Her Corporate Takedown: Entangled with a Billionaire

*CHAPTER 16: UNFAIR PLAYING FIELD*

I tried to remain calm while I listened to Andrei, but this whole premise was as ridiculous as it sounded. A black market organization is trying to build a computer program that can cripple the cyber security infrastructure of some of the largest economies in the world. Considering the countries that have families with Undercode carriers - America, Russia and Great Britain - if China were to get their hands on the Anticode, they could become the major world player in an instant.

Andrei returned to the room with two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of me and sat down to drink the other.

"Why did you go all the way to the kitchen? You could have just made it here," I said while pointing to the bar table.

"Ah, the coffee supplies were finished. I'll have to restock them later."

The coffee he made was good. I felt re-energized to listen to the second part of this complicated story.

"Did you enjoy your coffee break? I hope I didn't bore you with that tale earlier."

"I was left speechless as you talked about the world being like the setting of a crazy sci-fi plot. By the way, I liked the coffee."

As I placed my empty cup on the table, I had thoughts of wanting a second cup of coffee. Then I felt a tiny bit irritated that he now had me hooked on his delicious coffee. These small gestures don't seem like much, but I'm sure it's part of his plan to weasel his way into my heart. And it's working.

"Well, I'm sure there are other crazy sci-fi plots out there. You just got dragged into this one."

"Are you finished with your break? I'd like to hear the rest of it now, especially the issue with Michelle. Why did you single her out?"

"Just like me, you wouldn't know a member of one of the families even if you passed by them on the street, since our families go to great lengths to protect our identities. Even if someone introduces themselves as a being from a particular family, you should not believe them until they show you proof."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"With that said, her real name is Michelle Shakovia. She is the heiress to the Shakovia family."

"What?!" I stared at him shocked and my jaw dropped to the floor. "Wait, what did you just say about proof? How do you know that for sure?"

"Although there is no discord among the families, it is their favorite pastime to keep tabs on each other. Besides, Michelle's family doesn't go to as extreme lengths as the other families in keeping their identities secret. Michelle and her father attended an event hosted by a client we both have in common. My dad went not as the CEO but as the PR for Bolster and the client introduced him to Michelle's father. Michelle followed her father everywhere for that entire event so it wasn't hard to guess."

"Did you meet her?"

"No, we didn't meet. I was disguised as a waiter. My job was just to observe Michelle and her father."

"We even went to the same school. Doesn't she know you?"

"I never once spoke to Michelle or allowed her to see me. No matter what, I was expected to keep my identity a secret from the other families, so I made sure to keep my distance. Michelle should not know anything about me."

"I can't believe Michelle is from one of the families." I said, while still in shock. Then I slowly began to realize the full picture of the situation. Michelle and Andrei were both raised like espionages and they both attended the same school. That can't be a coincidence. Which means-

"You and Michelle knew about Saffil the entire time. That he was working on the Anticode with Paladin. So, the only reason Michelle came to our school was to get close to Daniel and get the Anticode."

"That's right. I'm definitely sure that was Michelle's intention too. The only thing I didn't count on was you getting involved with both of them. That was quite unfortunate."

"For me or you?" I asked rhetorically.

"Both of us, of course." You weren't supposed to answer that.

I can imagine what he meant but I didn't say anything further. The only piece of the puzzle missing is Daniel's story. If we could get information about Saffil from Daniel and anything he might know about the Anticode, that could help me return to normal life. Maybe I could talk to him at the engagement party.

"Sorry, but there is no return to normal life," he interjected my thoughts again. Even if that's what he says, I won't give up on getting out of this mess. If he truly loves me and wishes for my happiness, then he should let me go live a normal life after dealing with Michelle and Daniel.

Andrei placed his empty cup on the table, then stood up and walked over to me. The room was already small but he hunched his daunting figure over me, crowding my personal space. I tried to push him away immediately but he wouldn't budge. He trapped me in the corner of the small sofa in between one hand resting on the arm of the sofa and the other resting on the back of the sofa. He kept leaning in and closing the distance between my face and his. My strength was no match against his and I couldn't push him back no matter how hard I tried. What was he doing all of a sudden?

He stopped about two inches away from my face, and my mind began to go blank with the realization that I couldn't oppose him if he tried to do something to me.

"I absolutely wish for your happiness," he whispered while staring into my eyes, "together with me." He kept whispering, "I left you to attain your happiness with Daniel and look how that turned out. And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you can no longer return to what you call normal life. This is your normal life now, as my partner."

"I'm not going to become your partner," I shouted while trying to force him away from me with the little strength I had left. Sadly, he didn't budge.

"Not that kind of partner. I meant as a work partner. Anyway, please remain still. I'm trying to look at your eyes to see if these contacts will fit."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I need you to wear these contacts for the rest of the week," he said while holding up a small black case in his left hand.

"You want me to wear contacts, as in eye contacts?"

"Yes."

"For what reason?" I was confused as to why he suddenly brought up eye contacts.

"Just a minute. Let me finish these measurements. Hold still and look straight at me for a second."

He took out something that looked like a glass ruler but there were no markings on it. He held it in front of my right eye for a few seconds, then I heard a beeping sound. He repeated this again with my left eye. It seemed to be a digital device; I suppose it was like a digital ruler, since he said he was taking measurements.

He finally backed away after he finished taking the measurements. I took a deep breath as I was relieved to have regained some of my personal space. He was still sitting beside me and looking at the glass ruler.

"These will work," he said as he turned to face me. "Here, please put on these contacts."

"What are these contacts for? I don't even wear glasses."

"Do you remember when I said that I used a screening device when I took your picture on that mountain?"

"Yea, I remember. You shrouded one of my beautiful memories in lies."

"How did it become shrouded in lies? Sure, it was a set up, but it doesn't change the experience you-, no, that we had."

I paid no mind to his excuses.

"Anyway," he continued, "These contacts will more accurately detect the level of Support code you can use. You can take them off while you sleep, but wear them during the day for the rest of the week. I promise they're not uncomfortable."

I took the black case from him hesitantly. I don't know if there would be a chance to get out of this messy situation in the future, but it was clear that I had to go along with Andrei's plans for now. There was really no way for me to take on Michelle without Andrei's help, since she is an Undercode family heiress. I must have sounded naive to him the first time I mentioned getting revenge on Michelle, since she was so obviously out of my league.

Andrei looked at her worried face, which showed she was lost in her thoughts. He got the feeling she was comparing herself to Michelle and realizing how impossible it would have been to get revenge on her, since they weren't even on the same playing field. He deliberated over whether to say anything to cheer her up. He decided not to, since anything he said now probably wouldn't sound like he understood what she was feeling.

Instead, he placed his right hand on her head and tenderly stroked her hair a couple of times. When she jumped up, he turned to face her and gently smiled. His smile was enough to suppress any retaliation from her. He softly stroked her head a few more times and smiled at her to try to tell her without words that she didn't need to put herself down by comparing herself to Michelle. The entire time, though, she just had a blank stare on her face, so he wasn't sure if she got the message.

Outside the room, Ari stood by the door watching Andrei and Leiya. She left when he started stroking Leiya's hair and went back to her room. She took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello," said a male voice over the phone.

"It's me," Ari replied.

"Do you have a report?" he asked.

"Yes," Ari paused before continuing. "It seems that he is very serious about her now. It's time to consider our next plans."

"Very well, I'll pass on the message."