She watched the numbers roll in. It was unbelievable. They had spent five million dollars on their previous advertising attempt. …an attempt that failed miserably.
But this? This was different. It was a success. People weren’t just interested; they were buying. By noon, she made a quick decision. She increased the product price by ten percent, wondering if demand would slow down. But to her amazement, buyers continued pouring in.
Nothing changed. If anything, more people kept buying. Anabel leaned back in her chair and exhaled in satisfaction. That very day, she made the highest sales ever recorded by her company. Over fifteen million dollars.
She couldn’t help but smile. Moments later, she began to receive different calls from investors who wanted to partner with her, as well as business tycoons who wanted to become distributors. Immediately, she picked up her phone and called Mr. Kane.
“We need to extend the advertisement. Send another four million dollars for promotion.” She said.
“Understood. I’ll process it right away.” He arranged for it and sent it right away.
For Max, he sat in his office, watching everything. The numbers. The revenue. It was a perfect time to execute his plan. He can get the five million dollars in hours for Sylvester.
While Anabel was rejoicing, she didn't know that someone somewhere was trying to reap from her sweat.
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"I saw a captivating advertisement about your new product today." Anabel's father spoke up as they were taking their dinner. "It was everywhere. Billboards, social media, even television."
Anabel smiled. She was happy that her father liked it. "Yeah, I was planning to announce that after dinner. The new promotion was handled properly this time. Unlike the first one, which flopped completely." She said, and her father nodded knowingly.
"Yes, I remember. You invested heavily in advertising before, and it didn’t give you the results you expected."
Anabel took a bite of her meal and leaned back slightly. "Exactly. The previous advertising company didn’t do justice to the product. But this time? It’s selling fast. We created a new record at the company. We made over fifteen million dollars today alone." Anabel said, and Jethro whistled in surprise. "That’s insane. The advert really turned things around."
"That’s what happens when you know what you are doing," her mom said with a smile. "Anabel is sharp when it comes to business."
"Congratulations! I'm proud of you." The dad said.
"Thank you, Dad."
"You should consider building a good relationship with the CEO of the advertising company that handled the promotion." The dad suggested. "That connection could be useful for future projects."
Anabel thought about it and nodded. "That makes sense. I will do as you said."
Only if she knew that the person behind the success of her campaign was none other than her ex-husband.
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The next day, Max arrived at the office with a clear plan in his mind. What he wanted to do might be risky, but he had no option unless he wanted to abandon his job.
He had spent the night thinking deeply and planning so that there would be no traces left behind when he was done.
He was going to stay overnight alone and sabotage the company’s financial system. He needed the entire night to work uninterrupted, and he had crafted a strategy to make sure no one would suspect a thing.
As the workday progressed, Max went about his usual routine, blending in seamlessly with the other employees, responding to complaints, and managing system updates. But as the clock approached an hour before closing, he activated his plan. A plan that will keep him in the office all alone at night.
With a single command, he launched a bug. The one sophisticated enough to disrupt the entire system. The bug instantly halted users from logging in and even forcefully logged out those who were already signed into their accounts.