C103 Shadows Over The Wood Empire

As Team Manager Josh stepped out of the Vice Director's office, he adjusted his tie and walked toward the elevator without another glance behind him. Several floors above, Kelvin Wood happened to be standing near the glass railing, reviewing a document as he waited for his assistant. His eyes casually drifted downward and caught sight of Josh leaving Ben's office.

His brows furrowed slightly. A Team Manager from the Cybersecurity Department... coming out of the Vice Director's office? The sight puzzled him. Normally, someone of Josh's position had very little reason to meet the Vice Director directly, especially without informing the Director's office first. Kelvin stood there silently for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Perhaps it's just work." Without thinking too much about it, he turned around and continued toward his office.

Meanwhile, Josh returned to the Cybersecurity Department with a calm expression. The moment he entered, everyone greeted him respectfully. "Team Manager." He acknowledged them with a slight nod before walking straight to the filing cabinet. After searching for a moment, he pulled out a thick file and headed directly toward my office.

I looked up from my desk as he entered. Without saying much, he placed the heavy file in front of me. "Your assignment for today." I glanced at the stack of documents. It was easily a week's worth of work. Josh looked at me expressionlessly. "I expect everything to be completed before the end of today." After saying that, he turned around and walked away without waiting for my response.

I stared at the thick file before letting out a quiet sigh. Complaining wouldn't solve anything. I had already expected this. After organizing the documents, I immediately began working. Hours passed quietly as I buried myself in vulnerability reports, security assessments, and system evaluations.

Not long afterward, my phone vibrated. Seeing Laura's name on the screen immediately made me smile. "Are you okay?" I quickly replied. "I'm surviving." A few seconds later, another message arrived. "Dad told me you'll regret opposing him. You must be careful." Reading those words made my fingers pause above the keyboard.

For a moment, I simply stared at the screen before typing my reply. "He's already started. He gave me a whole week's workload and expects it to be finished today." Laura replied almost instantly. "I'm sorry..." I smiled faintly. "Don't apologize. None of this is your fault." After a brief pause, another message appeared. "Please don't overwork yourself. Promise me you'll at least eat lunch." I chuckled softly. "I'll try." She sent a smiling emoji before adding, "No matter what happens, I'm with you."

Those simple words somehow eased the frustration I had been carrying all morning. After exchanging a few more messages, I placed my phone aside and returned to work with renewed determination. Before I realized it, lunchtime had arrived. Most of my colleagues stood up one after another, stretching their arms before heading toward the cafeteria. I, however, remained glued in my office. There was still far too much left to finish.

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching. When I looked up, I saw Alicia standing at the entrance of the department. As she walked in, Josh happened to glance in her direction. His expression became noticeably colder, but he didn't say a word. Alicia didn't even spare him a second look. Instead, she walked straight into my office. She stopped beside my desk before folding her arms. "Nerd." I looked up from my laptop. "Hm?" "It's lunchtime." I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "I still have a lot to do."

She glanced at the mountain of files covering my desk before looking back at me. "You can continue after eating." Before I could refuse, she lightly tapped the desk. "Come on." I couldn't help smiling. "Fine." After saving my work, I stood up and followed her out of the department.

As we walked through the hallway together, I immediately noticed the familiar gazes around us. Employees whispered among themselves while secretly looking in our direction. Ever since the rumors about Laura and me began circulating, every interaction I had with Alicia seemed to attract unnecessary attention. Neither of us paid them any attention. We simply continued walking.

When we arrived at the cafeteria, Chris was already waiting with a tray of food. The moment he saw us approaching together, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "You two," he shouted dramatically, causing several nearby employees to look over, "why don't you just get married already?" Alicia and I stopped walking simultaneously. Chris continued with a straight face. "Seriously! You're always walking together and smiling. But the moment she gets here..." he pointed directly at Alicia, "...all she does is bully me. Not even a single smile."

He dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "Come on. Just tell me the wedding date." "I'll even be your priest." For a few seconds, Alicia and I simply stared at each other. Then we both burst into laughter. After sitting down, Chris's playful expression slowly disappeared.

He looked at me carefully. "Brother..." "Are you really okay?" I nodded. "I'll survive." Chris leaned closer. "So... how's that old owl treating you today?" Alicia immediately laughed. "Chris, where do you even get these names?" She started counting on her fingers. "First it was 'Big Fat Devil.' Then 'Cunning Devil.' Now it's 'Old Owl.'" She shook her head while smiling. "Let me guess..." "You're talking about Team Manager Josh." Chris proudly nodded. "Exactly."

Then he looked at Alicia with a satisfied smile. "See? Your IQ has grown again." We all laughed. The relaxed atmosphere made me temporarily forget everything weighing on my mind. Chris looked back at me. "So... what happened?" I sighed. "He assigned me an entire week's worth of work and wants it completed today." Both Chris and Alicia frowned. "Seriously?" Alicia asked. I nodded. "It's obvious he's trying to make things difficult."

Chris clenched his fist. "That old owl has gone too far." I smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry." "I'll manage." Neither of them looked convinced, but they knew I had already made up my mind. Before long, lunch break came to an end. We cleared our trays before returning to our respective departments.

Inside the Vice Director's office... Ben had just finished reviewing several financial reports when a knock interrupted him. "Come in." Natalie opened the door respectfully. "Vice Director." "What is it?" "Team Manager Josh is here again." A faint smile appeared on Ben's face. "Let him in." Josh entered moments later. Unlike yesterday, he appeared much calmer. Ben gestured toward the chair opposite him. "Sit." Josh obeyed. "I've been thinking about what you told me yesterday."

Josh immediately became attentive. Ben calmly folded his hands. "You said Mike refuses to leave your daughter." "Yes." "And your daughter refuses to listen to you." Josh nodded. "Exactly." "I may have a solution." Josh leaned forward. "What solution?" Ben smiled mysteriously. "Find someone else worthy of becoming your son-in-law before their relationship grows even stronger."

Josh frowned. "You mean..." "Arrange a marriage for her." Silence filled the office. Ben continued calmly. "If Laura falls for another capable young man, won't your problem solve itself?" Josh lowered his head. The idea sounded cruel. But wasn't it better than allowing Mike to marry his daughter? After all... Mike had openly defied him. What kind of son-in-law will he be. "I'm not asking you to force her immediately," Ben continued. "I'm simply suggesting you begin looking."

Josh slowly nodded. "I understand." As he stood to leave, Ben spoke once more. "And Team Manager..." Josh turned around. "Yes?" "I trust you'll keep me informed about Mike." Josh looked surprised. "You mean his work?" "Everything." "His performance." "The people he meets." "Whether he causes any trouble." "It will help the company." Josh nodded without suspecting anything. "Understood."

After he left, Ben's gentle smile slowly disappeared. Looking through the floor-to-ceiling window, he muttered quietly, "The easiest way to destroy a man..." "...is to let someone else believe they're doing the right thing." His lips curled into a calculating smile. "Mike..." "Let's see how long you can endure."

Back in the Cybersecurity Department, I buried myself in work once again. By the end of the afternoon, I had finally completed every single report. Feeling relieved, I carried the finished files into Josh's office. He silently accepted them and flipped through several pages. After a moment, he closed the folder. "This won't do." My heart skipped. "Sir?" "The formatting is wrong." I blinked in confusion. "The formatting?" "The technical work is acceptable," he said coldly. "But this isn't the layout I wanted."

I looked down at the reports. It was the exact same format our department had always used. Josh calmly pushed the folder back toward me. "Redo everything." For several seconds, I simply stood there. "...Understood." As I walked back to my office carrying the heavy stack of files, several colleagues looked at me sympathetically. One of them quietly whispered, "It begins..." I heard him. But I pretended I hadn't. Without saying a single word, I sat back down, reopened the files... and began rewriting everything from the beginning.