The Clock is Ticking

Lisa's hands trembled over the keyboard.

The AI system was corrupted.

The files were there, but half the code was missing, and the other half was broken beyond recognition.

She knew Leo had done this.

But she didn't have time to prove it.

If she didn't fix this before the deadline, Felix would fire her on the spot.

Lisa took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and got to work.

Every second counted.

Lisa's fingers moved quickly across the keyboard, scanning the broken code and fixing what she could.

But the more she worked, the worse it got.

Entire sections were completely gone.

Someone had intentionally deleted them.

Lisa gritted her teeth. There's no way I can rewrite all of this alone.

She needed help.

She grabbed her phone and called Mei.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

Voicemail.

Lisa groaned. Great.

She looked around the office. Most people had already left.

Except—

Felix.

He was in his glass-walled office, staring at his screen, as cold and focused as ever.

Lisa hesitated.

Would he even help?

He might just tell her it was her problem to solve.

But then she remembered last night.

How he gave her a hint.

How he knew her AI response time was slow before she even mentioned it.

Felix knew everything about this project.

And right now, she needed his brain.

Lisa took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and marched into his office.

Felix didn't even look up. "What?"

Lisa placed her laptop on his desk. "The AI system was sabotaged."

Felix took another sip of coffee. "I know."

Lisa's eyes widened. "You know?"

Felix finally glanced at her. "You think I don't notice everything that happens in my company?"

Lisa blinked. "Then… why didn't you stop it?"

Felix smirked. "Because I wanted to see what you'd do."

Lisa's jaw clenched. "You—"

Felix leaned back in his chair. "You have six hours before the final review. If you don't fix it, you're fired."

Lisa took a deep breath. Stay calm.

She crossed her arms. "Then help me."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Why should I?"

Lisa frowned. "Because it's your company. And if this project fails, it makes you look bad too."

Felix studied her for a long moment.

Then—

He smirked.

"Fine."

Lisa's eyes widened. Wait, that worked?

Felix cracked his knuckles. "But I have conditions."

Lisa narrowed her eyes. "What conditions?"

Felix leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

"One—" he said, holding up a finger. "You owe me."

Lisa hesitated. "Owe you… what?"

Felix smirked. "I'll decide later."

Lisa gulped. That sounds dangerous.

Felix held up a second finger. "Two—don't waste my time."

Lisa nodded. "Fine."

Felix held up a third finger. "Three—"

Lisa groaned. "How many conditions do you have?"

Felix chuckled. "This one's important."

He met her eyes, his expression serious.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you."

Lisa swallowed. This guy is terrifying.

But she had no choice.

She extended her hand. "Deal."

Felix glanced at it, then shook it once, firm and cold.

"Let's get to work."

Felix worked fast.

Lisa had never seen someone code with such precision.

While she focused on restoring the deleted files, Felix rewrote the corrupted sections from memory.

It was insane.

Lisa paused to watch him for a moment.

His expression was completely focused, his fingers moving like he already knew exactly what to do before even typing it.

Lisa muttered, "You're really a genius, huh?"

Felix smirked without looking up. "Took you long enough to notice."

Lisa rolled her eyes and kept working.

Hour after hour passed.

By the time the clock struck 3 AM, the AI system was fully restored.

Lisa sat back and exhaled. "We did it."

Felix stretched his arms. "Obviously."

Lisa shot him a look. "Would it kill you to just say 'good job'?"

Felix smirked. "Yes."

Lisa groaned. "Unbelievable."

Felix stood up and grabbed his coat. "Get some sleep."

Lisa blinked. "You're leaving?"

Felix smirked. "I saved your job. My work here is done."

Lisa hesitated, then muttered, "Thanks… for helping."

Felix glanced at her.

Then, in a soft voice, he said—

"You owe me."

Lisa's stomach dropped.

Oh no.

She had a very, very bad feeling about this