Chapter 61: A Subtle Feeling
Sinful: What do you think about my last proposal? Do you think we can work on it?
Lily’s hands hovered over her keyboard as she typed the words out. Deliberating between sending the message or not, she paused for several minutes before hitting the delete button, afraid that it would come out as pushy.
Just as she was about to close the site and get back to sewing, Alpha’s profile turned green, showing he was online. And immediately after, it showed he was typing.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Alpha: It’s good that you are online today. If I may ask, how are you?
Without hesitation, Lily typed out her reply.
Sinful: I’m alright, just a little bored these days. There’s nothing much to work on. The jobs posted on the site are a little too easy, and they don’t fetch as much money. I don’t want to have to dig around for other people’s dirty laundry. What about you? Is everything alright on your side?
Mark paused as he read her reply; his eyes flickered at the opened chat on his phone. He had been on the phone with his grandfather for almost two hours, discussing some issues concerning Watson’s group and the potential threat of their new plan to expand in the foreign market.
With a pursed lip, he massaged his nose bridge and sipped from the cup of wine beside him before he typed out a response.
Alpha: I’ve thought about the project with Next Phone. I’m already working on acquiring the full right to the device, and you can do as you please with it.
Sinful: Why do you trust that I can make it better? What if I wreck the product?
Alpha: Is that a question you should ask? You’ve always proven to be the best since we started working together, and even though I can’t bring you into the company, I intend to keep working with you. Besides, I know how much you want to work on it, so there is no way you would wreck it.
Sinful: Well, I’m grateful for the trust. In return, I have a gift for you.
Alpha: A gift? Why am I excited at the thought of getting a gift from an unknown master? Will it be something as ground-breaking as the previous projects?
Sinful: Ah! It’s nothing much, and I hope you won’t be disappointed. (Attached file). It was a little something I gathered.
Sinful: I heard your cousin ran into a bit of trouble in Paris a few days ago. This can help her deal with those behind the scenes. Although they have used the others as scapegoats, the main character is still behind the scenes, and if not dealt with, it will probably happen again. That can help you deal with him.
Sinful: I’m sure you will also be interested in the main character of the scandal. I heard you guys are longtime rivals. I’m guessing he was trying to get to you through your favourite cousin. The power struggle between the rich is always so dramatic.
Mark raised a brow as he read the last chat. Without wasting time, he clicked on the attached file, and he saw chats from an unknown number with some journalists and some bloggers.
The chats were full of evidence about the unknown person paying off the media to make the scandal with Lily and her team trend more; they aimed to drag the Lam fashion through the mud and make it lose its reputation. However, they had not considered Lily as an anomaly that could ruin their plans.
The second file consists of the identity of the unknown person who paid them off.
Seeing the pictures, Mark’s face darkened with rage, and his fists balled together. He took a deep breath and went back to the chat with Sinful.
Alpha: Thank you for this. It will be a great help. But may I ask? How come you were interested in this? Do you have a clash with him too?
Sinful: I told you I was bored, didn’t I? I had some time on my hands, so I decided to do a little research about my partner. Anyway, none of the files I gave you are harmful, and they can be presented to the right authorities.
Alpha: If someone paid you to dig out information about me, would you do it?
Mark had already sent the message before he realised what he had done. Seeing the three dots appearing on the screen, he knew he was too late to take back his question.
Sinful: For the right price, why not? After all, I’m only doing all this for money. No hard feelings, though.
Mark let out a chuckle as he read the words on his screen, and somehow the response sent a stab to his heart. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he asked the question, and even then, he could not hide the hurt he felt at the response he got. His mood, however, got better after reading her latest message.
Sinful: If I don’t do it, then it will be done by some other person who has no relation to you. Would it not be better to have me do it than a stranger? With me, you can get a heads up that you have a tail on you. Isn’t that better?
Sinful: I have a plan, and you are a big part of it. If you are hurt, it will be detrimental to me, so I can’t have that happen. Anyway, I have to go now.
For the first time in a while, Mark felt his heart skip a beat in excitement.
The last words felt like a confession. A genuine confession. One who is not blinded by the money he can offer or how attractive he is.
A confession where the person confessing is genuinely telling what they feel. One party knows they are going to be in a profit-oriented relationship, and the other would not have to get their hopes up unnecessarily.
He stared at the chat window, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through his chest. There was something undeniably refreshing about Sinful’s straightforward approach, and he couldn’t help but feel drawn to their brutal honesty. Their confession, though unexpected, stirred something within him-a sense of camaraderie that went beyond their professional partnership.
Alpha: You’re an intriguing individual, Sinful. I look forward to learning more about your plans. Stay safe. And get ready to work on Next. It should solve your boredom for a while.
Mark couldn’t deny the anticipation he felt at the prospect of uncovering more about Sinful mysterious plans. As he closed the chat window, his thoughts lingered on the enigmatic hacker, who had managed to challenge his expectations at every turn.