?


    No one dared to answer. In truth, they had made no progress-neither fixing the bug nor stabilizing the system.


    The silence in the conference room was suffocating.


    Heads lowered, each person desperate to avoid eye contact with Gabriel.


    Their collective silence only fueled his anger. He mmed the files on the table. "Get back to work! If this isn''t resolved today, don''t expect to leave!" Relieved to escape his presence, the team scrambled out of the room.


    Left alone, Gabriel pulled out his phone and reviewed the security footage from his office. He rewound to the moment right after he had locked Mason inside.


    At first, Mason tried the door but quickly realized it was locked. Then he began wreaking havoc-knocking over a teapot, pulling a painting off the wall, scattering important documents across the floor, and gleefully stomping on them.


    Gabriel''s jaw tightened as he watched the destruction unfold, veins bulging in his temple.


    He continued to watch. Mason hopped onto Gabriel''s chair, fiddling with theputer as if attempting to guess the password.


    After a while, he gave up, climbed down, and sprawled on the sofa.


    Shortly after, the security feed went dark.


    That must have been when the secretary called him about the system crash.


    Gabriel put away his phone, his suspicions waning. He couldn''t believe he had seriously considered the possibility of a 5-year-old sabotaging thepany''s system. Clearly, his exhaustion had gotten the better of him.


    ...


    It was past 7:00 p.m. when N and Mason returned home.


    As they stepped into the living room, Lydia rushed over to greet them. "Ms. Kinsey, Mr. Mason, you''re finally home!"


    "Lydia, please prepare dinner for us," N said. "By the way, has Damone out of the study while we were gone?"


    Lydia shook her head, concern


    evident on her face. "No, he''s been in


    there the entire time. I didn''t dare disturb him... Ms. Kinsey, I''m really worried. Maybe you should check on him?"


    N nodded. "Sure, I''ll go."


    She sent Mason to wash up for dinner before heading to the study.


    Standing outside the door for a moment, she finally mustered the courage to knock. "Damon, do you want to join us for dinner?"


    There was silence.


    She bit her lower lip, her eyes clouded with worry.


    She had been on edge all day, knowing Damon had locked himself in the study. She feared he might do something drastic.


    Yet, apart from trusting him and


    giving him time and space toe to terms with Prospectus


    vel?


    Technology''s bankruptcy, there wasn''t much she could do.  S


    As N debated whether to push


    the door open, Damon''s hoarse


    voice came from within. "I''m nl


    hungry. You two eat without me."