CHAPTER 12 — Glitch
1396 Words
The glitch didn’t happen loudly.
It didn’t crash the system.
It didn’t trigger alarms.
It lasted less than two seconds.
But for Evelyn Hayes—
It was enough.
“Run that again.”
Her voice cut through the quiet control room.
Around her, the IT department froze.
The large screens lining the wall flickered faintly, displaying rows of system logs, security protocols, and live server activity. Everything appeared stable.
Perfect, even.
But Evelyn’s eyes were fixed on one particular line.
A gap.
A blink.
A fraction of time that didn’t behave the way it should.
“Miss Hayes,” the IT director said cautiously, adjusting his glasses, “we’ve reviewed the logs multiple times. There’s no sign of intrusion.”
Evelyn didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, she stepped closer to the main console, her heels echoing softly against the polished floor.
“No intrusion?” she repeated quietly.
Her fingers moved across the keyboard.
Fast.
Precise.
She replayed the system trace.
Again.
And again.
Each time stopping at the same second.
“There.”
She pointed.
The room fell silent.
The IT team leaned forward, eyes narrowing as they tried to follow her line of sight.
“…I don’t see anything unusual,” one of them admitted.
Evelyn’s lips curved slightly.
“Exactly.”
That was the problem.
There should have been something.
A fluctuation.
A delay.
A trace.
But instead—
There was nothing.
Too clean.
Too perfect.
Like someone had erased their footsteps while walking.
“…This isn’t a system error,” she said calmly.
A ripple of unease spread across the room.
“Then… what is it?” the IT director asked.
Evelyn straightened.
Her gaze lingered on the screen for a moment longer.
“…A visitor.”
Across the city—
Knight Group Headquarters.
Rafael Knight stood at the head of the conference table, his expression unreadable.
Around him, executives sat in tense silence.
“The second wave of pressure will begin in four hours,” one of them reported. “We’ve secured additional media influence. Aurora Tech’s reputation will take another hit.”
Rafael tapped his fingers lightly against the table.
Once.
Twice.
Slow.
Measured.
“And their response?”
The executive hesitated.
“…Minimal impact so far. They’ve stabilized faster than expected.”
A faint crease appeared between Rafael’s brows.
“Faster… than expected?”
“Yes, sir.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Rafael leaned back slightly in his chair.
“…She’s adapting.”
The words were soft.
But they carried weight.
Because this—
Wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Aurora Tech should have been shaken.
Destabilized.
Struggling.
Instead—
They were holding.
No.
More than holding.
They were… anticipating.
Rafael’s gaze darkened.
“Continue the pressure.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And increase monitoring.”
A pause.
“On Evelyn Hayes.”
The room stiffened slightly.
“Understood.”
The meeting ended quickly.
But Rafael didn’t move.
Not immediately.
Because something—
Didn’t feel right.
Back at Aurora Tech—
The control room had emptied.
Most of the team had been dismissed.
Only Evelyn remained.
Standing in front of the screens.
Watching.
Waiting.
The system ran smoothly.
No interruptions.
No anomalies.
But she knew better.
Her fingers rested lightly on the console.
Still.
Patient.
“…You’re careful,” she murmured.
Almost amused.
Almost impressed.
Whoever it was—
They weren’t just skilled.
They were confident.
Confident enough to enter her system…
And leave without a trace.
A faint smile touched her lips.
“…I wonder how long you can hide.”
She turned away.
But her eyes lingered just a second longer on the screen.
As if expecting it—
To move again.
Miles away—
Inside a quiet apartment—
A small figure sat in front of a glowing laptop.
Ray.
His legs swung slightly off the edge of the chair as his fingers danced across the keyboard.
Effortless.
Precise.
“Hmm…”
He tilted his head.
On his screen—
Aurora Tech’s system pulsed like a living organism.
Firewalls.
Encryptions.
Layers upon layers of protection.
Strong.
Very strong.
But not enough.
Not for him.
“She noticed,” he murmured.
Not surprised.
Just… interested.
A small grin formed on his lips.
“Mommy’s really good.”
Pride flickered briefly in his eyes.
Then—
Excitement.
“Let’s try again.”
His fingers moved faster.
Code streamed across the screen.
He didn’t break in this time.
No.
He brushed against the surface.
Light.
Careful.
Testing.
Like tapping on glass to see if it would crack.
Back at Aurora Tech—
Evelyn froze.
There it was again.
A flicker.
Longer this time.
More deliberate.
Her eyes sharpened instantly.
“Got you.”
Her fingers flew across the keyboard.
System logs opened.
Security layers activated.
She traced the signal.
Fast.
Too fast.
But this time—
There was something.
A faint ripple.
A shadow moving across her system.
“Lock external access,” she ordered sharply.
Her voice echoed through the empty room.
Automatic systems responded instantly.
Firewalls tightened.
Access points sealed.
The building itself seemed to hold its breath.
Evelyn leaned forward.
Tracking.
Following.
Closer.
Closer—
Then—
Gone.
Everything went still.
The system returned to normal.
Again.
Too normal.
Evelyn’s fingers stilled.
Her gaze lingered on the screen.
“…You’re fast.”
Her voice was quiet.
But there was something new in it.
Interest.
Real interest.
Because for the first time in a long while—
She had found something she couldn’t immediately control.
At Knight Group—
Rafael stood by the window again.
But this time—
His attention wasn’t on the city.
It was on the tablet in his hand.
Aurora Tech’s latest data.
No drop.
No panic.
No visible weakness.
His grip tightened slightly.
“…Impossible.”
He had calculated everything.
Every angle.
Every weakness.
And yet—
She was still standing.
Worse—
She looked untouched.
A slow, dangerous thought crept into his mind.
“…What if…”
His eyes narrowed.
“What if she’s not defending?”
What if—
Was she waiting?
The realization hit him harder than expected.
Cold.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
For the first time—
Rafael felt it clearly.
He wasn’t in control.
Not completely.
And that—
Was unacceptable.
Back in the apartment—
Ray leaned back in his chair.
“…That was close.”
His lips curved into a small, satisfied smile.
“She almost caught me.”
Almost.
But not quite.
His fingers tapped lightly against the keyboard.
Thinking.
Calculating.
“Should I go deeper next time…?”
A pause.
Then he shook his head slightly.
“No.”
Too risky.
For now.
He glanced at another window on his screen.
Knight Group.
Data flowed there too.
Smooth.
Structured.
Predictable.
“Hmm…”
His eyes sparkled faintly.
“…You’re interesting too.”
A soft laugh escaped him.
Quiet.
Playful.
Then—
He closed both windows.
The screens went dark.
But the game—
Was far from over.
Back at Aurora Tech—
Evelyn finally stepped away from the console.
Slowly.
Gracefully.
But her mind was anything but calm.
Two enemies.
One visible.
One hidden.
Rafael Knight—
Predictable.
Aggressive.
A man who believed control was everything.
And the other—
Invisible.
Untraceable.
Unpredictable.
Her lips curved slightly.
“…Now this is interesting.”
She walked toward the window.
The city stretched endlessly before her.
Cold.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Just like the game she had stepped into.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Calm.
Untouched.
But her eyes—
Burned with quiet intensity.
“Let’s see who you really are.”
Somewhere in the city—
Rafael lowered his tablet slowly.
His gaze darkened.
“…Evelyn Hayes.”
He whispered her name like a challenge.
Like a warning.
Like a promise.
“You’ve changed.”
A pause.
Then—
A slow smile formed.
Dangerous.
Possessive.
“And I want to know how far.”
Far away—
In the quiet darkness—
Ray lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
A faint smile still on his lips.
“…This is going to be fun.”
His eyes slowly closed.
But his mind—
Was already planning the next move.
And somewhere—
Between power, control, and secrets—
A game had begun.
One where no one knew the full truth.
One where every move—
Brought them closer.
Not to victory.
But to each other.
- Writer
