"You're freaking me out here," Cyrus replied, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.

"Follow me, the boss wants to see you," Dan said, practically dragging Cyrus towards the elevator. As they rode up, Dan kept frantically pressing buttons, his nervousness palpable in the confined space.

Cyrus's mind raced. Dan was never this serious, at least not usually. Something was definitely off. "Is he still angry about yesterday?" Cyrus wondered silently.

"Do you remember Project T?" Dan asked abruptly, his gaze piercing into Cyrus.

Cyrus fell silent for a moment, caught off guard by the question. "Of course I worked my butt off for it," he lied, grasping for an excuse. "Sorry for last night. I just zoned out."

Dan's patience snapped. "Give up the lie, Cyrus. We both know perfectly well you didn't lift your ass off your damn console," he yelled, frustration evident in every word.

"Well, spill it. What's the big deal?" Cyrus asked as they exited the elevator, trying to deflect the conversation.

"When are you going to stop fleeing and give it a try?" Dan pressed, his concern for his friend evident beneath his anger.

"Weren't we waited on by the old boss?" Cyrus asked, attempting to change the subject.

Dan cursed, shaking his head. "You're such a fool," he muttered, pulling open a glass door that led into a large conference room.

Inside, a crowd had gathered. At the forefront stood a man dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit. He exuded an aura of authority, standing out like a rare karmic ore in a dark cave. His sharp eyes locked onto Cyrus and Dan as they entered, a smile playing on his lips.

"What's the excuse this time?" the boss asked, sipping from a cocktail glass. "Let me guess - you got wrongly arrested by the bureau?"

The room erupted in laughter, all eyes turning to Cyrus. He felt exposed, as if their gazes could penetrate his very soul. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Thankfully, not everyone is this punctual," the boss continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're all here today to celebrate the launch of a new system for our enterprise. With this, we're going to turn the market upside down."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Cyrus's inner voice screamed silently. "You're such a fake ally. Stop with this poor cutscene," he thought bitterly.

"Step forward, Roland," the boss commanded. A smug-looking man moved to the front, giving Cyrus a self-satisfied smirk as he passed.

A screen flashed to life, displaying a series of complex diagrams. Gasps of admiration echoed through the crowd.

"I never thought we could tackle the problem this way. Such ingenuity!"

"Roland definitely deserves this."

"Wow, Dan, you've hidden such talent for so long!"

Cyrus blinked in disbelief, turning to Dan in confusion. The truth hit him like a ton of bricks. This was why Dan had been so angry. Roland had stolen his project.

Unable to contain his fury, Cyrus exploded. "Are you fucking kidding me, you goblin thief? How dare you? You know I've poured hours into this, and you just swipe it like it's no big deal!"

The boss's frown deepened. "What are you insinuating? Not only are you consistently tardy, but now you're attempting to undermine your colleague simply because they are outpacing you? Pathetic. Get your act together and focus on improving yourself instead of resorting to petty tactics to drag others down."

Cyrus felt as if he'd been struck by a magical blast, waves of hatred coursing through his body. He balled his fists, unwilling to back down. "Admit it. You know it's mine," he insisted.

Roland's smile never faltered. "Yours? Looks like your sense of humor is as great as your gaming skills," he quipped.

Dan, unable to contain himself any longer, jumped to Cyrus's defense. "Roland, you're such a scum. How could you, after Cyrus taught you all he knew when you first came?"

"Enough!" the boss thundered. "This time, you've gone overboard. Two days - that's all you have."

Cyrus's heart skipped a beat as his thoughts raced to his family. The moment he had feared his entire life was drawing near, threatening to destroy everything he had worked for.

"Now, you can't do that," Cyrus pleaded weakly.

Dan gripped Cyrus by the collar, desperation in his eyes. "Do something, Cyrus. You know how it works better than anyone here. Prove to them that it's yours!"

The boss's voice cut through the tension. "If you can prove it's yours, Roland will apologize and leave this place. But if you fail, I'll make sure you can't stay in this city."

Cold sweat trickled down Cyrus's face as the weight of the challenge settled on his shoulders. Dan slapped him, trying to snap him out of his paralysis. "Get up, Cyrus. This is it - prove them wrong!"

Cyrus stepped forward, his hands trembling. Doubts flooded his mind. What if he failed? He wouldn't be able to stay in the city. What about his father? They had worked so hard for him to get this position. Where would he go? There was no better place than here.

Taking a deep breath, Cyrus made his decision. "You know what?" he said, lifting his head. "Keep it. It's not like it was my masterpiece or anything. I've got tons of other projects in the pipeline, and you won't be getting a glimpse of any of them." With that, he turned to leave.

Dan stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide with disbelief. He slapped his own face, shaking his head before following Cyrus out.

Cyrus left the building, taking the portal capsule back to his street. As he climbed the creaking stairs of his old building, each step seemed to mock his defeat. Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse, his eyes fell on an envelope tucked under his apartment door.

"Not now," he cursed, the sight of the envelope adding one final insult to an already devastating day.