Forbidden access

Chapter three-Chaos and control

The office was in utter chaos. Monitors blinked red, alarms buzzed softly, and the employees scurried around, trying to understand what had just happened. Ava’s heart raced as she watched the digital mess unfold on the main screen.

Noah leaned casually against the doorway, small bag slung over his shoulder, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His eyes scanned the screens, taking in the code and the alerts faster than anyone could comprehend.

“Who… who is responsible for this?” Ava demanded, her voice sharp, cutting through the tense hum of the office.

Noah didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stepped forward, fingers brushing the keyboard as if it were an extension of himself. In minutes, lines of complex code were corrected, firewalls restored, and security breaches sealed.

The employees were stunned. Ava, too, was frozen — the boy she had barely noticed yesterday was orchestrating a rescue of the entire system.

After what seemed like hours but was barely ten minutes, the chaos had vanished. The screens were green. The alarms silenced. Everything was under control again.

Ava turned to him, incredulous. “How… how did you do all this so fast?”

He glanced at her, calm and composed. “Some of us just know how to fix what others break,” he said, voice measured, almost casual.

Her eyes narrowed. “And what… what do you want? What’s your reward? How much?”

Noah’s smile was faint, unreadable. “You can get back to me about that later,” he said lightly and walked out without another word, leaving a trail of confusion and disbelief behind him.

Ava stared at the empty doorway. The audacity. The skill. The way he had fixed the problem but hadn’t demanded a penny. She could feel it in her chest — a mix of admiration and something she couldn’t name.

The next day, the office was quieter, but tension still lingered. Noah walked in as if he owned the place, but with an easy confidence that made heads turn.

“I’d like a work opportunity,” he said, meeting Ava’s gaze directly.

Ava hesitated. He had just caused chaos yesterday, yet here he was, calm, composed, and unexpectedly poised. She took his CV, scanning through his credentials. Every line reflected precision, experience, and skill far beyond his age.

“You’ll join the IT department,” she said finally. “Your work yesterday… it proves you can handle it.”

Noah inclined his head slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his expression. He had achieved exactly what he wanted: proximity to Ava, access to the company, and control over the digital battlefield she depended on.

From that moment, he was present whenever a problem arose. Every threat, every cyber glitch, no matter how small, was reported directly to him. Ava began to rely on his expertise, even as she couldn’t fully understand the calm, calculated mind behind it.

And as the days passed, with every solved crisis, Ava began noticing something else — the way Noah spoke in parables, always a step ahead, leaving her guessing, intrigued, and slightly unsettled. Who was this boy? What did he truly want?

The game had just begun.