~The day Andreas approached Jonas~
There was nothing more amusing to Andreas than to find Jonas on high alert upon his arrival. Even before his footsteps had fully landed, Jonas had openly shown his displeasure.
No wonder Andreas felt even more motivated to tease Jonas. He pulled out a chair and sat down in front of Jonas, adopting a relaxed posture as if he owned the room.
He leaned back. The chair turned deliberately. Andreas observed his surroundings with a thoughtful expression.
“I don’t want to disturb you, but I just wanted to have a look around the room.”
Andreas proved his words with his actions. He really examined the room, as if he had plans to redecorate some parts of it soon.
The chair kept turning. Sometimes it would stop when Andreas focused his eyes on a particular object, be it a painting, a vase, or even a flower pot.
Andreas smiled meaningfully. A mischievous gleam in his eyes. He showed an irritating attitude that always managed to make Jonas angry.
That’s what Andreas wanted. He wanted Jonas to concentrate on his annoying behavior. He had to make sure that Jonas was annoyed enough to be distracted when he secretly placed a bug on one of the arms of the chair.
“What do you think I should change when I finally become the owner of this room?”
“Are you still asleep, Reas? Don’t dream that you’re not sleeping. It’s ridiculous.”
“It’s okay. Mock me as much as you want, but we’ll see who’s laughing in the end.”
“Don’t dream that it will be you.”
“Do you think it will be you?”
“I’m sure you have doubts as well, Jonas. So, my advice is, don’t forget to have fun. I’m afraid you won’t be able to enjoy your life after the shareholders’ meeting.”
“Don’t brag, Reas. You should look in the mirror before you talk about me. You have no power to get rid of me. Even if my position is a bit difficult right now, it doesn’t mean that the shareholders are on your side. You’re not-”
“That’s enough! I don’t want to waste my time listening to your chatter. Like I said, I just wanted to check this room. I have no intention of talking to you. We can have a more interesting conversation some other time.”
Andreas stood up. He walked away with a grin. Satisfied, he left his traces in Jonas’ office.
That night, after a delightful dinner with Vlora, Andreas went to the office. He was curious, even though it seemed impossible that his trap would produce immediate results.
But who could have predicted? The recording made Andreas’ smile blossom perfectly.
Ah! It turns out that it’s so easy to provoke you, Jonas.
“Calm down, sir. Mr. Andreas can’t do anything. The only thing he can do is disturb you and make you angry. That’s it.”
“How can you talk about this so lightly, Alex. He can’t bluff if he has no bullets to attack me with.”
Andreas sighed and shifted his sitting position slightly. The conversation between Jonas and Alex made him laugh, which made his stomach a little tight. He wanted to laugh, but it seemed difficult. Ah, the amusing torture.
“Definitely him. Yes, it’s undoubtedly Andreas who orchestrated the recent drop in sales. The damned scoundrel! He chose the right time on purpose.”
Someone seems to be getting smart.
“There’s a saying that successful people are those who can always turn adversity into fortune.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can use this situation to destroy Mr. Andreas.”
Amusement and a funny expression made Andreas pause. His gaze changed and he listened more attentively.
“We will create a scenario as if Mr. Andreas wants to sabotage your presentation at tomorrow’s meeting. It may sound like a trivial plan, but believe me, sir. This plan is effective in undermining people’s confidence in Mr. Andreas.”
“Do you think it will work?”
“We have set it up so that Mr. Andreas will appear to have the opportunity to sabotage your presentation in the meeting preparation room. I will make sure that the video surveillance is inactive. There won’t be any incriminating evidence against Mr. Andreas, but there won’t be any evidence in his defense either.”
“It seems that you are right.”
“With the history of the strained relationship between you and Mr. Andreas, it won’t be difficult to direct the shareholders’ accusations at Mr. Andreas. Besides, this plan is like you kill two birds with one stone.”
Andreas smiled thinly. It wasn’t difficult to guess Alex’s intention.
“You can avoid the meeting and fire me at the same time,” Andreas whispered as he ended the recording. “A pretty good idea. Well, not bad, but it won’t work.”
*
~The day of the shareholders’ meeting came, held at Greatech~
“There are a few things I need to do for this third test. The team is preparing a more powerful virus. The data damage must be severe. That way, the effectiveness of the repair can really be seen.”
“I understand, but what if I do the third test myself?”
“I should have known. Of course, there’s coffee at your house, and Vlora can make it anytime.”
Andreas burst out laughing. “Actually, Jonas wants to trap me.”
There was no surprise on Lucas’ face. He nodded repeatedly, as if it was expected.
“What is he going to do?”
“It’s actually just a half-baked plan,” Andreas replied with an amused grin. “He’s going to sabotage the laptop and the meeting to make it look like I’m the culprit. Unfortunately, while it’s not a great plan, the effect on me will be significant. He’ll easily avoid the meeting and then…”
Lucas finished Andreas’ words. “Dismiss you.”
“Bingo!”
“So, do you know which virus he’s going to use?”
“Not sure. From what I’ve heard, it could be something like mydoom or conficker.”
Lucas nodded again. “Alright. I see what you mean.”
“That’s the use of a friend.”
Spontaneously, Lucas snorted when he heard Andreas’ words. At that moment, he realized that it wasn’t strange that Jonas often lost his temper in front of Andreas. The man did indeed have a unique talent that not many possessed.
“Basically, the antivirus I’m preparing is designed to anticipate attacks and recover data quickly. There’s a new type of multi-part virus that can become active instantly, just like a memory resident. However, it won’t be stopped by ordinary antivirus, because its activation is similar to that of the antivirus itself. The computer will be completely paralyzed and inaccessible in a matter of seconds.”
“Do you think it will work?”
“With my two tests, you can hope so,” Lucas replied confidently. “I will ask Vlora to assist you.”
Andreas chuckled. “She’s my wife, Luc. It’s only natural that she helps me.”
“Ah, I almost forgot.”
“What?”
Lucas grinned. “Thank you. Because it looks like the Greatech market will be even smoother in the future.”
“Damn.”
Laughter ended the conversation between Andreas and Lucas. Afterwards he and Vlora drove to Progun.
The car navigated the streets smoothly. Tinted windows gave them the privacy they needed.
“What are you doing later, Reas?”
Unexpectedly, it was Vlora who started the conversation. This time, there was no hiding her curious gaze. She really wanted to know her husband’s plan.
“You have a great opportunity today, but you still have some decisions to make.”
Andreas looked at her. “Choices?”
“Yes. You can attack openly or let others attack.”
Andreas blinked. Vlora’s words seemed familiar.
“Exploiting the people around you so openly aren’t your style at all. You prefer to make plans that will attract people naturally. They need to see that you deserve it not just because of family hierarchy.”
“You remember my words, Vlo.”
A gleam of admiration shone in Andreas’ eyes. He could hardly breathe from the overflowing admiration, especially when Vlora spoke again.
“Not only your words. I will always remember everything about you.”
He raised his hand. Andreas gently stroked Vlora’s cheek and reminded himself.
Don’t. Not now. Vlora won’t like it if I mess up her lipstick.
Andreas took a deep breath and looked at Vlora. “I think this afternoon is not the time to attack openly. I want to play the innocent victim to gather my supporters first.”
*