The Rewritten Memory

CHAPTER 3: Three-step verification

Arthur pressed the pause button, and his expression remained calm; his coldness showed no pity on his face. "Anything new other than this?" he enquired. A deep, venomous tone laced his words as he leaned against the chair comfortably, and his gaze fixed on the assistant manager's face.

"No, sir..." The assistant manager answered, his tone lowered, and a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Sir, now the suicide rate is increasing day by day...."

Arthur stopped spinning the chair, and a knowing smirk appeared on his lips. He rose slowly from his chair; his movements were confident and precise as he adjusted his coat and walked towards the glass view. His gaze shifted to the stunning high-tech cityscape with a glad expression, and he inhaled the fresh, clean oxygen. "Reason?" 

"Sir..." The assistant manager called out, swallowing hard, hesitant in his movements. "Same reason... There is no peace in their life. He wrote it in his last suicide note."

Arthur stood silently, his gaze fixed on the sprawling city. Humans are the dumbest creatures created by God. I gave them a peaceful life; I just saved them from their traumatised life, but again, they are doing the same shit! Humans never change... He mused, then he waved his hand to dismiss the assistant.

Later in the afternoon, Wyatt didn't stir from his seat as he glanced at the timer, which displayed 1:01. He stopped his work; he opened the drawer in the desk. He just popped out an energy tablet and gently put it inside his mouth, and swallowed it down with a sip of water.

Then he continued to his work with the same energetic mood. Time flew by quickly, and the room remained silent all day, with only the notification sound breaking the silence.

As he glanced at his watch, a notification startled him into realising how quickly the evening had slipped away. "It's going to be six," he murmured, his voice low and a bit chilly. Without any warning, the system powered down, and the air conditioning cut off, leaving the room still and quiet.

Wyatt rose from the chair, stretched like a cat for the first time that day as his gaze landed on the file, and simply placed his files under the desk. Walked straight and left the room. Behind him, the automatic voice announced, "Thank you, Wyatt Calloway; have a happy evening."

In the parking lot, Wyatt noticed other employees just like him, with no smiles on their faces and no more talk, and they just did their work as they went into their cars like nothing. He slipped into it absently.... Adjusting the mirror, his eyes fixed on his face's reflection, "He resembles me..." he wondered as his mind reeled to last night. "I am you, Wyatt.... This is not your reality.... This is not the way you live...." The voice echoed in his ear like a roar. He imagined the smirk on the Calloway lips, the way he leaned against them, and his looks. "Is he real, or am I just making an assumption?" he questioned himself in a low voice. His gaze shifted to his veiny hand. "But I can be sure he existed last night..... But he is completely different from my behaviour.... It makes me doubtful of him... What if he tells the truth?" he questioned as he accidentally pressed on the horn of the car, bringing him back to reality. As the parking lot became empty, with no one, with dead silence.

"I can figure it out later..." He vowed as he started the car and put the system into autopilot mode, and he leaned back and closed his eyes. When his eyes fluttered by the street light, he glanced at the street with no people on the streets, the park, and outside the building; everything was silent and peaceful. Then his gaze shifted towards the dim night sky with stars shining like diamonds in the dark sky. "It is beautiful... I never thought the sky would be this beautiful..." he thought as he closed his blue eyes, enjoying the scenery for the first time.

The car automatically stopped in his car parking area. Wyatt woke to the vibration of his phone, realising he was in his apartment. "What if he were inside?" he questioned himself. "No fucking way... I made a trap..." He stepped out of the car with a curious smile on his face. He was urgently using the lift; he moved towards his apartment.

Wyatt placed his right hand on the fingerprint biometric system, and the display showed, "Password confirmed." 

The eye scanner scanned his iris, confirming "beep "beep.

Finally, the manual password system. He pressed a 6-digit number. "The password is correct..." The AI voice announced with a beep sound, and the entrance automatically opened.

A relieved smile and confidence on his face finally appeared because of his trick. He stepped inside the apartment. After his departure, the lights turned on and the air conditioner turned on. He glanced at every area and the rooms. Everything was neat and the same as before he left the place. He unbuttoned his collar as he walked towards the guest room. His eyes were lidded in a sort of excitement and thrill. "What if he was inside?" he thought as he opened the knob, and he casually glanced at the room. 

But no one is inside the room.

Wyatt let out a deep, satisfied breath. Nowadays, I am getting too much imagination... he thought as he unbuttoned the remaining buttons on his shirt slowly and walked towards his room and opened the door, and just stepped inside.

"Welcome home, sweetheart!!!!" A voice behind him called out, and his voice echoed throughout the tense moment.

Wyatt turned towards the sound area, his eyes widened in clear shock, and his mouth slightly opened, as his confidence was shattered into multiple pieces within a second. "How the hell did you get in?" he asked, as his hand tried to grab the pot next to him for the self-defeating purpose.

A proud smirk appeared at the corner of Calloway's lips as he closed his book and gently placed it on the table. He stood tall, exuding a manly presence, and slipped his hand into his pant pocket, his eyes shifting to Wyatt's terrified face as he walked toward him, moving with an aura reminiscent of a Greek god.

Calloway stopped near Wyatt and leaned in close, whispering in his ear, "Did you miss me?" His tone was deep, sending a chill through everyone nearby.

Wyatt's eyes widened in shock downward, and his heart raced against his ribs like a drum. He instinctively gripped the flowerpot at his side. Determined not to show weakness, he pushed aside his disbelief and pretended to be confident. "No! Why would I miss you? Don't be so full of yourself," he replied, his tone steady and firm.

"Are you certain, Honey?" Calloway asked softly, inhaling Wyatt's fresh cologne as he pressed against his neck. In a slow, husky whisper, he deliberately teased, "You haven't checked the guest room, have you?" 

Wyatt's breath increased, his pupils shifted here and there, and he swallowed hard, his Adam's apple moving up and down like a nervous knot, as he struggled as normal. "What if I say yes... First of all, why do I have to answer your stupid questions... My home, my rules... I can go anywhere, do anything..." he yelled as his tone peaked in a high pitch like a siren wailing.

"Relax... buddy... I am asking..." Calloway placed his hand on his lips to be silent as he rotated himself.

"I'm warning you!" Wyatt's eyes locked onto Calloway's, both of them standing opposite each other like kings on a chessboard, poised for the final move. His jaw was clenched like he was ready for a fight. "Just get out of here... Otherwise, you'll see the consequences of your foolish actions." He murmured; there was no fear in his tone, just a sudden surge of confidence in his expression.

"AH! You're giving me goosebumps...." Calloway rubbed his hands, like a mocking and cruel sly laugh on his mouth. "No wonder I was brave three years ago, but I was dumb as hell."

Wyatt dramatically rolled his eyes as his hand slowly slid into his pocket, and he tried to press the emergency number and pretended to have a conversation. "You must be crazy..." he murmured as his finger pressed the dial button.

With one strike, the phone shifted towards the Calloways' hands without any risk or effort, and he pressed the red button before getting connected, but a single beep had already dialled. "I am so proud of myself.... I am asking, good way, Wyatt!!!!... Just listen to me!!!" He pressed his words tightly and controlled his fury.