"Changes?" asked Emily searching Zoe's eyes for clues."Yeah," Zoe replied, sounding excited. She sat properly and turned to face Emily. Zoe was beaming with smiles."Tell me about it," Emily said, returning the smile. She's very curious to know about the changes Zoe had in mind."Okay, here it is," she took a deep breath. " I have to work as a double agent. I'll go to Henry with two options. First, I could help him catch the hacker.""How?""Because I feel the hacker and I share this nerdy bond," Zoe explained. "He would love to meet with me. I beat him in chess and answered his riddles. And besides, he would be unsuspecting since I'm coming to him as one of Henry's victims."Emily's eyes widened."Girl, you've got game!" said Emily."Thank you! But only if Henry accepts canceling his proposal and continues letting me work for him.""And alternatively? You said you were going to present your boss with two options.""Alternatively, if Henry refuses to comply, I'll get the hacker to po
Meeting With The HackerThe taxi pulled up in front of the restaurant where Zoe and the hacker had planned to meet. She paid the driver who immediately drove off, leaving Zoe on the spot as she observed the environment like a detective.The restaurant was a medium-sized one. It had red and yellow frames with most of its body frames consisting of glass through which one could see the interior parts.Zoe straightened her shirt, and walked into the restaurant, observing the different sets of people. Most of them were busy eating their meal, while some chatted with their partners."Red cap, black hoodie, and black pants..." Zoe remembered the description given to her by the hacker over the phone.She glanced at her wristwatch to see if she was late since she couldn't find anyone that matched his description. She was right on time. So what the hell was happening?Her eyes caught sight of a figure at the extreme of the restaurant. His eyes had been on her all this while even though she cou
It was a busy Wednesday morning at the company. Each department was bustling with activities. Their directors could be seen going about supervising their staff.Zoe was busy rounding up the work she was supposed to do yesterday. Although Mrs. Randolph had helped her, as Andre had said, there were still some unfinished businesses.Zoe had a cup of coffee on her desk, which she occasionally sipped from as she worked on her computer.A thought made her smile. She knew Henry would be waiting for her in the office by now, but she intentionally decided not to go. She was going to wait for him to send for her. And if he did, God knew she was ready for him."I'm ready for you, Henry!" Zoe muttered to herself, "Hell yeah!""What was that?" Mrs. Randolph asked, eyeing Zoe."Um, nothing," Zoe replied.**Henry was pacing around in his spacious office as Daniel watched him from a corner. They did not speak to each other.Henry had been expecting Zoe for the past two hours, but she still had not s
"Did, did I ask you to sit down?" Henry said before Zoe's butt could land on the chair. Henry was churning like a boiling kettle, and Zoe could almost see the steam coming out from his ears and nose.She stood upright and said, "Fine, I'll stand here. As I said earlier, I have a deal for you. What if I told you I would help you catch the hacker and, in turn, you'll let me work for you unobstructed by your desire to be your mistress? Will you take the deal?"Henry smacked his lips and gulped, "And how do you know you can catch the hacker?"Henry had called the hacker the night after their steep victory in the lab. He was surprised that the line was still able to connect. When Henry had asked the hacker what would become of the data that was stolen, the hacker had replied that nothing would be done, but yet Henry was doubtful. He and Jack had agreed that it was risky not to go after the hacker."Well, for starters, I've already made contact with him, and I made a deal also, so it's just
"Hey, sweets," Emily's voice could be heard from the phone. But Zoe ignored it. Her mind was still clouded with a thousand questions that needed answers.Henry fired Andre and Mrs. Randolph. What was that supposed to mean? She really could not find answers to her questions."Should I go to his office?" she thought. That was out of it. She could not just go into his office to accuse him of sacking his staff; that was none of her business. Her head throbbed at the thought."Zoe! What's going on?" Emily said, her voice sounding worried.Zoe placed the phone on her ear and said, "Hey, Em, I'm sorry I left you on the phone. Something unexpected happened right now, and I'm yet to get over it.""What happened? Did someone die?" Emily asked, sounding alarmed.Zoe looked at the faces of the staff around her, and they all looked shocked. They still could not believe what had just happened—Mrs. Randolph and Mr. Andre, of all people.Zoe noticed that Kearney was looking at her."I can't talk righ
Emily picked Zoe up from work as usual. Leo was already in the vehicle in the back seat, and the journey home was the normal routine of rush hour traffic and girls talking.Zoe took her time to fill Emily in on the latest development at work. She told her about the deal she put forward at Henry and the ultimatum she gave him.It was a hearty laugh for Emily when Zoe told her how Henry had behaved after he was told about the deal."He almost pissed in his pants," Zoe had said as Emily burst into laughter.They got home, and Emily parked the car in the garage. Leo, as usual, said nothing to the both of them. He just got down from the car, closed the door, swung his backpack over his shoulder, and went inside.Zoe and Emily exchanged glances. Emily was about to call after him when Zoe stopped her. "Let him be," she mouthed at her.Emily rolled her eyes and gave her the whatever look.Zoe grabbed her handbag and was about to shut the door close when her phone rang. She picked it up and
Henry smiled satisfactorily after ending the call. He slowly lifted the cup of vodka from his table and sipped from it. Zoe thought she could get him, but she didn't know what was coming. By the time he was done with her, she would realize he was not the type to joke around with. She would have no choice but to come back to him, crawling if she may.He smiled at this thought as he gulped down the entire content of his cup, dropped the empty glass, and danced to The Migos's Straightening, doing the steering wheel and gear dance steps.He could smell victory in the air. He was going to come out victorious in two ways, while Zoe would lose in two ways. Soon she would know who the real boss was, and she wouldn't fuck with him.He smiled at the thought, poured himself another glass, and gulped down the content before dropping it on a nearby stool.***Zoe woke up early the next day with mixed feelings. She really did not know if she was to be happy that she was finally free from Henry's
Zoe was surprised to see Kearney sitting amongst the host of departmental directors."When did he become one of them?" she wondered, but she remembered Mr. Andre saying something like Kearney would make a good director."So Kearney is indeed the next in line. Well, it isn't such a bad thing, although I will miss Mr. Andre. I preferred him as my departmental boss, but I will have to work with Kearney since Mr. Andre had so much faith in him." All this and more thoughts rolled into her mind like mighty waves from an ocean crashing onto the ocean bank.All eyes were on Zoe when she plodded into the room. She immediately felt uneasy. She remembered her days in high school when she had to give a presentation before a large audience. She would usually look over the audience's heads and not directly at their faces to avoid seeing the lion faces that took form in place of theirs. She was doing it right now, keeping her eye level just above the director's head. If she were looking at their fac