A Better Gift

Evelyn stared at the worn-out keypad phone that Lucius's team had retrieved. Lucius handed her a pair of gloves, and she slipped them on before carefully taking the device from him.

Her eyes scanned the phone, its surface scratched and faded from years of use. She pressed the power button, and the screen flickered to life, displaying a snake game that seemed to play on its own, followed by a loud beep. She attempted to unlock the phone, but nothing worked.

"Whoever this was, they've modified the phone's system to their advantage," one of the tech experts explained, his tone laced with frustration. "It's almost impossible to extract data without triggering its failsafe mechanisms."

Evelyn's heart sank at the words. "So, there's no way to trace the owner?" she asked, her voice steady despite the storm brewing inside her.