Too late, ex wife. From Janitor to Tycoon

Chapter seven

Aiden exhaled slowly, a tightness in his chest he could barely hide.

“Someone hacked one of our systems,” he said, his voice calm but carrying a subtle edge of tension.

Sam frowned, confusion and skepticism mingling with a flicker of unease. He tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair, feeling a chill run up his spine. The office was almost too quiet, save for the hum of the air-conditioning and the faint click of the monitor.

“Then call your cybersecurity team,” he suggested, attempting a casual tone, though a hint of doubt crept into his voice.

“It’s not that simple,” Aiden replied, leaning closer to the camera. His eyes held a weight of urgency, measuring Sam’s reaction as if trying to read the very thoughts racing through his head.

“Do you remember the program we built together during our final year?” Aiden asked, his tone low and serious.

Sam’s eyes narrowed. Memories of late nights hunched over computers, takeout boxes piling up, and coffee cups teetering on the edge of the table rushed back. The thrill of coding for hours, the debates over algorithms, the endless experimentation—they were simpler times, full of possibilities. Then the memory hit.

“The experimental financial security program?” he murmured, disbelief threading through his voice.

“The one we built for stress testing?”

“Exactly,” Aiden said, his expression darkening as the gravity of the situation settled on him.

Sam nodded slowly, letting the recollection sink in. “I remember. We built it to test encryption weaknesses and transaction security.” He could almost hear the hum of the old lab computers, the scribbled equations, the thrill of solving problems that seemed impossible.

“Well,” Aiden said, his voice sharpening, “we used it across several programs here at Devanchi.”

Sam blinked, incredulous. “Are you serious?” He leaned back in the chair, running a hand through his hair. “You told me it didn’t work. It was just a plaything.”

“Well… it did,” Aiden said simply, pride laced with tension in his voice.

Sam’s lips curved into a wry smile. “Oh… so you made money off both our hard work, didn’t you?” His words were teasing, but beneath the humor lay unease, a knot forming in his stomach at the realization that their old hobby had become a cornerstone of a corporate empire.

“So… can I leave now?” Sam asked, letting his gaze wander to the window. The city skyline stretched beyond the glass, sun glinting off the tallest buildings, mocking his disbelief.

“Not so fast,” Aiden replied, shaking his head.

“Why not?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We have an issue with it, and only you can fix it,” Aiden said, his voice firm and unyielding.

Sam’s eyes widened slightly. A nervous laugh escaped him. “Oh wow. Look who finally remembered we worked together on that,” he said, shaking his head, a mixture of amusement and disbelief lacing his tone.

“I’m sorry, Sam, but someone managed to break into it. And we are losing funds,” Aiden added, urgency threading his words.

Sam ran a hand over his face, letting out a short chuckle that masked the growing anxiety in his chest. “Okay… so tell me. Why should I help you?” he asked skeptically, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Because I know you can do it,” Aiden said sincerely. “You understand that program as well as I do.”

Sam turned to Susan. Her calm gaze met his, unwavering and steady—the kind of certainty he hadn’t felt in years. The sunlight from the window cast a warm glow across her desk, highlighting the meticulous organization and quiet authority she radiated.

“That’s why we brought you here,” she said. “We want to hire you, Sam.”

Sam blinked, disbelief flickering across his face. “Hire me?” His voice trembled slightly, despite efforts to stay composed.

“Yes,” Susan said, her voice soft yet commanding. “We don’t want the world knowing about this, so we have to fix it now.”

Sam leaned back slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Ooh,” he said slowly, shaking his head. “Your brother stole what we worked on and used it for your family business. You can’t just pay me for that, can you?”

Susan’s expression softened, though her tone remained firm. “We can, and we will. Please… just help us,” she said, her eyes pleading slightly, the calm authority in her voice underscoring the gravity of the situation.

Sam’s smirk widened, a spark of mischief lighting his eyes. “Ooh,” he repeated, tilting his head, “now I don’t want money. I want something else.”

Susan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh?”

“I want a piece of the company,” Sam said, his voice steady, a mixture of mischief and newfound determination threading through it.

Aiden’s eyes widened on the screen, disbelief coloring his expression. “Isn’t that too much?” he asked, his tone a blend of incredulity and concern.

Sam leaned forward, elbows on his knees, gaze steady. “No,” he said simply, confidence solidifying in his posture. “It’s just fine.”

Susan’s lips curved in a faint, approving smile. “If that’s what you want, Sam, then we can make it happen,” she said.

“We can?” Aiden asked, his brow furrowing in surprise, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“Yes,” Susan added, her voice calm but insistent, “and we will. Please… help us.”

Aiden shook his head, running a hand through his hair, a mixture of awe and exasperation crossing his features. “Well… I didn’t expect that,” he admitted, a tense laugh escaping him.

“What are you proposing?” Susan asked, her voice calm but sharp, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Sam’s expression. There was a subtle tension in her posture, a mixture of curiosity and authority, as if she were both challenging and inviting him to speak.