"I need the code."
Penny held her breath, her eyes widening before narrowing in sharp focus. Her gaze shifted from the muzzle to the man holding it.
When soone pointed a gun, they usually trembled, especially if it was their first ti. The only ones who didn’t flinch were fools, the oblivious... or the experienced. That ant either Shawn was bluffing, or he was skilled enough to get this far without raising suspicion.
"Please," Shawn breathed out, looking her straight in the eye. "Hand it over and co with quietly. I don’t want to hurt you."
"Shawn, what’s going on?" Penny cald herself, moving her hand only to pause when he tipped the gun slightly.
"Keep your hands where I can see them."
Penny stopped and raised her hands. "Tell . Who put you in this?"
"The code, Miss Penny."
"Did soone threaten you?" she continued with a calculated calm. "Did they tell you that your family is in danger? That they’d hurt you and your family if you don’t do what they say?"
"Miss Penny, there’s no point in asking this."
"Shawn." Penny looked at him sincerely. "If that is the case, I understand. I will hand the code to you, but I need to know. Why are you doing this?"
Because Penny wanted to believe she wasn’t wrong about the guy. That he was forced to do this, and that he may be just another victim, forced to do what they didn’t want to for the sake of their own family. If that were the case, she would understand him.
But if it wasn’t, then that only ant everything she knew about the guy was nothing but wrong.
Shawn’s eyes shone with hesitation and bitterness, which quickly disappeared after a second.
"Miss Penny, there is no point anymore," he said. "I just need the code. I don’t want to hurt you, so please, hand the code and co with quietly. Don’t deny that the code is not in your hands—I know it’s in your possession."
Shawn didn’t give her a direct answer, but it was enough for Penny to make an assumption.
’This guy... planned to do this from the beginning,’ she thought. ’And whoever’s behind him knew how we process our people.’
Everyone in this place was screened and background-checked thoroughly. It would be hard to enter Pri Group as an employee in another departnt, but it was ten tis harder to get a place in the CEO’s office—or even get close to Penny.
Unless the person trying to infiltrate her office had prepared this not just for a year, but for longer.
The only question was: Who?
’Is it Nathalie?’
Penny secretly clenched her teeth, her breathing growing slow.
"Fine," she whispered, nodding. "I got the code, and I’ll hand it to you. But it’s in the drawer."
Penny slowly lowered just one hand, eyes on him. "I promise not to do anything—"
"Keep your hands where I can see them," he cut her off, making her pause mid-motion. Shawn then took a step forward while saying, "Tell where it is."
As he approached, Penny kept her eyes on him, her stance frozen. But when he was close, Penny swiftly took the chance to pick up the gun from the drawer and pointed it at him.
Shawn paused at her action, his eyes dilating for a mont as he watched her swiftly unlock the safety pin and pull the trigger. Penny didn’t hesitate, as if she had been ntally preparing herself to kill soone just to protect herself.
But then...
CLACK!
Both Penny’s and Shawn’s breaths hitched as they heard a click from her gun—no ammo. Penny’s eyes went wide as she moved her gaze to the weapon in her hand.
’Goddamn Yugi!’
After all, only Yugi knew about this gun, as he had voiced his concern about it. However, he didn’t tell her that he had removed the bullets. Had she known, she would’ve put them back in—for this very mont.
But before Penny could think further, a round tal object pressed on her forehead. She froze, lifting her eyes at the person now holding her at gunpoint.
"Miss Penny." This ti, Shawn’s voice was stern, emphasizing each of his words. "Enough. Do not make kill you... Please. Stop resisting."
As he said so, he cocked the pistol, letting her know he would shoot if she made another move.
"This ti, I might kill you right here and now," he added under his breath. "The code."
---
anwhile...
Teddy walked along the side of the road, heading for the bus stop. He could’ve used a taxi since his accommodation was just a few minutes from the office. However, despite his exhaustion today, he felt like enjoying a mont of silence while taking a leisurely walk.
His mind, however, was filled with the accusation being thrown at their company. His face grew sour at the thought of it.
"Stock market manipulation, huh?" he clicked his tongue. "Miss Penny is a lot of things, but after working for her, she’s not soone who fights unfairly."
Sure, Penny had so sides of her that bordered on unhinged. However, in business, Pri Group was clean. At least, Teddy was certain that the allegations were just ant to slander the company.
As Teddy thought about it, his steps slowed down. His brows rose, thinking about his colleague, Shawn.
"Right," he whispered, his slow strides coming to a halt.
Teddy glanced at his wristwatch, seeing that it was getting a bit late. Yet, before he left, Shawn had stayed behind to finish his task.
"..." For a second, Teddy thought about it, and after a mont, he turned on his heel and walked back to the company.
No one was waiting for Teddy at ho, and unlike the rest, he wasn’t that tired at all. He still had enough energy to help Shawn finish his task. After all, even if Teddy was often aloof and harsh, he often thought of his colleagues and wasn’t just focused on completing his own work.
With that, Teddy returned to Pri Group with that thought in mind.
Little did he know, going back to Pri Group, he would stumble into sothing completely unexpected.
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