Nearby, a group of fans buzzed with excitement.
“Onyx Jimenez is amazing! He’s the hottest comic artist out there!” one of them exclaimed.
“Yeah, and I heard he’s young – barely in his twenties – and really easy on the eyes. Plus, his stories are killer!” another added.
Allison usually dismissed such distractions as noise, but something about the art style on the cover caught her eye. She grabbed one of the comics and flipped through its pages.
With each turn, her expression hardened, and her mood shifted like a sudden drop in temperature. Those nearby instinctively shrank back, sensing the unspoken tension radiating from her.
The storyboard, the flow, the plot – it was all too familiar. These were her abandoned drafts from her days in Leswington, now repackaged under a different name.
Her finger traced the title: “Onyx Jimenez.” A dry laugh escaped her lips.
So, it was an old acquaintance – the editor she had once worked with.
“Is this cartoonist really that popular?” Allison asked a nearby girl, her voice casual, yet with a hint of curiosity.
The girl blinked in surprise before nodding. “Yeah, Onyx Jimenez is blowing up online right now! He’s even holding a signing event next week at the Commerce Building. If you’re into his work, you should totally check it out!”
“Next week, huh?” Allison mused, setting the comic down. She wasn’t one to rush, but for something as amusing as this, she could make time.
The girl hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you know him?”
Allison’s lips curved into a faint smile. “No.”
If Onyx had been working behind her back and pulled a stunt like this, there was no chance he would want her to find out.
Everything clicked into place. After Allison disappeared from Leswington without a trace, it made sense that Onyx had grown bold enough to pass off her discarded drafts as his own work. In his mind, he probably never thought their paths would cross again, especially not in Ontdale.
There had been a time when Allison would have stormed in, demanding answers from anyone who dared steal her ideas. But those days were behind her. Right now, her priority was fixing the server.
After handling things in Muisvedo, Allison returned home, scrubbed the day off in a steaming shower, and collapsed into bed, muttering under her breath, “I’m losing my touch.” She hadn’t worked on servers in ages, and even just a bit of troubleshooting had left her with a pounding headache. The task seemed to drain more out of her than it used to.
With a resigned sigh, she let her eyes wander to the moonlight spilling across the floor through the gaps in her curtains. Her thoughts drifted toward the mountain awaiting her – the battle to help Kinslee fight Alzheimer’s. And, looming like a thorn in her side, was the one person she couldn’t avoid – Kellan.
She needed to get on his good side, and quickly. His trust was the key that would allow her to take Kinslee abroad for the treatment she so desperately needed.
Then there was the Charisma Company – every corner of their background needed to be thoroughly examined. No stone could be left unturned.
Mulling it over, Allison decided to send Kellan a message: “Mr. Lloyd, is that company partnership you mentioned still on the table?”
His reply came almost instantly. “It is. I keep my promises.” There was no need for further explanation; both of them understood what was at stake without needing to lay it out. “If you’re open to it, I can offer you more shares.”
“Not necessary, 30 percent is plenty.”
Kellan hesitated for a moment, typing and erasing, before settling on a straightforward response. “We have a dedicated lab. You’re welcome anytime, Miss Clarke. Even showing up once a month will be enough.”
“I appreciate it, really.”
Kellan stared at her message, the words lingering on the screen like a soft smile curling at the edges of Allison’s lips. Before he realized it, he found himself smiling at his phone, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Jim, who had been walking past the couch, noticed Kellan’s distracted state. He had been staring at the screen for what felt like forever. Something was definitely up.
The next morning, Allison strolled casually into Charisma Company. As soon as she stepped inside, her phone buzzed with a message from Kellan.
“Miss Clarke, no assistant for you today?”
“They’d only trip me up.” Allison had no desire for an assistant, knowing it would attract unwanted attention. Besides, she preferred working alone and felt uneasy with someone hovering around.
After hitting send, she ventured further into the building. To her surprise, the atmosphere was quite comfortable. Charisma Company had grown exponentially, and with backing from the Lloyd Group, it had secured an entire skyscraper. As a perfume company, it didn’t have the stiff, uptight atmosphere of a typical corporate office. Laboratories were scattered across the building, and two entire floors were dedicated to lounges and break rooms where employees could unwind.
But as she neared the office area, something caught her eye-a disturbance in the company’s data. “Someone’s hacking in,” she muttered, frowning.
Nearby computer screens flickered with garbled code, but the staff on duty were nowhere to be seen, and oddly enough, the network’s security alarms hadn’t been triggered.
Her instincts were right-someone was tampering with the system.
Without hesitation, she slid into the nearest chair and got to work. “An illegal breach? Haven’t seen this move in a while,” she murmured.
This wasn’t how she’d envisioned her first day. With determination, she made her way to the central control room, switched on the main computer, and let her fingers fly across the keyboard.
Kellan had assured her the lab was hers to command, and it came with full access to all the equipment.
The other lab techs blinked in surprise at her sudden entrance. They had been informed that a new leader would be arriving today, and apparently, that was her. Though they were aware of the situation, they couldn’t shake off the sting of resentment. Thea Reid shot a discreet glance at Marc Ward, the senior tech who had the best shot at promotion. Watching an outsider walk in and claim what he thought was rightfully his only fueled his bitterness.
Swallowing his frustration, Marc approached Allison, his sarcasm barely concealed. “So, you’re Miss Clarke. Trying to make a splash on day one, I see. But, uh, shouldn’t you…”
Allison didn’t bother looking up as Marc’s voice interrupted her concentration. “You’re dealing with perfume in the lab? What’s with all the typing here?”
She couldn’t waste time on trivialities. This wasn’t the work of amateurs – it had all the hallmarks of Dark Web hackers. Given Charisma’s sky-high market value, there were plenty of vultures circling, hoping to snatch their coveted perfume formulas.
If she didn’t block the intrusion in the next few minutes, the hackers would break through the firewall and breach the database. By the time the Lloyd Group’s cybersecurity team could intervene, it would be too late.
She wasn’t about to let valuable data, still untouched by her own eyes, fall into the hands of thieves. Ignoring Marc’s jab, she fired back, “If you know who I am, then you should also know to stay out of my way.”
Marc’s eyes narrowed in shock, his irritation bubbling over. Around the lab, the other techs exchanged amused glances and whispered under their breath.
“She’s all fired up, but it’s not like this is our company, right? If things go south, it’s on her, not us.”
“Miss Clarke, don’t misunderstand us,” Thea interjected smoothly, her tone dripping with subtle venom. “It’s not that we don’t respect you, but real talent speaks for itself. And when someone’s only here because of who they know… well, you can’t expect us to hold our tongues. No offense intended, of course.”
Their words were sharp, and it was clear they had anticipated a battle-hardened leader in the role. Instead, they were faced with a woman in her twenties, quiet and seemingly easy to walk over.
But Allison wasn’t one to be underestimated.
“If you’re aware of how rude you’re being, then perhaps it’s time to be quiet. If you can’t solve the problem, at least don’t add to it. It’s common decency- or is that concept beyond your grasp?”
Her words hit with the precision of a well-aimed dart. She could tell they resented her appointment. The snide remarks made that abundantly clear.
“The company’s under cyberattack. I’m dealing with it. Leave me be.”
With her focus now entirely on countering the hack, the techs’ grumbling only served to fray her nerves further. Their expressions stiffened, but none of them dared argue. They exited the room, jaws clenched, exchanging silent glares.
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.