Old Mrs. Adams fixed her stern gaze on Georgia and demanded, “What’s going on here, Georgia?”
Georgia swallowed hard before saying, “Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll handle this!”
Old Mrs. Adams’ face darkened further. “I came here because Jamie couldn’t stop praising how well the company was running under your management. You better not disappoint me with any mishaps.”
Georgia instinctively glanced at Jamie. His praise for the company? Even she wasn’t naive enough to miss Jamie’s ploy. Bringing Old Mrs. Adams here at this crucial moment – it was clear as day that Jamie had a hand in this mess.
“What?” Jamie noticed Georgia’s suspicious look. “Why are you looking at me like that? I came by the office a few days ago and saw how well you were managing things. The company was even getting praise. Is there something wrong with that?”
Georgia said nothing, just shot Jamie a knowing look before heading into the system control room.
Kayden slowly approached Jamie, his eyes lingering on Jamie’s battered face. “You don’t think you’ve been beaten enough, do you?”
Jamie touched his still-swollen lip corner and retorted, “You want to hit me again?”
“You?” Kayden looked him up and down dismissively. “You’re not even worth the effort. But don’t worry, I’ll find out who’s behind this, and I’ll make sure they regret it.”
As he spoke, Kayden’s eyes bored into Jamie’s. Uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Jamie averted his gaze, blinking rapidly. “Why are you staring at me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Hah!” Kayden let out a cold laugh, patted Jamie’s shoulder, and walked away.
“Weirdo!” Jamie muttered, his guilty conscience showing.
He then turned to Old Mrs. Adams, “Grandma, did you see that? That idiot is trying to frame me!”
“Hmph!” Old Mrs. Adams thumped her cane in displeasure but said nothing more.
Inside the system control room, Callen Marshall sat hunched over a computer, its screen filled with English text and numbers against a black background. He wore thick glasses and was crammed into an armchair that seemed barely able to support his bulk. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, his hands flying over the keyboard. The cigarette had burned halfway down, its ash still intact – a testament to how engrossed he was in his work. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead as he battled with the computer, completely focused on the task at hand.
Georgia and the others stood silently at the doorway, watching Callen work, not daring to utter a word.
After about ten minutes of tense silence, Callen suddenly slammed the delete key. He slumped back in his chair like a deflated balloon as the computer screen went completely black.
Callen removed the half-smoked cigarette from his mouth, ash scattering across his clothes. He paid no attention to it, muttering a curse under his breath, “Shit!”
“Callen! What happened?” Georgia asked cautiously.
Callen was the company’s tech expert, responsible for the entire computer system’s security. He was one of the Adams Group’s longest-serving employees, holding a 5% stake in the company. He was among the first batch of employees hired by Georgia’s grandfather.
It had cost a fortune to recruit him back then. Even in an era when the internet was still in its infancy, Callen was a renowned figure. Even now, his skills were considered top five in Hiphia.
So it wasn’t just Georgia – everyone in the company held him in high regard.
“It’s over. The company’s been completely hacked. They’ve stolen our IP,” Callen said flatly, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
“What… what do we do now?” Georgia was at a complete loss.
“Callen, please, you have to find a way! This could jeopardize our collaboration with the Atkinson Group. We have detailed plans for every step of our partnership stored in the system. If someone’s stolen that, we’ve breached business ethics. The Atkinson Group will be furious – they’ll definitely refuse to work with us!”
Georgia was on the verge of tears from anxiety.
Callen’s expression shifted slightly. He turned to Georgia, his face thunderous. “Didn’t I just say? Our IP’s been stolen! Someone’s deliberately targeting our company.”
“The hacker we’re dealing with is using cutting-edge technology. Once they have our IP, they can control everything in our company, even our large machinery. I’m not exaggerating when I say this – there’s probably no one in Hiphia, or even the entire Southwest region, who could solve this problem!”
Jamie, standing among the crowd, let out a long sigh of relief. He had been worried that Callen might be able to fix this, but now it seemed his concerns were unfounded.
Heath’s company really had impressive tech skills to put the Adams Group in such a dire situation!
“Georgia, I can’t wait to see you behind bars,” Jamie gloated inwardly.
Georgia’s heart sank. She asked, “So… does this mean our entire company is now under someone else’s control?”
“What else did you expect?” Callen replied nonchalantly.
Georgia turned back to Callen, pleading, “Callen, I know you’re incredibly talented. Please, I’m begging you, think of something. Our company has come so far. If the Atkinson Group gets angry, we’ll…”
“Slam!” Callen, finally losing his temper, brought his hand down hard on the computer desk. He glared at Georgia, shouting, “What are you implying? Are you suggesting I have the ability to fix this but I’m choosing not to?”
“I’ve been with this company for so many years! Do you think I wouldn’t do everything in my power? Listen, little girl, I don’t like your tone. If you think you can do better, or if you know someone more capable, then by all means, find someone else! I can retire anytime.” With that, Callen angrily tossed his cigarette butt on the floor.
It was a blatant show of disrespect towards Georgia, clearly demonstrating his lack of faith in her leadership.
Callen was rather old-fashioned in his thinking. Ever since the company had been handed over to a woman, he’d been skeptical of Georgia’s abilities, firmly believing that women lacked leadership skills. However, when it came to the current crisis, he wasn’t lying – this really was beyond his ability to solve.