Chapter 605:
Nikolai stood tall—six-three, easily—and filled the room like a wall.
When Stella offered her hand, Nikolai barely glanced at it. He didn’t bother to shake.
She didn’t flinch, just handed him the USB.
Nikolai took the seat at Marc’s desk and got to work, fingers flying across the keyboard as he pulled up the files.
Just as he was about to launch the installation, Marc’s voice cut in sharply.
“Wait!”
Nikolai paused, turning back. “Something wrong?”
Marc’s paranoia flared. He hadn’t forgotten what Stella had done before—one tiny trick in the code and she could hijack an entire system.
He wasn’t taking chances.
He said, “Run a full security scan before loading anything.”
Nikolai gave a small nod, a flicker of respect in his eyes. “Marc, you’ve really covered your bases.”
Marc grinned. “That’s nothing compared to your skills, Nikolai. You planning to stick around in the country? Come work for the Walsh Group. I’ll offer you top dollar.”
Stella let out a soft scoff at Marc’s shameless pitch.
“Mr. Volkov, careful,” she said flatly. “Marc’s great at making promises he doesn’t keep. He fed me the same lines, then used my patent for years without paying me a dime.”
Marc’s face tightened, clearly embarrassed that she brought it up. “Stel, don’t be ridiculous,” he muttered. “Nikolai’s new here. He might actually believe you.”
“Let him do a little digging,” Stella said coolly, “and he’ll see who’s lying.”
Marc, done with the back-and-forth, suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the office door.
Outside, his tone dropped cold. “Just wait here. Once Nikolai finishes checking everything, I’ll let you back in. No need to stir things up.”
Stella crossed her arms. “What’s the matter, Marc? Afraid Nikolai might see through your act? That he’ll realize what kind of person you really are?”
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Marc’s jaw tightened. Her words had hit a nerve.
“Stel, quit it. When all this is over, I’ll make it right. Once the Walsh Group’s back on top, I’ll pay you whatever you want.”
Stella stared at him like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
She yanked her hand free, her voice icy. “You’re pathetic, Marc.”
He opened his mouth to argue but swallowed it back, thinking of Nikolai inside.
“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered.
With that, he headed back inside, leaving Stella standing outside.
Ten minutes later, Nikolai spoke up. “Marc, there’s no virus in the files.”
Marc finally exhaled. “Great. Go ahead and upload it. Sync it to our system.”
Nikolai nodded and got to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
Outside, Stella sat calmly, not the least bit anxious. She had complete faith in her tech.
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.
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