Chapter 12

Inside the Development Lab, Leon asked, "That's all for now. Got it?"

Abigail nodded. Leon had been showing her how to use the computer, and the thought made her expression shift slightly.

She thought, 'Still, he means well. Though I already know all of this.'

After a bit of teaching, Leon let Abigail practice on her own and turned back to his own work.

Abigail opened a program and caught a glimpse of the code on Leon’s screen from the corner of her eye. She thought, 'He's working on a firewall?'

A young man walked by and gave Leon a knowing smirk. "Not bad, Leon. Slick move." Then he turned to Abigail. "Hey, gorgeous. I'm Patrick Lloyd."

Abigail looked at him and gave a polite nod. "Hi, I'm Abigail Gibson."

She didn’t say much, which caught Patrick off guard. He exchanged a quick glance with Leon, who just smiled and urged, "Get back to work on the firewall. If we don't get it done soon, Tim's gonna have us pulling another all-nighter."

Patrick groaned, saying, "Okay, I'll zip it. I'm going."

As Patrick walked off, Abigail suddenly asked, "What level is the firewall you're building?" She knew a regular firewall wouldn't be giving them this much trouble.

"Top level," Leon said with a helpless smile. "Most of it's done. There's just one program that won't run the way it's supposed to."

"Can I take a look?" Abigail asked.

Leon looked at her in surprise. "You know how to do it?"

Abigail gave him a faint smile. "I wouldn't be working here if I didn't."

Leon was clearly surprised. He didn’t really think she could fix it, but he still turned the screen toward her.

At the same time, Jeremiah had reported to the CEO that Abigail had started working.

"Alright," the CEO replied.

Hearing his boss's cold tone, Jeremiah thought to himself, 'That's it? Shouldn't he at least ask if she's doing okay, or if anyone's giving her a hard time?'

Jeremiah kept his thoughts to himself. After finishing his report and getting ready to leave, he suddenly remembered something. "The adopted Gibson heiress, Daniella, also joined the company. She came in through Claudia Harper's side."

From what Jeremiah knew, Daniella was well-liked by the Gibson family–much more than the real heiress, Abigail.

"There's no need to report trivial things like that," the CEO said.

Jeremiah quickly nodded, a guess forming in his mind about where the two heiresses stood in the CEO’s eyes.

Jeremiah had originally assumed the CEO's interest in Abigail was for a marriage alliance, but now it didn't seem that way at all. After all, based on how the Gibson family treated her, Abigail couldn't hold a candle to that fake heiress, Daniella.

During the lunch break, Leon asked Abigail if she wanted to eat out. Abigail shook her head and replied, "No need. I'll go to the cafeteria."

Leon looked a little disappointed, but he didn’t push her and left with the others.

Abigail got her food from the cafeteria, but she didn’t eat there. After three years in prison, she couldn’t stand crowded places.

She carried her tray up to the top floor and sat down at a random spot.

At that moment, in the top-floor lounge, a man resting on the couch with his eyes closed was disturbed by the sound of someone eating. He opened his eyes and glanced toward the blinds.

Abigail had a sharp sense that someone was watching her. She instinctively scanned her surroundings, but couldn’t find where the gaze was coming from.

She’d always trusted her gut. After finishing her meal, she cleaned up a little and left.

The man let out a soft chuckle. "Pretty sharp."

Before the end of the workday, Leon and his teammates sighed in unison, complaining, "Looks like we're pulling another all-nighter."

Abigail didn't even look up. Her tone was flat. "You won't need to."

Someone overheard and snapped, "Easy for you to say."

Leon turned to the guy. "What's that supposed to mean? You didn't stay late when you first joined either. And if the firewall gets done, we all go home on time."

The guy didn't say anything after that, though his expression made it clear he wasn't happy.

"Don't mind them," Leon told Abigail. "They just love to talk trash."

"It's fine. I don't care," Abigail said. She checked the time. "It's clock-out time. I sent you a file. Take a look."

Leon was confused. "What file?"

Abigail didn't explain and simply remarked, "It's useful to you." Before Leon could ask again, she was already gone.

Patrick had overheard the whole thing. He jogged over and tapped Leon’s arm. "Think it's a love letter or something?"

"Piss off," Leon muttered, not in the mood to joke around. But he was curious about the file, so he opened it anyway.

The moment he read it, his expression changed. He shot up from his chair, the sudden movement making the seat screech against the floor.

Patrick hadn't looked at the screen. Leon’s reaction startled him. "Dude, what the hell? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Patrick groaned.

"I'm going to find Tim. Don't let anyone touch my computer." With that, Leon strode out of the Development Lab.

Patrick stared at the screen, confused at first–then his face changed completely.

The fact that the file came from Abigail, combined with what it might mean, made his eyes widen. "No way. You're telling me Abigail's this good?" Patrick gasped.

But the evidence was right there. It was impossible to deny.

After reading the entire file, Timothy's expression turned serious. "You're sure Abigail sent this to you?"

Leon sighed, "Tim, I've already told you so many times. It was Abigail."

Timothy couldn't believe Abigail had that kind of skill.

Patrick chimed in, "Is it possible she got help from someone else?"