In the folder, were files. And they were labeled originals and modified.

I clicked on 01 Original. Wait.. This is the numbers for funds..

If 01 Original was the original piece, then what was 01 Modified?

I clicked on 01 Modified and the file loaded. The difference between the two was small, but not unnoticeable.

A few thousand dollars were gone from each column. I subtracted the modified from the original and it all added up to $100,000. No way. This isn’t what I think it is, right?

I needed to double check, so I went onto the 02 files, then the 03 files. There were about 300 files total. Each file had a $100,000 loss. This means...

There was a $30 million dollar gap in the original files and the modified files. Oh shit. I think I just discovered something huge.

I printed all of the files in the office, numbering 600 pages, which took about 15 minutes.

As soon as I got all of the pages, I didn’t bother binding them. I just ran out of the room with them and went straight to Tina’s office to show her.

I opened the door with a loud BANG and Tina looked at me in surprise.

Her expression turned serious the next second. I looked around the room and she was in a meeting with the investors. Getting a clue, I went back outside and waited for the meeting to conclude.

About an hour and a half later, the meeting was finally finished.

Tina came to fetch me and brought me into her office.

“What did you need so badly that you rudely burst in my office during an important meeting?”

“This! Here. I think Mr. Duncan is embezzling money.”

“What? Why would you think such things?”

“Because the files on his computer leave evidence.”

“How did you get these files?”

“He’s an idiot, so the password was easy to guess.”

“Wow. Show me now.”

I showed her the files I printed and separated the original from the modified.

“Look, I did the math between the original and modified files. $100K is missing from each file. I think he was embezzling this. It explains his recent sick days and the money he was spending. In the video I showed you earlier, he said he’d get money from the company. This must be it!”

“You’re right. I’ll call the authorities right away.”

20 minutes later, the police arrived. Tina explained the situation and I added in some incidents that happened like his drugging Tina and attempted murder for me as well.

Turns out, he got bailed out before. This time he’ll go to trial.

The next day, they arrested Bradley Duncan for embezzlement and assault. He claimed that the knife on the floor was dropped by him when he was going to cut fruit, so the authorities let it slide, unfortunately.

The trial was in 120 days. Meanwhile, Tina needed a new CFO. I was right next to her.

“Hey, boss.”

“Yes?” Tina answered.

“Now we’ve solved one problem, another one has appeared.”

“Who’s going to be the new CFO?” I asked.

“I have someone in mind.”

“Really? When can they start?”

“He can start…” Tina looked at her phone that just buzzed and continued speaking. “Today.”

“Huh??!”

30 minutes passed by and Tina and I were still in her office. The work piled up in the CFO’s office, so I didn’t even go near there after hearing the new CFO would be arriving today.

There was a knock on the door and Tina said, “Come in.”

The door opened and a light skinned man with a black faded haircut walked in. He was really tall, taller than me. He was 6’3. He wore a grey suit and a deep red tie with a pin. In his left hand was a briefcase. Tina stood up from her chair and walked next to him.

Facing me, she introduced him to me. “Shay, meet the new CFO, Elijah Sinclair.”

I nodded and extended my hand to him. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise.” He said.

Tina told me all about him. They met in high school because they took an interest in business together. They each went to trade school and graduated at the same time. Since Tina recommended him and trusted him enough to be the CFO of her company, I should believe in him too. He looked like a genuinely nice person, however, NEVER judge a book by its cover!

The next day was absolute hell! I was sent to the accounting part in the company, where the people helped with the finances and such. The new CFO was ruthless! His perfectionist personality was really brutal and we all suffered because of it. 

I don’t think I’ve sympathized with my coworkers so much before! He didn’t have a care in the world that he was new to the company, only that he was in power and he had people work under him. 

He ruled the workplace with an iron fist and was like a king in the eyes of the team members. Everyone eventually came to respect him and recognized him as the new boss of their department. Peace rang throughout the numbers sections.

Thankfully, the next day I was assigned to work in the cosmetics department with Teagan. When I arrived in the morning, I saw Teagan rubbing his temples like he was trying to solve the world’s hardest riddle.

“Boss, what’s wrong?” I asked.

Teagan spoke without looking up from his clipboard, “I have so much work to do, and yet these new trainees are a pain in my ass. They have so much to learn and are doing nothing right! Honestly, it’s like they were made incorrectly in a factory. They’re all the same! Honestly, were they all injected with a new type of drug or something? Is this the Matrix now?”

“Hmm, that sucks. I’ll be here for the day, so I’ll be off now.”

“Wait!” Teagan looked at me.

He looked down at his clipboard again, then back at me, this time with sparkles in his eyes. ‘He must have gotten an idea.. But I don’t think I’ll like it very much. I have a bad feeling about this..’

“You!” He whisper-shouted.

“Me, what?” I asked.

“You’re here for the day, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re my savior! I have just the job for you!”

“Okay.. Wha- what is it?”

“You’ll see. You know you’re my most prized sacrifice, cough I mean apprentice, right?”

“Right…” ‘Don’t think I didn’t catch that slip of the tongue, Teagan.’

He guided me to a group of young adults who were in a circle. Once they saw Chief Teagan, they all greeted him. He greeted them back, pushed me forward, and presented me like I was a new item in the market.

“Newbies, this is your instructor. He’ll show you the ropes of what you’ll have to do in each of your departments.”

“Wha-” I looked at Teagan desperately, about to protest, when he whispered in my ear, “I’ll give you a $500 bonus if you do this.”

Immediately, I stepped forward. “Hello! I’ll be showing you all how to work in the offices and how the workplace works. It’s a little different than most companies, so be prepared!”

Teagan was trembling behind me, pushing his glasses up, holding in his laughter. Since he was slightly hunched over, the new recruits couldn’t see him cluckling behind me.

Teagan soon left and I started my task. I asked them all to introduce themselves. They all did so and I showed them around the building.

“This is the appointments section, you walked through the lobby to get here. If we go up, this is the chemistry and sciency stuff. Then on top of this place, is the offices, then the C-offices. They include the CEO, COO, CBDO, CFO, and more.”

They all nodded at my words.

“Any questions so far?”

A woman in a navy blue pencil skirt and white blouse raised her hand first, so I called on her. “Yes?”
“How old are you?”

“Uh I’m 17..” I answered.

Murmurs were heard. It seems as though they don’t trust me to guide them because of my age.

“Any more questions?” I asked, slightly annoyed.

This time, a male wearing a dress shirt and black pants raised his hand, so I nodded at him.

“Where can we go during breaks?”

“Uh.. anywhere you want. Just don’t get in trouble.”

The questions continued and I answered them all.

“Okay, guys, that’ll be all for today. Go to your assigned places and adjust to your surroundings.”

The group of trainees dispersed and I was finally at peace again. Teagan was right. They’re all like robots. It’s scary.

That night when Tina and I were eating dinner, Tina informed me that I’d be in charge of training the new recruits this summer. 

So, in other words, I’ll be making no progress training with professionals at OBHQ and instead teaching robots how to work efficiently in order to survive in a big company like this. 

I was so enthusiastic, I almost spat out the food in my mouth and choked on my drink.

I couldn’t even complain about this because I was being paid by none other than Tina.

Unfortunately for me, I needed to train for a couple weeks. Fortunately for me, I could do my normal routine for the rest of my time there, besides my appointments.

The next morning, I got up early, dressed in a black dress shirt and black jeans, and went to cook breakfast for Tina and I. As if we’d always lived like this for years, Tina got up 5 minutes after I did and started some of her morning work at the bar.

When we finished, I washed the dishes and started my day at the office.

At around 7:00, I went down to the lobby to wait for the rookies. They arrived one by one after another like in a factory. God, this isn’t going to end.

“Okay, everyone, follow me.”

And the group followed me to the office spaces.

During the trip up there, one thought resurfaced many times. 

‘Can’t I just hand this work to someone else who actually works in the offices?’

But another thought strictly rejected that idea.

‘But if I do that, then I could be fired for insubordination.. Even though Tina won’t do that to me, hopefully, I’d rather not take the risk.’

The day passed so slowly, I forgot what day it was and thought it was the next day.. During today, I had to reteach the same things over and over and over and over and over again. 

No statement in the world could explain the emotions I was feeling. I hated it so much. People just don’t understand. Anything.

The week ended after an eternity of hell. Honestly, I don’t get paid enough for training. I felt like I had put another 10 years on my belt.

It was the weekend, and it was Saturday, which meant that Tina and I would have our anime marathon. It was around 9:00 PM after a day of working and I was on the couch.

“Sis! Let’s get started on it! You have a show in mind, right? What is it so I can put it on instead of waiting for you?”

“Geez, you’re in such a hurry. It’s called..”

Suddenly, the phone rang and Tina was cut off. She walked to the ringing phone and answered it. When she was on the phone, her expression changed many times from confusion to a grim look.

After the call ended, I asked her about it. 

“Tina, what is it? What happened?”

She put her right hand on her head and ran her fingers through her hair from the top of her head to the back and sighed as if a huge thorn got in her path.

“I’m so sorry, Grey, but I’ve got to go. Something came up at work and it’s really important. We’ll be able to watch next weekend, right?”

A wave of disappointment washed over my face for only a moment before returning to normal.

“I get it, it’s perfectly fine. Next weekend, right?”

“Thanks for understanding, kiddo. Get some sleep. I’ll take you to a special place tomorrow to repay the favor, okay?”

“You don’t need to force yourself, sis. It’s all good. You do what you have to. I’ll be waiting for your return.”

She sighed in relief and thanked me before putting on some work clothes and rushing out the door.

I was sitting on the couch and was thinking about checking my channel.

At the end of my last video, I promised to post on Monday. 500k people were expecting me to upload, so I was thinking up an idea.

I went online and checked my channel while thinking of my next topic.

In the subscriber count area, the number reached 1 million subs.

Wait.

1 million?!?!?!

Huh?

Are my eyes okay?

I took the screen with both my hands and brought my eyes super close to make sure I saw the number right.

1 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS?!

Oh my god..

I almost fainted from the sheer surprise and joy!

The number of people expecting a video tomorrow has now doubled. Great, no pressure there.

In the midst of my happiness and overwhelming joy, my phone rang as well.

I was thinking it was Tina, but when I picked my phone up, the name that was supposed to be hers, wasn’t. It was an unknown number.

Curious, I picked up the phone and a woman started speaking.

“Hello, are you Grey Lennox?”

“The one and only, who’s asking?”

“I’m Martha Clark from the ICU..”

My happiness wasn’t for long because what I heard on that phone made my brain disconnect for a moment.

“Mr. Lennox? Hello?”

“Yes. I completely understand. I’ll be there in 8 hours.” My voice shook on the verge of breaking down. 

I hung up immediately and went to look for the soonest plane flight back to Florida. I also called Kevin.

“Hey, Kevin.”

“Hey, celebrity. How are you do--”

“Kevin, now is not the time to talk. I need you and a friend to meet me at LAX Airport in 20 minutes. It’s an emergency.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Kevin! It’s really not the time to talk! Please! I need you right now. Questions later!”

“Ok, I’ll be there.”

While on the phone with Kevin, I had also booked my flight. It was 2 hours later. I took my passport and everything I needed to fly. I didn’t even think about my clothes. Just my passport and my phone. Also the keys to my bike.

When I got everything, I rushed out the door and went to the parking garage. My bike was in parking spot number 4. I turned it on and sped off. I didn’t even think about bringing my helmet. It all was irrelevant right now.

When I arrived at the airport, Kevin and one of his friends were standing by the entrance, waiting for me.

I ran up to him with my keys, passport and phone in hand.

“Kevin..”

“Shay, what’s happening?”

“No time to explain. I’m sorry to ask this of you.”

“Ask what of me? You make it sound like you’re not coming back or something.”

I completely avoided his statement and handed my keys to him. “Kevin, please do this for me. This is really important. Take the keys to my bike and keep her safe at your house for me.”

“Huh? Wait Sha--”

Kevin tried to talk to me, but I ran off without hesitation.

It took me an hour and a half to go through security and all. When I got to my gate, people were boarding the flight. “Thank goodness I wasn’t late.” I sighed in relief. 

I joined the line because I was a regular flying individual and not first class or whatever. Everyone boarded the plane which took about an hour and we took off after instructions.

We were off! The entire plane ride, My mind was swimming in a pool of anxiousness.

‘What was going to happen?’ 

‘Is she okay?’

‘What’s happening?’

‘What is happening?’

‘What is happening?’

My mind always traveled to the same question.

The plane landed 5 hours later and I called for a cab.

“JFK Hospital. Step on it!”

They did so. When I got there, I paid the driver and ran out of the car. My heart felt like it might burst. My consciousness was threatening to leave. I was scared, terrified of what I might find. But still, I went in because I had to know, I had to see what was going on.

I raced to the room where Grace Lennox was staying and opened the door. In it were a group of doctors and nurses. All but one turned to me when I entered looking like a mess.

Someone tried to escort me out of the room, but I identified myself to them.

“I’m her son! Let me through!”

“Sir, you need to calm down. It’s going to be okay.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to calm down?! My mother is dying in front of my eyes!! Fucking hell let me through!!”

I pushed past her and watched my mother having CPR performed on her.

My eyes shook as I looked down at her. Beautiful as she slept, she had black hair and a petite figure. She was very skinny now and pale. The doctor was still doing chest compressions.

“One, two, three, four, five…” The count went all the way to 30. Then mouth to mouth. Then 30 more compressions. I felt like my heart would stop at the sight of this. Soon, a defibrillator came in through the door and they charged it up with 120 J.

“CLEAR!” The head doctor shouted. My mother’s chest rose then fell. Rather, it was her whole upper body that rose and fell.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Increase to 200, we’re losing her! Clear!”

She rose then fell again.

They increased the charge once again and still no response on the monitor.

Suddenly, they stopped and handed the doctor a clipboard.

He took the pen and looked at his watch.

“Time of death.. 3:11 AM..”

Those six words shattered my heart to pieces. The strength in my legs gave out and I fell to the floor. The tears wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t think. My mind wasn’t sane at that moment. I just fell apart. My world was gone. 

What was I doing all this for anyway? What was the point? To help my mom get better was the reason for everything. From the start, it was my mom who was the goal to reach. But now she’s..

I just couldn’t process anything right now.

Nothing in this world was going right for me. I felt so sad. I didn’t know what to do. I completely lost the will to live. I was living my life in order to get treatment, but now my reason to live is gone, what else do I have?

And with that, I passed out.

 

The next day, I woke up on a hospital bed. Memories of the previous day flooded into my brain. It hurt. Tears filled my eyes again and fell down my cheeks.

A nurse walked in and saw me awake. She called the doctor immediately.

It was the same doctor that tried to bring her back. Also the same doctor that wrote her time of death.

“Are you Grey Lennox?”

I nodded my head, unable to speak.

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss. We tried everything we could. She hung on for so long.”

“....” I didn’t speak, I couldn’t. Because if I do, I’d break down again.

“You’re a very strong man. I’m sure she would have been proud. Let’s go. We’ve got some things to discuss with you.” I stood up and walked out with the doctor wordlessly.

The nurses looked nervous while watching the doctor and I’s backs leaving.

“So..” The doctor started speaking, “I know that this is really hard for you. This will take some time to heal.”

I didn’t respond.

“However, life must go on. We’re aware you are… underage. So we did call your father.” He looked at me again to see if there was a reaction.

No response was given.

“He’ll come pick you up in 10 days. Make sure to be ready to leave by then.”

I nodded. He showed me to the door and before I left, he handed me an envelope.

“It’s the medical fees for your mother.. And the room you slept in last night..”

I nodded and turned away.

The company stopped giving us insurance because they saw the payments coming up shorter and shorter and knew she might meet her maker soon. The envelope contained fees that added up to a total of $70,000 and to buy a gravestone is a couple thousand….

It hurts so much, I can’t take it.

I didn’t bother calling a cab. The small amount of money I used to pay the taxi driver was now gone. I left all my money back in the apartment.

I just walked back to my house and what I found on the door was an eviction notice. I couldn’t even… I took my valuables and put them in a bag with some clothes. I took my few bags and rode my motorcycle to Annika’s house. Since I couldn’t live in my house anymore, I had nowhere else to go but there.

Mrs. Foxx opened the door and welcomed me.

“Grey?? What a surprise!! Were you out for a morning run? What brings you here?”

“Mrs. Foxx, can I stay here for 10 days? Please?”

“Sure honey, but why?”

“I can’t say. But can I please stay? I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Of course you can, honey. I’ll get some blankets for you.”

“Thanks.”

I walked into her house slowly. It was gorgeous. Even though it was a one story house, it was still really pretty with wood floors and sleek walls.

“Annika, come here! Grey’s here!”

I closed my eyes for a brief moment in annoyance, but she was helping me, so I had no right to be picky about my circumstances.

Annika came downstairs and saw me standing next to her mother. She ran up to me and hugged me like I was gone for years.

This must be something to show her mother. I’ll play along.

I hugged her back and let go after a small while.

“You smell! When was the last time you showered?? She asked.

“Don’t know.”

“Gross! Go take a shower! Go! Go!” She shooed me towards the bathroom so I could shower. I took my bag of clothes with me as well and took a shower.

Half an hour later, I came out of the bathroom wearing black joggers and a hoodie.

My hair was down, so it looked long.

No contacts were in. I forgot them along with the glasses.

Mrs. Foxx approached me, “You’ll be sleeping on the couch during your stay. If you ever want to talk, you can always come to me or Annika.”

I nodded and went to the couch. I laid down on it and stared at the floor.

Both Annika and Mrs. Foxx looked at me with concern in their eyes.

“Well, my friends are here, so I should be getting back to them.” Annika stated.

“Oh, right, you can go now.” Mrs. Foxx approved.

“Grey, whatever you need, just let us know.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Mrs. Foxx let me know she had to go to work. Annika also knew as well, so she got going. It was just the kids in the house now. So me, Annika, and her friends.

On the couch, I had a lot of time to think. I closed my eyes and started thinking about the past 72 hours. The sight of my mother’s lifeless body being shocked with electric pulses from the defibrillator ran through my mind. The doctors that were trying their hardest to bring her back to life with CPR and defibrillation. 

“Grey..”

But the attempts did nothing and her expression looked like she was in pain..

“Grey.”

How much pain was she in? I hope she didn’t feel anything before she went. I want to see her so much. I want to talk about my day and what happened in my life.

“Grey!”

I want her to be with me still, I want her to be in this world. I want her to be happy.

“GREY!!!!”

“Huh?” Pulled out of my own thoughts, my eyes snapped open and I saw four faces hovering over me.”

“What?”

“Woah. This is him? No way. What kind of contacts did you put in?” Some girl asked. My eyes were hazy.

“Contacts? I left them.” I answered groggily.

“What? Stop lying. You were never this good looking. You were actually pretty unattractive and plain. Now.. You’re still a loser. It doesn’t matter what you look like, you’ll always be the loser from school.”

“...” I didn’t have the will to reply.

Annika was listening to their comments and looking for a reaction.

I slumped back down on the couch and closed my eyes again. Still, they continued,

“Hey, hey, I wonder if he’s a little more straight when he comes back to school. Doing all that girly shit is not cool. You make everyone look bad.” Another girl said.

“I wonder what his mom would think if she saw her son as a disappointment.” A boy jeered.

My eyes snapped open and I stood up. Immediately, as if possessed, I pushed the boy to the wall and put my forearm against his throat.

“What the fuck did you just say? Say it again. I dare you.” This time, I pressed lightly on his throat with my forearm. He grabbed my arm with both hands and tried to push me off of him. He failed. When he gave in, I released my arm from his throat and let him go.

He shoved me off of him and pushed me back to the couch. I went back under the blankets and returned back to my previous lifeless state.

“Fuck, man. Are you trying to kill me? This is why your mom is not here for you! Because she was fucking disgusted at the disappointing son she had and wanted to leave you as soon as possible. Your dad realized this earlier than your idiotic bitch mother and left sooner.” Max said.

That remark left a pang in my heart and I didn’t bother responding. Annika, who was in shock, finally came to your senses.

“GREY! WHY DID YOU COME HERE?! DON’T TOUCH MY FRIENDS WITH THOSE DIRTY HANDS OF YOURS! I WON'T HAVE IT! DO IT ONE MORE TIME AND YOU WON’T COME BACK HERE!” After yelling at me, she went to check on Max.

“Max, are you okay? He wasn’t raised right as a child, so he wouldn’t know what he’s doing is bad. Forgive him please?”

“Fuck, fine. I’ll sue him next time. I’ll sue him!!!”

Before leaving, Annika shot me a scornful look and chased after her friends.

Mrs. Foxx came back to a sleeping me and made dinner. Since I was sleeping, she didn’t bother waking me up. The next day, I took a shower and returned to the couch. Another lifeless day gone by. 

I didn’t bother eating dinner because I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t thirsty. I just wanted my mother back.

Another day passed and I was still recovering. Annika’s friends came over again and started harassing me when Mrs. Foxx left for work. Of course, I didn’t respond and they left me alone eventually.

Each day passed and I looked more depressed, more lifeless than the day before. I hadn’t eaten, drank, or gone outside. Hell, I hadn’t even moved unless to take a shower or go to the bathroom.

All the activities I enjoyed like cooking were just a chore and I decided not to do them. I lost motivation in everything and only saw the world only as black and white. There was no color because there was no happiness. I hadn’t spoken in days and hadn’t talked to anyone.

On the 8th day, I found something interesting in Annika’s bathroom cabinet. It was hidden very well, but I just happened to spot it out of chance. I noticed that the picture on the wall wasn’t straight. Then the picture fell and I caught it. When I went to put it back, there was a hiding space in the wall.

It contained vape pens and narcotics. Also some rolls of weed and cigs. Oh, Annika. You just got busted.

Also throughout the week, I noticed some of my valuables were gone. Things like jewelry or silver. I knew who took them, but didn’t want to say anything because it was all meaningless to me. I had nothing to live for. Materialistic things like that were stupid and I didn’t care about them.

Seeing the things in the wall, I took them all and put them under water and into the trash can. I forced myself to eat every 3 days and drink water.

I was back on my precious couch and sleeping once again for the day. When I wasn’t sleeping, I was staring at the ceiling or pretending to sleep.

Mrs. Foxx was so concerned, she tried to get people to talk to me. I just ignored them and turned onto my side.

On the 9th day, I wrote a letter to Mrs. Foxx. It was really short and it read: 

 

Mrs. Foxx, I can’t find words to say, so I’ll write them here. I want to tell you that I’m so grateful for your help these past 10 days and throughout my entire life. I’m going to live with my father for a year until I can get out on my own. Until next time.

 

On the 10th day and the day my father was picking me up, I handed Mrs. Foxx the letter and left without a word. I nodded at her in a form of respect and brought my belongings with me into my father’s black F350. Shiro was in the bed of the truck. As I got in his truck, I imagined Annika’s reaction to her empty hole in the wall.

Finally, my father started the engine and drove off with me in tow.