บท 9: FRAMED ON THE THIRD DAY

"You heard the Chairman. Get to work "It was Max who growled, and everyone moved into the server rooms while he escorted Eli and me back to our executive office. Max moved to Eli's office, straight to his computer, sat down as we followed him, and stood behind him as he assessed the computer and checked if someone had hacked in.

"Chairman Armand, this might take a while" Max murmured as his hands ran through the keyboard.

"We have all the time "I responded.

We watched as Max opened the Task Manager to scrutinize running processes, watching for anything that seemed out of place—a rogue process or an unfamiliar application. He then dove into the system logs, meticulously reviewing entries for any anomalies. Max skilled eyes quickly pick out irregular patterns—unusual login times, unexpected changes in system settings, or failed login attempts from unfamiliar IP addresses. Each piece of information is meticulously noted, and we all realized that someone had tampered with Eli's machine last night.

Max ran a series of diagnostic tools and malware scans, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he initiated various security checks. With his expertise, we can spot subtle signs of tampering, such as altered system files or unexpected network traffic.

"They hacked his machine last night, remotely" Max announced.

"I left the laptop running as it was doing software updates "Eli confessed.

"Did you discuss it with Evans Maurice?" Max turned around and asked Eli.

"He was not in the office when I went to him but there was a lady called Beatrice Kyle who advised me not to power off the laptop and leave it on for the updates to run the whole night "Eli informed us.

"Fuck "Max cursed and picked up my laptop and said "I will be right back "

Eli and I stood in a quagmire in his office as we stared at each other and then I saw his shoulders sag and felt him withdraw to himself in seconds.

"No," I said." You have nothing to do with this. Come to my office "I commanded him.

He nodded and picked up the files on his desk and his phone and then we walked out of his office and made our way to mine. We walked in and Eli closed the door of the office, and I went to the cabinet beside my desk, took out a new Macbook, and handed it to him.

"Sit at the corner and use this for now as Max sorts this mess out "I informed him. He walked over to the new Laptop and walked to the couch at the corner, placed all the files on the little table, and then proceeded to unbox the laptop and got busy setting up and continued to work.

The phone on my desk rang and I just pressed the intercom to connect it through "Armand, I warned you about hiring him. The reports from the IT team indicate that he was the one who left his machine overnight and they hacked the system through it." The voice of Mark

"Who in the IT team reported such garbage to you?" I growled over the phone and heard the intake of breath that came from Mark.

"Armand, the IT team is thorough and would never be wrong about this "Mark's defensive voice rose over the phone.

"You know how much I hate sloppiness. Liaise with Max before you make such a report to me next time. "I disconnected the call.

I stood up, left the room, and walked into the private lounge in my office. I went straight to the bathroom and stood staring at the mirror. I felt the fury boiling up inside me, searing through every inch of my body. My face is on fire, muscles tensing, veins popping out like angry lines beneath my skin. My eyes are locked in a furious glare, seeing red as if the world around me is painted in rage. I never expected them to make a move on the third day since I hired him, but I had underestimated them. I closed my eyes as the feelings of violence rose and my hands clenched and unclenched as if they were trying to grip the very essence of my anger. The world seems to vibrate with my rage, and I can almost feel the tension crackling in the air.

"Calm down Armand, you will scare him away" I chanted the words until I felt my body calm down. As the storm of anger starts to subside, I can feel the tension slowly melting away. My clenched fists relaxed, and the tightness in my shoulders eased up. I took a breath to steady myself, running a hand over my face to smooth out the furrows etched by my rage.

I left the bathroom and then walked through the private lounge and made it back to the office. The remnants of my anger have transformed into a subdued resolve, and I made a mantel note to deal with my people and the person who set Eli up.

As I approached my desk, I spotted Eli in a blur of restless energy pacing back and forth in front of my desk. Her movements are sharp and agitated, each step a testament of unease. His hands were clasped tightly in front of him, knuckles white from the grip. Eli raised his head as I entered, his eyes wide with a mixture of relief and apprehension. He was in a worrisome mode, adding a layer of urgency to his otherwise meticulous demeanor.

"Everything okay?" I ask, trying to keep my voice calm and steady despite the remnants of my earlier frustration.

"Chairman Armand, are you okay?" He responded with a question.

"I just needed to cool off" I responded and walked over to stand towering over him.

"I caused all this trouble "Eli whispered in anguish.

"I have no problem taking you over my knee and spanking you until you understand that this had nothing to do with you "I scolded him and earned a smile on his face.

"Max called and I informed him you had stepped out," Eli added.

"I never expected them to make a move so soon. Your father is impatient" I leaned on the desk and informed Eli.

"I am ashamed to even face you "Eli lowered his eyes and looked away.

"You are not responsible for the actions of people who want to cause havoc" I chuckled, and Eli raised his head in surprise.

"Chairman Armand, why are you not fazed by what happened? I know you were angry but now you are at ease and have managed a laugh" Eli asked as he titled in his head in question.

"I am deeply bothered by what happened. Sorry, this is targeted at you. I have a feeling it has nothing to do with your father Gregory Marks but more my team who want to set you up" I explained, and his eyes widened in response.

"Your team?" Eli seemed shocked by the news.

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation as Max walked in and announced "Chairman Armand, it was Beatrice Kyle that initiated the hack. She confessed that the person behind the scenes paid her via PayPal and hid their ID. We tried to trace it, but we have not yet found who it was. My gut feeling tells me that you Bruno or your brother Mark were involved. "

"What?" Eli gasped.

"I knew it "I nodded as the words from Max sunk in and the call from Mark had finally made sense.