章節 32: "Nostalgia"

"This is Sanno Angeldame. He's a mutant caretaker." Sanya told her.

Gwyneth remained astonished and couldn't speak. Sanno stared at her intently for a while, and then he offered a handshake.

"I'm Sanno, hello."

Gwyneth thought it's rude not to receive his handshake. After all, he's her boyfriend back in college.

"Hi, I'm Gwyn."

The two of them took a while before they held each other's hands. They gazed into each other's eyes, and when Sanya realized that it was too long for a handshake, she took both hands and separated them. "Do you know each other?" she asked with a subtle hint of jealousy.

"No," Sanno said coldly. He didn't foresee that he would meet Gwyneth in that time and place. He even thought that they wouldn't meet anymore because she went abroad to work and study. He was trying to send signals to her not to expose him by acting cold. Although, he already knew that Gwyneth would choose him over D.M. Cadre because she owes him big time.

Gwyneth was smart enough to notice his gaze. She didn't know why Sanno was working as a lowly caretaker when judging by his skills he could be the head of the security team. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I have a flight to catch," she said. She waved goodbye to them and hurriedly walked towards the receptionist's area to log out. She swiftly walked out of the building.

Gwyneth knew that she messed up. If she knew that Sanno was working there, she would definitely think that the virus was all Sanno's doing. After all, he's the understudy of the legendary master hacker they call "Zion", and Gwyneth is one of the very few who knew about it.

Zion, a codename, is notorious in the cybersecurity circle. Everyone who knew how to fix cybersecurity issues on computers knew this person. No one had ever seen him in person, or how he looked like; all they knew about him were his legendary skills. He accepts hacking jobs through an untraceable email address but in exchange for hefty digital cash.

As Gwyneth rode the e-train alone, she remembered the times when Sanno and her would meet in Makylee Mall. He was always fetching her in the e-bus station, helping her to bring her heavy backpack full of books, and held hands with her. They would watch the cinema once a week and visit museums once a month. She thought that they would be together longer and get married, but something bad had happened to her, forcing her to leave Sanno without saying goodbye. Even though that awful situation had happened, Sanno still found her and even helped her solve her problem.

Gwyn looked at the view of the research facility. Because she knew that she messed up in finding the culprit, she swore never to get involved with D.M. Cadre again. She knew that Sanno would not go undercover without a valid, good reason.

Meanwhile, in the lobby, Sanya has been nagging Sanno, "Isn't she gorgeous? And a master programmer… I heard that she was the valedictorian in her batch… Isn't she intelligent?" she fixed her round eyeglasses. "Maybe you fell in love with her at first sight..."

Sanno laughed it off. It was so obvious that Sanya was jealous, "Yeah, maybe…" he teased her. "But, I think you're cuter than her."

Sanya blushed at his sudden compliment. "You liar…" She said, pouting.

"Why don't you believe me, after all my gifts for you?" he winked at her and showed her his killer smile.

"Hmph, alright… I believe you," she said. Then realized something, "Why are you outside? Isn't it too early to log out?"

"My mutant is in an experiment and he said the tests will take until late at night. He told me to buy baking ingredients, and I have a full list here," Sanno explained, showing her the list he saved in his phone.

"Can I go with you? I need a breather."

"Of course. I'll wait for you on the benches outside."

"Okay! I'll just go and get my things, and leave my lab coat. I'll be quick," Sanya said, then rode the elevator.

Sanno quickly logged out in the receptionist's area and went outside.

As he sat down on the wide bench beside the entrance, he looked up at the blue sky. "It's been so long," he thought. He still couldn't forget the unexpected encounter he had with his ex-girlfriend, Gwyn. While they had many happy memories, he also had the most heartbreaking memory with her. He had already moved on, but he remembered the time when he realized that she left, without even saying goodbye. If only he knew that she would leave right after the graduation ceremony, he would have attended it to stop her from leaving. He was a mess after he knew everything that had happened, left Makylee City for a while, and focused on practicing his programming skills and cybersecurity techniques. But he loved her too much and didn't forget about her right away. When he returned, he would spend his time at his apartment, drinking liquor until he fell asleep.

Every time he gets drunk, his father Dexter would always kick his ass when he finds him lying on the floor. He would get mad at him, and eventually drag him out to bring him to his condominium's rooftop. He would let Sanno shout all his frustrations and cry out loud, while he just quietly lit his favorite cigarette beside him looking at the city lights. His father wasn't an affectionate person and very strict most of the time, but he's reliable, and both he and his mother Joy knew that.

It was a distant memory and something that he had already moved on to. He couldn't believe he could get himself to accept that they weren't meant to be. "Why am I being dramatic now…" He said, smiling to himself. He laughed it off when suddenly, his cellphone vibrated.

He looked at his phone, and it was an unknown number. He clicked it, and the message said, "Now, you owe me. We're even." He smiled, knowing who sent the message.

On the 9th floor...

The head scientist received a call. "Hello, Dr. Jaia," he said with the utmost respect, "We have already apprehended the culprit. He was sent to the basement for interrogation."

"Good," the woman on the other line said, "Update me tomorrow. I want fast results."

"Yes."

"For now, we need to look after all social media, advertisements, and television programs. We need to make sure that all the confidential information will not leak to the public." Dr. Jaia said.

"Yes, ma'am," the head scientist answered. She was someone with a higher authority than him. "We have local connections that can help us in that area."

"That's great, then," she replied. "By the way, have you decided on the mutant that you will send to us?"

"Yes, it's all set. In two days, we'll send the mutant to you."

"Good!" she said delightedly. "Thank you, Dr. Logan."