A Love Unlocked

Chapter 4:Chaos 2

Dexter checked the access credentials. “It was logged under one of the junior devs—Evan. But there’s no way Evan would’ve done this. He’s barely been with us six months. Someone must have used his credentials.”

Sammy frowned. “Could his login info have been compromised?”

“Maybe,” Dexter said, rubbing his temples. “Or maybe someone higher up gave it to NB. We need to talk to Evan, see if he noticed anything suspicious.”

Elowen nodded, already heading toward the door. “I’ll find him. We need answers before this spirals out of control.”

“Wait… I also need you to gather everyone responsible for this project and have them meet in half an hour.”

As she left the room, Dexter glanced at the security footage on his screen. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing—and they had just jeopardized everything the studio had worked for.

____

Not long after Elowen left her side, Amy learned a surprising piece of information that left her reeling—Dexter, the man she had run into earlier, was actually the CEO of the company.

What a coincidence, she thought, still trying to wrap her mind around it.

She hadn’t even had time to process this shocking news when another, even bigger problem hit the company, throwing everyone into a frenzy.

Amy had imagined her first day would be filled with standard orientation tasks, learning the ropes, and getting familiar with the team. She had expected some nerves, maybe a few awkward introductions, but nothing like this. The atmosphere in the office had completely shifted, and it was far from the normal first-day experience she had anticipated.

As she observed the room, it was clear that something serious was happening. People moved quickly, their expressions tight with worry. Even employees who weren’t directly involved in the Neonverse project seemed affected by the tension, casting anxious glances toward their colleagues. It wasn’t hard to figure out why—the Neonverse project was a major undertaking, a AAA game that had consumed a huge portion of the company’s resources. A misstep with a project of this scale could be catastrophic.

"Sorry for your first day!" a voice beside her said, pulling her from her thoughts. It was Bella, a friendly coworker who sat next to her desk.

Amy offered a small smile. "Thank you," she replied. Bella’s attempt to comfort her was appreciated, but it didn’t do much to ease the growing anxiety Amy felt as the weight of the situation sank in.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and focus on the task at hand. Elowen had assigned her to the Dating Sim team earlier, a game genre that had exploded in popularity, particularly among women. Though Amy was secretly hoping for a spot on one of the more high-profile teams—like Shadow Forge, or even the much-talked-about Neonverse project—she knew better than to complain. It was her first day, after all, and joining the Dating Sim team wasn’t a bad start. It was an important project in its own right, and it would give her the chance to prove her skills.

Although Amy had sensed that something was amiss with Neonverse, she still didn’t fully grasp the situation. Mustering her courage, she decided to ask Bella for clarification.

“What has happened?” she inquired, her curiosity piqued.

“It seems someone leaked our data to NB,” Bella replied, her eyes focused on her tablet as she continued to draw.

“NB? You mean Nebula Byte?” Amy asked, a mix of disbelief and concern creeping into her voice.

“Is there any other NB in this world?” Bella shot back, still engrossed in her work.

Another wave of shock hit her. Why were there so many surprising events in just one day? Was there something else shocking waiting for her?

“But why would they do that?” Amy pressed, needing more answers.

“That’s what the NV team is working on right now—to figure out the reason,” Bella explained, her tone matter-of-fact. “As we know, the game industry is a tough world.”

Bella glanced up, noticing Amy’s troubled expression. “Hey, don’t worry too much. We’re a strong company, and we’ll get to the bottom of this. Just keep your head down and focus on your work for now. we will figure it out together.”

She knew it was pointless to worry, especially since there was nothing she could do about the situation. Her focus needed to be on excelling in her own role. Still, a nagging thought lingered in her mind—Dexter. How was he coping with everything? Did she need to be concerned for him?

And why did she suddenly think about him?

______

The meeting had been tense. Almost everyone looked frustrated, but they had no choice—they had to stay calm and address the crisis head-on.

When it finally ended, only Dexter and Mike were left in the conference room, both sitting quietly, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and slight relief.

“Who would’ve guessed Rose would pull something like that?” Mike exhaled in disbelief.

Rose, a junior developer, had leaked company data. She’d used Evan’s feelings for her to gain access to his computer and exploited his trust.

“That’s why love sucks,” Dexter muttered.

“Come on!”

“People get stupid when it comes to love.”

“Speaking from experience, huh?”

“Shut up!” Dexter shot back.

Mike laughed, despite their frustration.

“But I think Rose is pretty dumb,” Dexter added.

“No doubt about it!” Mike agreed. Rose had been so easily tempted—Nebula Byte’s cheap offer had been enough to make her betray her own company. And the way she went about it? Amateur. They had caught on quickly.

“Let’s leave it to Dylan. I want to see how he handles the case,” Mike said, leaning back.

Dexter nodded. Pixel Forge had teamed up with Summit Law Group, Dylan’s family law firm, to deal with the fallout.

Just then, the conference room door opened, and a lively voice interrupted their moment of quiet. “Hey, guys! How about grabbing some coffee?”

“Sounds good, Elow!” Mike replied enthusiastically.

“Relax a little, Dex!” Elowen said with a grin.

“Yeah, Dex, lighten up a bit!” Mike teased, knowing full well that Elowen had feelings for Dexter.

Dexter just shot Mike a look that said, Don’t even start.

“I just need to drop off some files at my office,” Elowen said, heading for the door. “Meet me in the lobby in a few minutes, okay?”

Once Elowen was gone, Mike took the opportunity to tease Dexter further about her. But as they walked toward the lobby, Dexter seemed to brush it off, lost in thought about the crisis at hand.

No wonder the café was crowded, it was lunchtime. Thankfully, there were still a few available tables, and they chose one near the corner.

As soon as they sat down, they realized that the desk next to them was occupied by colleagues from their own office.

“Hey, Bella! Amy!” Elowen greeted them cheerfully.

Both Bella and Amy turned to Elowen, returning her greeting with surprised expressions. However, their shock stemmed from different reasons. Bella was taken aback to find herself seated next to both the COO and the CEO of their company, while Amy was stunned by the unexpected presence of Dexter... and Mike?

Why was he here too? Amy thought to herself. Today was really full of surprises.

“Wait… you look familiar. Have we met before?” Mike asked Amy, his brow furrowing in concentration.

They exchanged glances between Mike and Amy, while Amy merely opened her mouth but struggled to find the right words. Before she could respond, Mike continued.

“You’re that part-time girl, right? B&B?” he asked, excitement lighting up his face.

So Mike remembered me after all, Amy mused. B&B was the name of the fast-food place where she once worked as a part-time employee.

“Yes… that was me. Thanks for remembering,” Amy replied, a slight smile forming on her lips.

“How could I forget a cute girl like you?” Mike responded playfully.

Elowen rolled her eyes at Mike’s flirtatious comment, clearly unimpressed.

“Do you know her?” Dexter asked, his curiosity piqued.