Within thirty minutes, chaos began. Negative reviews flooded both the Play Store and the App Store. Users were outraged, complaining that the company’s apps had forcefully logged them out and were preventing them from signing back in or creating new accounts. The complaints continued to multiply every minute.
Anabel, who had been reviewing reports at the time, received urgent messages from multiple departments, alerting her to the crisis. Without hesitation, she grabbed her phone and called Max.
The moment he saw her name flashing on his screen, he smirked and answered in a composed tone.
“Max, are you aware of what is happening?” Anabel asked,"
“Yes,” he replied. “I'm aware and already on it. We have been attacked. I don't know how hackers infiltrated the system. I’m working on fixing it now.”
“How bad is it?” Anabel asked, and Max pretended to sigh before replying, “It’s bad. The hacker disrupted login functions and kicked users off entirely. I think it was done by an insider who is jealous of you. I will fish the person out once I'm done."
“Fix it immediately,” she ordered. “We can’t afford this kind of damage at this particular time.”
“I’m on it,” he assured her.
The call ended, and Max continued to pretend as if he was working toward a solution when, in reality, he was simply stalling and waiting for the closing hour.
As the official closing time approached, Anabel called again. “Any progress?” she asked, and Max put on his best reassuring voice before responding. “I’m making headway. I need more time.”
Anabel sighed. “The working time is over. You will stay over with a few other workers and make sure this is resolved before morning.” She said, and Max smirked. His plan was going as he predicted.
“Understood, ma'am. I will make sure it's resolved.”
The moment the call ended, he leaned back in his chair and smiled. Instead of following her instructions, he turned to the few remaining employees in the office and told them to go home.
"Let us stay with you so it will be faster." One of the workers said.
"I have an idea of what to do. I just need time. You guys can go and rest."
He insisted that he could handle the situation alone and that they should get some rest. Initially, they resisted, concerned that the crisis was too significant for just one person. But Max couldn't let them stay.
He assured them that he would handle it. That there was no need for them to stay behind.
Eventually, they relented. One by one, they gathered their belongings and exited the office, leaving Max as the only person inside.
The moment the last employee shut the door behind them, he smiled. It was so easy, easier than he had thought.
After waiting for an hour to make sure he won't be interrupted, he stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.
It was time. He adjusted his chair and computer monitor, positioning it strategically so that the CCTV cameras would have limited visibility of his actions. He had checked the blind spots beforehand, ensuring that everything he did tonight would remain undetected.
Then, he went to work. Lines of code flashed across his screen as he navigated through the company’s financial databases. He altered the receiving bank account linked to the company’s payment system.
He changed it to a new account. A new account he had set up specifically for Sylvester.
Next, he set a payment limit. The receiving amount was pegged at five million dollars.
He went on and created a secondary payment route. A route that is linked to the company’s original bank account.
Then, he directed all payment notifications back to the company’s bank account.
Everything would appear normal from the company’s side. They would receive notifications for all incoming payments, making it seem as if the funds were flowing into their original account.
But behind the scenes, the real recipient would be Sylvester’s account. Once the hidden account reached five million dollars, the payment route would automatically revert to the company’s bank account, seamlessly switching back without raising alarms.