Chapter 118:The next morning, Allison casually entered the Carismapany.
As soon as she entered, her phone buzzed with a message from Ken.
Miss rke, you don''t have a helper today.
They would only trip me up.
Allison didn''t want to have an assistant, knowing it would attract unwanted nces.
Plus, she preferred to work alone and felt ufortable with someone hanging around.
After pressing send, she walked deeper into the building.
To his surprise, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
Charisma Company had grown exponentially and, with the backing of the Lloyd Group, had acquired an entire skyscraper.
As a perfumepany, it didn''t have the rigid, stuffy atmosphere of a typical corporate office.
Laboratories were spread throughout the building, and two entire floors were dedicated to lounges and break rooms where employees could rx.
But as he approached the office area, something caught his attention: an alteration in thepany''s data.
pany.
Someone''s hacking, he muttered, frowning.
The nearbyputer screens were shing with confusing codes, but the service personnel were nowhere to be found, and strangely enough, thework''s security rms had not been activated.
His instincts were true: someone was manipting the system.
Without hesitation, he sat down in the nearest chair and got to work.
An illegal rape It had been a long time since I had seen something like this, he murmured.
This was not how he had imagined his first day.
With determination, he headed to the central control room, turned on the mainputer and let his fingers fly across the keyboard.
Ken had assured him that theb was his and that he had full ess to all the equipment.
The other technicians blinked in surprise.
for his sudden entry.
They had been informed that a new boss would arrive today and, apparently, it was her.
Although they were aware of the situation, they couldn''t shake off their resentment.
Thea Reid cast a discreet nce at Marc Ward, the senior coach most likely to be promoted.
Seeing a stranger walk in and im what he believed was rightfully his only fueled his bitterness.
Swallowing his frustration, Marc approached Allison, his sarcasm barely concealed.
So you are Miss rke.
Trying to make a ssh on the first day, I see.
But, I shouldn''t.
.
.
Allison didn''t bother to look up when Marc''s voice interrupted her concentration.
You''re dealing with perfume in theb.
What''s with all the typing here? I couldn''t waste time on trivialities.
This was not the work of amateurs: it had all the earmarks of being the work of Dark Web hackers.
Given Carisma''s sky-high market value, there were plenty of vultures circling, hoping to snatch her coveted perfume forms.
If she didn''t block the intrusion in the next few minutes, the hackers would breach the firewall and enter Carisma''s base.
data.
By the time Lloyd Group''s cybersecurity team could intervene, it would be toote.
She wasn''t about to let valuable data, still intact before her very eyes, fall into the hands of thieves.
Ignoring Marc''s insistence, he replied, If you know who I am, you should also know not to get in my way.
Marc narrowed his eyes in surprise, his irritation boiling over.
In theb, the other technicians were exchanging amused nces and murmuring under their breath.
You''re very excited, but it''s not like it''s ourpany, right.
If things go wrong, it''ll be your fault, not ours.
Miss rke, don''t get us wrong, Thea interjected softly, her tone dripping with subtle venom.
It''s not that we don''t respect it, but true talent speaks for itself.
And when someone is only here because of who they know.
.
.
well, don''t expect us to keep our tongues shut.
No offense intended, of course.
Their words were sharp, and it was clear that they had envisioned a battle-hardened leader for the role.
Instead, they found a woman in her twenties, calm and seemingly easy to walk over.
But Allison wasn''t going to let herself be underestimated.
If you''re aware of how rude you''re being, maybe it''s time to shut up.
If you can''t solve the problem, at least don''t make it worse.
It''smon decency.
.
.
or is that concept out of your reach? His words struck with the precision of a well-aimed dart.
He realized that they resented his appointment.
The sarcasticments made it very clear.
Thepany suffers a cyber attack.
I''m taking care of it.
Leave me alone.
Now that she was fully focused on countering the hacking, the technicians''ints only served to further fray her nerves.
Their expressions hardened, but neither dared to argue.
They left the room with their jaws clenched and exchanging silent nces.
Once outside, they gathered by the ss windows, watching their every movement like hawks.
The murmurs arose again.
Fix the system What a circus act.
Exactly! She''s supposed to be making perfumes, not typing.
What a joke.
Thea smiled and added: What do you think his story is? Does it matter, Marc interrupted, his voice mocking.
The real problem is how it got in.
Pretending to be busy…how ridiculous.
She should be mixing scents instead of ying heroine withputers.
She''s trying to be important, another technician murmured.
If we don''t nip this in the bud, it won''t take long for him to make all the decisions! The group exchanges subtle nces and everyone nods silently.
Finally, Marc, the oldest, broke the silence with a calm but firm voice.
No representatives from rivalpanies areing to inspect the premises today.
It would be a shame if they didn''t meet our new leader.
The group smiled slyly.
Office politics thrived like weeds in an overgrown garden, each faction vying for dominance.
To them, a new leader was nothing more than the erosion of their carefully established influence.
So what if Allison had won the Perfumery Contest.
That didn''t mean she coulde in and upset their carefully constructed hierarchy.
No one in this room would allow their interests to be trampled without a fight.
Marc was not just a superior technician; he was the unspoken leader of his own loyal faction.
And he wasn''t going to let a stranger undermine his power.
.
.
.