*Kat’s POV
“Black Jack co. is the one behind James. Told you I could do it.” I said pushing his laptop to his direction, smirking.
“How did you?” He asked wearing a perplexed expression.
“Well, you did everything that was supposed to be done so I pretty much had nothing to do so I looked for something to be done to spend time and then leave it since I told you I could do it better than you.” I said smiling innocently, embarrassed to which he just stood with an expressionless face. “Anyways, as I was just goofing around I noticed something different and familiar with the logo. The fact that I never have seen a stokes logo before baffled me. So I checked back few years ago to see if they changed anything that’s when I noticed they had changed their logo just few months ago. And the new logo had the original logo with a small change in the bottom. With matches slightly with BlackJack’s co. yet different.”
“Hmm, makes sense.” He hummed and going back to doing what he did just few hours ago.
“Alright you can get back to solving the issue now.” I said turning to leave his office.
Before I could take a step towards his door. I heard done from him. I turned to look at him puzzled. He just shrugged and got up to walk to his shelf. The issue he was talking about takes atleast few days for even a top hacker like myself other than my dad and now him. Actually it was not much to be surprised about because my dad was also his mentor and he taught Ry more than he did with me. Which does make me envious of my own boyfriend but proud.
I was brought out of my thoughts when he brought my dad’s laptop to his desk and opened it.
“Now back to what we were supposed to do yesterday. This is very encrypted that it is very hard to de decoded yet it feels familiar somehow. I just cant seem to find what makes it very familiar but hard to decode.” He said. I walked towards him and stood behind his chair leaning to the laptop. What he said is true. It is very familiar to me as well yet I just cant- OH.
I leaned forward and typed ‘225’. It worked. It opened the codes to show a normal screen. I cheered internally.
“How did you know that?”
“Well like you said it felt familiar to me as well. And I was remembering back to when I saw this and that’s when I remembered dad teaching me this code.” I said looking at him.
“Gosh, that’s why I felt it similar as well. Your dad always told me not to play with his computer everytime I came to your house and tried taking his laptop. He told once I will be using it but not then. And everytime he mentored me and taught me new hacks he always used to say learning new hacks are alright but one day I may need it very much to solve big problems, that-”
“Big decisions will come around, you must trust yourself and make the right choices.” We both said it at the same time.
“Yeah I later got haunted by those words so much that I started searching them. That’s when I came around these number ‘225’. He never just says random things without meaning them.”
“Hmm. Yeah this just shows once we are in and sees whats inside, it is our turn to turn ourselves and make the right choice.” He said looking back to the laptop.
“When has our life become so mysterious?” I asked more like to myself than to him, but still he answered.
“I guess our life was always mysterious we never knew it.” He said.
“So lets get into it. Ready?” I asked cracking my fingers.
“Born ready.”
—
“The hell!” He exclaimed.
“We have been trying for more than 3 hours now and still now we cant get past the lockscreen.” I said equally frustrated.
“Though I know you said this is gonna be difficult than finding this laptop, never did I think we are gonna be stuck with just the lockscreen.” He said getting up from the chair and stretching his muscles.
“I know! What was dad thinking? And what is so important that he had to be so secretive?” I said.
“Well we will only know the answer to those questions either by cracking this open or being your dad back. Come lets take a break and look into this later.” He said
I agreed and stood up and stretched my muscles as well. He extended his hand towards me and I kept my hand in his and walked out his office together.
“How about we relax ourselves by watching a movie? Its been a very long time since we watched a movie together.” He asked walking towards his theatre. I nodded and run towards his cd collection.
“Let me pick. Let me pick.” I said repeatedly much to his annoyance.
“Okay.” He grumbled. He went and sat in the couch.
There was not much to choose from because he rarely watched movies. Back in our college days if I didn’t force him to watch movies he wouldn’t have watched even a single one.
I was surprised to see my favourite movie ‘P. S. I Love You.’ in the stack. It was my all time favourite. I have watched it numerous times to know every single words and still cry over them as if I was watching it for the first time. I held up the cd to which he just grumbled and stuffed his head between the pillows.
I grinned widely and went to put the cd in and went back to him and had him sit straight and put his arm around me.
“Why are you doing this to me?” He asked annoyed as the movie started playing.
“Because I love you.” I said squeezing his cheeks between my fingers and pecking his puckered lips.
I sat back straight as the movie began.
—
“Every single time.” He grumbled handing me the tissue.
“How can I not cry watching his efforts trying to make his wife move on?” I said sniffling watching the credits.
He just stood and walked to switch it off.
“Will you do the same thing for me when you know you don’t have much time left.” I asked looking at him simply.
“No.” He said with no hesitation.
“Why?” I asked now truly curious to his non-hesitation.
“Because I don’t wanna think about dying now when I know I have lots of time left.” He said sitting on the couch bringing me into his arms. I put my arms around him and hugged him tighter.
“Our parents thought the same thing too don’t you think.” I said my voice muffled by his shirt, but I know he heard it by him tensing.
“My parents may not have known but I don’t think your parents didn’t know either. In fact I think both our parents knew it by all the clues they have given us.” He said.
“I know that dad had the idea about it because of the letter he gave us. But how do you know your parents knew it too?”
“My dad had prepared his will giving all his shares to me including his letter of apologizing for leaving.” He said while playing with my hair.
“I am sure everyone prepares it even if they don’t know their end.”
“Then why did he have the shares of your dad’s company if he didn’t know your company would be taken by your mom’s sister?”
“You have shares of my dad’s company?” I asked pulling away from him
“Wait you didn’t know?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah oh. Wait does that mean-”
“That I am the secret shareholder having less shares than your aunt yet still holding the most power because of the contract. Yeah, it’s me.”
“Oh.”