Episode 9 - Lost in a World of Betrayal

As James approached the table, she got up from her seat, vacating it for him, so that he could access the computer. He promptly sat down and got to work. It had been over a year since he had lost his job or even touched a computer, but as soon as he sat down, he felt right at home and in his element. He typed away for ten minutes and coded a better management system in the computer. John stared at the side, looking visibly unsettled. The framework was crafted in less than ten minutes. James then took the framework and briefly explained it to her. He had even created a customer management template , which would capture the customer details and store them in the system, which came with a customer care number as well. Guests would receive push notifications, birthday texts and special offers during peak seasons. All this would be automatic by software, eliminating the need for manual operations and cutting costs.

James also added that the full management system would take him three days to get ready.

Miss Hartman was too stunned to speak. But John, who was scared that his job might be lost, stepped up and said,”Miss Hartman, This system is very similar to the ones implemented by numerous hotels already. This is nothing new or innovative.”. Miss Hartman looked at him coldly and said, “Neither was yours any special John. You did not include any of the newer features that I had suggested.” John stammered, “Miss Hartmean, ma'am, please give me some more time. I promise I’ll come up with something better and I’ll draft a blueprint of your expectations you’ll see. I…”, he was quickly cut off by James who spoke, “Miss Hartman, this software is very common I agree, in fact I myself had written this program a few years ago, but I can optimize it further, integrate it into social media platforms and probably even create a standalone app if the budget allows it ”

Miss Hartman looked impressed and she asked, “You showed me the customer management model. But what about the employees? Did you make a management system for them?”, she looked at him questioningly. James smiled warmly and said, “Absolutely but due to time constraints, I was not able to craft it’s code. But I know just how much employees are valued in a successful business. But I did make provisions for gathering big data of the employees and creating personalized data for them, like weather, traffic, and even playlists that they would listen to in order to amp up their mood.”.

Miss Hartman smiled and said, “Wow I am quite taken by your work James.” James bowed to thank her but saw the look of horrified shock in John’s face. Realizing what he had done he apologized, “I am sorry ma’am I am not an employee here so i spoke out of turn and too much.”. After saying that, he turned to leave, but just as he was about to cross the threshold Miss Hartman yelled, “Hold on.”. But James didn’t stop and pretended not to hear her. She followed him into the hallway, and stopped in front of him. With a look of shock on her face, obviously because of the fact that he was just a delivery guy who had fixed her whole management system. “Miss Hartman, can I help you?”, he said. “May I know your name?”, she asked,

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Pardon me?”, James asked, surprised. “I asked for your name. Can you not hear me well?”, she said impatiently. James did not want to tell her, as he feared that she would recognise him and that would be very embarrassing for him. But she didn't really look well connected with the tech industry. But still, to be safe, James proceeded to lie, “My name is Frank. I am just a delivery guy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make another delivery.”, he said as he rused off, but Miss Hartman called out, “I am quite impressed by your structural strategy and would like to discuss it further with you.”. John interjected by saying, “Miss Hartman. His strategy and approach could potentially leak confidential information about our consumers. Remember what happened with James Brady and Company last year?”, he said with a smirk. Miss Harman’s brows furrowed with thought.

Before John could add something further and reveal his identity to her, James said, “He is right, there have been incidents of privacy breaches in the past, not just by that particular company but also others. However, the solution would be to provide better systems of encryption to protect the data than to not devise a system entirely. We need data to function right? But we also need to protect vital data as well.” James said, trying to convince Miss Hartman. John seemed giddy with sarcasm as he remarked, “Good to see that we are all learning from our mistakes”, as he shot a glance at James. Miss Hartman, who had now lost interest in James, nodded and said, “Well, alright then good day to you.”and walked back to her cabin. James shot a cold expression at John who had caused him to lose such an important opportunity from his hands.

“Why doesn't John understand that it wasn’t me who was responsible for the incident! I didn't get blackout drunk and leak all the data”, wondered James sadly as he walked towards the elevator. He realized that he needed to clear his name and get a set of trustworthy people instead of sycophants, if he had to establish the business yet again. It would be very challenging to say the least but it would eventually be worth it. James believed in his skills and was determined to get out of his situation.

Exiting the hotel, he lit a cigarette and while smoking, he waited for his next order. Just then, he spotted the car that he had been tailing that morning. It was now leaving the parking lot. As it passed by him, he saw his wife in the passenger's seat, with a bright smile on her face. He was shocked for a moment, but composed himself. He hopped on his bike and gave chase, keeping up with it as much as he could. He recognised the route instantly as this led back to the apartment. Was his wife being dropped back home?

James burned with anger as he decided to confront his wife that day. He was determined to catch her as she was going to be exiting the car. There was no escaping for her. She and her lover would soon be caught and they would be divorced. However, it seemed like he was too late, as he found out that the car had driven off, and his wife was already walking in the housing complex. Boiling with rage, he sped up his bike, parked it and ran to Rachel.

“Where have you been Rachel? Were you at your job or out frolicking with some man?”, he screamed angrily at her, “What were you up to? Tell me all about your day.”, he said sarcastically as he walked up to a scared Rachel.