Chapter 29 Fall Off
Troy couldn’t expose the truth–but he could give a warning.
“Well, it’s not that busy today. Maybe you could hold off on using that USB drive for now.”
But Alice was never one to be easily swayed.
“No way. It’s my first day at work. Slacking off just isn’t my style.”
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Smiling, she headed to her desk and plugged the USB drive into her computer. As soon as she saw the lines of code on the screen, her lips curled into a knowing smirk.
So this is what they’re after.
What a pathetic fool.
Across the office, someone from IT walked up to Troy.
“Should we move in now?”
Troy closed his eyes for a moment.
Originally, he’d wanted to give that sweet–looking girl a chance.
But he hadn’t expected Alice to jump in so quickly–he hadn’t even had time to arrange the rest of the plan.
“Forget it. Let’s get started.”
The USB drive had just been read by the computer. Soon, it would all be over.
If Alice removed it before it was done, their efforts would go to waste.
Alice wasn’t interested in whatever was on the USB. She just wanted to get it over with.
So she hit the Enter key without a second thought.
“Oh no–the screen’s gone black!
“Wait, this isn’t normal! Our system’s under attack!
“Who the heck would be bold enough to hack into our IT department?!”
The office burst into chaos. Most of the IT team were men, and in their panic, their language got pretty nasty.
“Shut it!” Troy barked. “We’re being hacked. If you’ve got time to whine, use it to fight back!”
That snapped them into gear. The technicians quickly jumped into action, engaging the unknown hacker. But…
“Mr. Hayden, it’s no use,” someone reported. “They know our system inside and out. They’re exploiting every weak spot.”
Troy’s face turned grim.
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12:51 PM
Chapter 29 Fall Off
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“That’s impossible. I built that firewall myself–there shouldn’t be any weak spots! There must be something
off.”
Just then, someone happened to glance at Alice’s screen and frowned.
“Guys, look at Ms. Spencer’s monitor … is she coding? Looks like she’s building something to access the entire company network!”
Gasps rippled through the room.
Immediately, people who had no idea how to help swarmed to Alice’s desk.
But in this department, everyone knew their tech–one glance was enough to recognize what she was running.
It was an internal breach system–one that could crawl through every corner of the company’s network, log sensitive data, and transmit it straight to an external source.
Usually, via email.
Just as a few began to wonder if they’d misjudged her, an email icon popped up on Alice’s screen.
Troy couldn’t hold back. He clicked the icon and opened a message that had clearly been drafted in advance. The gist of the email was chilling.
“You managed to breach the system. I’m impressed. Now send me everything Nolan Group is hiding.”
Troy’s expression turned thunderous. “Alice… was it really you?”
Alice looked up, calm and composed. “Troy … why couldn’t it be you?”
Troy was speechless.
“Someone get Ms. Randall down here. Now.”
Troy quickly regained his composure and sent someone off.
Soon, Ruby arrived–along with several board members in tow.
“Alice, I know you want a bigger share in the company,” Ruby began, her voice soft, full of manufactured warmth. “But you just married into the family; you don’t have the experience yet. I was planning to help you grow into the role, not shut you out.”
She spoke earnestly, like a stepmother in a soap opera.
“But this? How could you do that? This really puts me in a difficult position.”
Alice raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Difficult? You mean morally? Wow, I didn’t know you were so self-
aware.”
Ruby was speechless.
Their relationship had already cracked over the Chow Chows incident. Today, it shattered completely.
These two were officially at war.
“Alice!” Ruby’s voice rose with righteous indignation.
Chapter 29 Fall Off
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“You made a mistake, and you’re still refusing to admit it? Do you want me to have you arrested?!”
Stealing company secrets was a felony, and they both knew it.
Alice tilted her head ever so slightly and raised her eyes a little. Her eyes sparkled, cold and beautiful.
“So, Mrs. Nolan, you’re claiming I used the IT department’s core systems to launch an internal attack on the company network?”
She turned to the others. “What about the rest of you–what do you think?”
The room was silent. No one dared speak.
Except Ruby, who let out a cold laugh. “Fine. I’m calling the police right now. And Alice–if you do end up in jail, I suggest you think long and hard about your life choices. You can’t always take shortcuts.”
The air practically sizzled with tension.
Alice suddenly tilted her head, as if a thought had just struck her; she suddenly raised a question.
“You always think I’m hurting the company. But what if—just what if—what I did was actually in the company’s best interests?”
Ruby’s face twisted. She looked at Alice like she was speaking nonsense.
“You?”
Disdain filled her heart, though she kept up her sweet mask.
“Alice, if you just want more shares, we can talk about that later. I’ll see what I can do. But please—don’t stir up trouble like this. If the system crashes, our losses will be ten times worse!”
Alice was sick of her fake concern and meaningless words.
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