Debra snorted in frustration. Despite her anger, she still maintained some rationality. She knew it wasn’t entirely Owen’s fault.
She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “Alright, we underestimated her today. Do you have any ideas?”
Owen nodded. “Mrs. Debra Cooper, there is one more way to turn the tables.”
“Tell me,” Debra demanded.
Owen approached and whispered in her ear. “Since she thinks she’s a computer expert and fixed the company’s firewall, let’s give her a chance to shine.”
Debra frowned. “What do you mean?”
A smile appeared on Owen’s lips. “I can attack the company’s firewall. If it’s breached, we’ll have a reason to deal with her.”
Debra smiled, pleased with the idea. “Good plan. The computer in the adjacent office is available. You can use it.”
Owen let out a sigh of relief. “Using the company’s computer will save some time since there are security measures that can be easily bypassed.”
Debra sneered. “I don’t need you to save time. I want you to completely break through the firewall and cause the company some losses.”
Owen gasped. If they only attacked the firewall, Sandra’s punishment would be minor. But if the company experienced losses, she would be held responsible. At the very least, Sandra would be suspended for an investigation, and at worst, she could end up in jail.
With this thought in mind, he felt a surge of excitement. “Mrs. Debra Cooper, rest assured, I won’t let you down!”
In the technical department, after Owen left, everyone went back to their tasks. But during their breaks, they still discussed who would be the next director.
“Maybe it’ll be Sandra. After all, she’s Mr. Cooper’s wife.”
“It’s pointless. Mr. Cooper can’t even protect himself.”
“Who do you think has a chance?”
“I think it’s Stacy.”
Suddenly, one of them yelled, “Oh no, my computer crashed!”
“It’s been hacked!”
Whenever the Cooper Group’s firewall came under attack by hackers, the technical department was the first to receive the alert. Other departments’ computers continued to function normally due to the firewall’s strength. However, in the technical department, everyone was scrambling to find ways to confront the hacker.
“This hacker has cracked all our passwords! It won’t be long before they breach and steal the company’s secrets!”
“The attack is at 70%!”
“Oh no, it’s at 75%!”
“So fast!”
Everyone in the technical department was on edge, frantically typing away on their keyboards, trying their best to fend off the hacker.
However, the hacker seemed to be anticipating their every move. They could only delay the breach temporarily before the hacker launched an even fiercer attack.
Sandra casually picked up a glass of water and took a sip, unfazed by the situation.
“Why is everyone so nervous?” she asked.
Stacy Wilson, a senior member of the technical department and a strong, independent 35-year-old woman, had no patience for women like Sandra, who seemed to rely on men. Stacy had already seen the code in the USB drive Owen had given to Sandra, and she found it quite simple. Anyone with knowledge of the field would recognize it.
Stacy didn’t think Sandra was anything special.
If Sandra had kept quiet, Stacy might have tolerated her presence. But now, Sandra’s words had struck a nerve.
“Mrs. Cooper, do you take pleasure in watching someone steal the company’s secrets?” Stacy snapped.
Sandra raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “Don’t you have confidence in our security measures?”
Stacy scoffed, “The company’s firewall?” She thought Sandra was naive. “No matter how strong a firewall is, it won’t withstand a sustained attack. If it’s breached, all our secrets will be taken.”
Sandra frowned. “How do you know the firewall can’t hold up?”
“This firewall was built by our team…” Stacy began, then stopped as realization flickered across her face. She sneered. “Are you saying you just fixed the firewall and now it can resist the hacker?”
Sandra nodded. “Yes.”
Laughter rippled through the room. They saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin who had no idea what top hackers could do-thinking a firewall alone would solve everything. While they continued to mock her, Sandra added calmly, “I believe the firewall I fixed is strong enough to withstand this attack, so I suggest everyone take a break.”
Someone shouted from the other side of the room, “It’s already 90%!” Stacy abandoned arguing and hurried back to her terminal. Seeing the shift in the room, Sandra could only watch helplessly as they scrambled.
In the office, Debra stared at the monitor. “How much longer?”
Owen typed furiously. “It’s already 95%, Mrs. Debra Cooper. I can access the company database in three minutes.”
Debra brightened. “Great. If we succeed this time, I’ll make sure you get credit.”
Owen looked pleased. “Mrs. Debra Cooper, you’re too kind. You promoted me-I’m willing to do anything for you without expecting anything in return.”
Debra dismissed his flattery with a small smile. “Don’t worry. After the system crash, I’ll bring some shareholders to speak with you. You can make your demands, then come back and fix the company’s systems.”
She wanted Sandra to leave, but she didn’t want to ruin the company. Owen nodded, determined to get rid of Sandra and secure a partnership in the company with some shares.
“Mrs. Debra Cooper, it’s 99%,” Owen announced, staring at the progress bar on the computer screen with excitement.
In the technical department, Stacy angrily slammed the table. “The hacker is so despicable!” The employees also slammed their keyboards in frustration.
Sandra spoke slowly, “Why is everyone so in a hurry? There’s still 1% left, isn’t there?”
Stacy sneered. “Do you think it will take long to break through the firewall? The hacker can breach it in minutes if they want to.”
Sandra nodded, “I believe in the firewall I fixed.”
“Save it.” Stacy couldn’t hide her disdain anymore. “Sandra, stop delaying our work. You’re so annoying!”
The others all shared their distaste for Sandra. “Our department was doing fine until she showed up.”
“We haven’t encountered such a powerful hacker in years.”
“She thought highly of herself, confidently fixing the firewall. Of course, the hacker wants to challenge us.”
“I don’t want to work with someone so arrogant.”
Sandra ignored their insults and simply chuckled.
“So, you all think the hacker is powerful? Do you want to know what they look like?”
Stacy responded sarcastically, “Are you dreaming?”
Sandra smiled. “The program I implanted has attacked the hacker’s computer. Now we can open their camera.”
Stacy was clearly stunned for a moment. Then she burst into laughter. “How is that possible?”
Before she could finish her sentence, her gaze fell on the computer screen.
The progress bar, which had already reached 99%, began to decrease rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it dropped to 10%-then to 1%. When the progress bar finally reset to zero, a video suddenly appeared on the computer.
“It seems the hacker has opened the camera and is video chatting with us,” someone observed. “And it’s happening on every computer in the company.”
“Well, at least we can see what the hacker looks like and report him to the police,” another added.
Stacy wore an expression of disbelief. She didn’t even glance at the computer screen but turned her head to look at Sandra. “Did you implant a Trojan horse?”
Sandra raised an eyebrow. “Is it difficult?”
Stacy stood up, excited. “How did you do it?”
Sandra shrugged. “I did it with my own hands.”
Stacy was speechless.
“Look, the camera’s on!” someone shouted.
“Why does he look familiar?” another voice questioned.
“Mr. Pope?” someone else asked. “Didn’t he leave?”
“Could it be that he’s helping us test the firewall?”
Owen was still excitedly watching the computer screen. “I’ll be able to enter the database soon and get the company’s secrets!”
The employees in the technical department held their breath, fearing that even the slightest sound of their breathing would disturb Owen on the screen. However, there was something even more terrifying.
Currently, every computer in the company, as well as the large screens in the lobby, were broadcasting this live surveillance footage. It was Friday, and many employees had some free time.
The group chat was flooded with messages. The video of Owen attacking the company’s firewall spread quickly throughout the company. In less than a minute, everyone in the Cooper Group, including the janitors who usually didn’t use their phones, knew that there was a traitor in the technical department.
Owen’s name was soon circulating throughout the company. At first, everyone thought it was just a drill conducted by the technical department. But it didn’t take long before they concluded that Owen, after being fired, had held a grudge and intended to sabotage the company.
“Owen seems to still be in our company!” The news spread quickly through every corner of the organization. But it had only been two or three minutes since the incident started.
The people in the technical department also took notice. “It seems like Mr. Pope hasn’t left the company, but I’ve never seen this office before.”
“Didn’t you notice how luxurious it is? Only the higher-ups have offices like that,” someone whispered.
Sandra pressed the intercom button. “This is the technical department. Please send security personnel to the president’s office on the top floor. Someone is attempting to steal company information using internal computers.”
The technical department fell silent once more. Stacy muttered, “Maybe Mr. Pope just wanted to test the firewall.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Owen smirked on the screen.
“I have full access now. I will copy all the confidential files.”
Stacy felt embarrassed. She hadn’t expected this to happen.
Sandra retorted, “Are your drills usually this realistic?”
Stacy was speechless. Even during drills, they wouldn’t be given full access. The company didn’t allow it, and they wouldn’t do anything suspicious. Owen’s actions clearly exceeded the scope of a simple drill.
Other departments might not understand, but the technical department could see the code scrolling on the screen. It was clear now-Owen was genuinely attacking the company.
Sandra suddenly began typing on her keyboard and broadcasted the company’s surveillance footage. The security personnel in the footage were near the president’s office on the top floor. As they were about to knock on Debra’s door, Sandra spoke up.
“It’s the room next door.”
The security personnel didn’t knock; instead, they went to the adjacent room and broke down the door. Owen was stunned, looking toward the door.
“What are you doing…”
He was quickly subdued by the security guards. Almost simultaneously, the cyber police arrived. They didn’t need permission from the executives and immediately took Owen away.
Meanwhile, Sandra adjusted the screen on his computer. The confidential files were still in the process of being downloaded-60% of the files had already been copied.
The police took photos and collected evidence. Just when everyone thought the ordeal was over, Sandra sent a mass email through the company’s internal network.
The email read:
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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