had ever made it to the global stage, you’d have rubbed it in my face to show off,” she mused.
Reese said nothing further; over–explaining would only fuel Alyssa’s suspicions.
When the car stopped in front of the company, Reese stepped out and saw a man emerging – if she remembered correctly, he was one of the project leads. He’d bring new proposals or refined documents daily, but the Flynn Group was strict about their protocols.
He stood guard by the data room every day, allowing no one near the core files of the Flynn Group.
She cast a glance at the troubled Alyssa, whose bright eyes briefly flickered.
Stepping out of the car, Alyssa heard Reese call out to her.
“I’m willing to trust you one more time, but you’ve got to do me a favor.”
Alyssa perked up at Reese’s offer to help again, nodding eagerly.
“Say the word, sis. Whatever it is, I’ll go through fire and brimstone for you.”
“It’s nothing big. That guy who just came out, a friend of mine wants to have lunch with him. Could you set it up for noon?”
Reese nodded towards the direction the man had gone.
Alyssa glanced that way, feeling a bit awkward.
“That friend of yours has quite a taste for older guys. Plus, he’s got a family. We shouldn’t be meddling in his personal life, right?”
“We’re not trying to steal someones affection She’s just heard that’s quite skilled and wants to see if he can give her company a competitive edge.”
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Chapter 70 It’s Reese, not Rose
“Oh, so that’s the situation. But the guy is in charge of the data vault every day. It won’t be easy to get him out.”
Alyssa hesitated. After all, this was an important figure in the company. If she managed to spirit him away, Malcolm would chop her head off if he found out.
Reese didn’t seem in a rush, arms crossed and looking completely indifferent.
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to help, I won’t force you. You can handle your live broadcast tonight on your own.”
With those words, Reese turned and strode towards the office.
“Wait, wait, sis!” Alyssa hurried after Reese, reaching for her sleeve, then suddenly remembering Reese wasn’t keen on being touched. She withdrew her hand immediately.
Reese turned around, her expression as still as calm waters, seemingly unfazed by such matters.
“It’s up to you. I’m just helping out someone else.”
She said it with such indifference to avoid Malcolm getting suspicious if the plan were to backfire.
“Alright, I’ll do it. But you gotta have my back, sis. Otherwise, I’m doomed.”
She had made a promise in front of millions of followers. Failure to deliver would make her the laughingstock of the livestreaming world.
“Don’t worry. I won’t break my promise like you,” Reese retorted casually.
Alyssa felt embarrassed, especially recalling Malcolm’s commanding presence and piercing gaze that nearly scared her to death.
“Talk to me at noon. I’ll come down as soon as I’m done.”
With an hour for lunch, she should have enough time. She planned to have Calvin and the others remotely monitor the situation. It shouldn’t be a problem.
Reese already had a plan in mind.
At lunchtime, the other coworkers headed to the cafeteria or out to eat. Reese made a quick stop in the bathroom to make sure it was empty.
Then she called Calvin.
“Can you hack into the surveillance of the Flynn Group?”
I… uh, I’ll have to try. I almost got caught last time. If it hadn’t been for your swift action, boss, I would have been spotted.”
Calvin was familiar with the Flynn Group’s system. It was tough to crack, and their security was top–notch. He could have been discovered even before breaking in.
It was a tough job, avoiding their watchful eyes, made tougher by the limited time.
Only Reese could handle such high level maneuvers. Calvin was just an amateur who’d learned a few tricks.
Reese was close to cursing him out. I’ve always told you to study hard, but you insist on fiddling with video game software companies. How when I need you, apu let me down!”
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Chapter 70 It’s Reese, not Rose
“I’m on it right now, boss. Go over the program with me one more time.”
“You better remember, or you’re toast! Reese warned.
She then loaded Calvin with a barrage of jargon. He got it, sure, but the real fear was screwing up when it was game time.
“Boss, you’re seriously my hero. How do you figure all this stuff out?
“If I didn’t have at least that much skill, how could I be calling the shots? Now chop chop, I’m pressed for time.”
After hanging up, Reese left the bathroom and made a beeline for the records room, texting Alyssa as she walked.
You get our guy at the front?
Yeah, he’s out.
Talk to him, see it he bites. I’m heading down soon.
With Alyssa on it, Reese paired her Bluetooth to catch up with Calvin.
“You got everything squared away? I’m two minutes out from the records room. That floor’s cameras need to be dead.”
“It’s almost done,” came the rapid–fire tapping of keys on Calvin’s end.
Reese neared the door: “I’m heading in.”
“Done, but you’ve got ten minutes, tops. I can’t cover you longer. And the exit’s on you. If you get nabbed, it’s all over.”
“Just focus on your part, Reese responded as she scanned the corridor before slipping out the device she’d prepared beforehand, designed to unlock doors by fingerprint. Staff fingerprints were easy pickings, but Malcolm’s were the real prize. And she’d had enough interaction with him to lift his print without hassle.
The door clicked open.
A smirk played on Reese’s lips as she slipped inside, scoping out the room. Her eyes landed on a nondescript cabinet under a table, conveniently placed for quick access.
Approaching, she spotted a blinking red light. To anyone else, it’d seem like a standard signal device.
But she knew better–it was a sophisticated camera, designed to blend in, indistinguishable from a network signal light to the untrained eye.
That had to be it.
She retrieved a prepped white cloth from her pocket and covered the camera. Now, even if Malcolm suspected an intrusion, he’d be clueless as to who or how.
21.1
