GoodReadDorothy never expected that someone would actually track her IP address in real-time! Was Byte 7 really that concerned she'd run away from him? Before she could ponder further, another text pinged through: [Who's living it up at Bay Residence, the swanky spot in Eldorria City? The Lopez family, if I'm not mistaken.] Dorothy wasn't too keen on this invasion of privacy, feeling disrespected as if she were under a microscope.
But respect seemed to be a foreign concept to Byte 7.
[It's personal.] She texted back tersely.
[Oh! Your flash drive's got issues. Meet me at the roundabout in front of Bay Residence.] Dorothy blinked in surprise, her gaze involuntarily flicking toward the still-shut bedroom door.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt[Now?] [Yes] She wasn't thrilled about the idea of meeting a man in the middle of the night. Despite anything else, Byte 7 was a man who asked her out now, which indicated he had more than a professional interest in her. But he said the flash drive had an issue, and that was something she couldn't just ignore. She was really afraid that to be true.
[Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's late.] [I'm not free then. Either show up or forget it—I'll drop your case.] As soon as he threatened to bail, Dorothy scrambled into her slippers, typing: [I'll be there. Wait for me.] She didn't bother with anything else, just grabbed a light jacket, slipped into her shoes, and dashed out the door.
Thankfully, the outside world was still bathed in a comforting glow. Dorothy jogged towards the roundabout and sure enough, there was a shadowy figure.
This guy really had a knack for popping up like a ghost in the night.
Seeing Dorothy, Byte 7 pulled off his hoodie and sized her up under the moon's glow.
"What's wrong with the flash drive?" "Someone tampered with it," he said nonchalantly, the pale moon made his skin paler and highlighted the blue veins on the back of his hands.
"Figures. Otherwise, | wouldn't be asking for your help,” Dorothy admitted. She knew Everett's mom was thorough, especially with incriminating evidence. It would have been wiped clean. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to act so innocently in front of Dorothy without a hint of guilt.
"It's hospital surveillance footage," she divulged.
"You've recovered it?" Dorothy was taken aback.
Byte 7 snorted, "You think it's that easy? Only a few frames have been restored.” "Right, this is the hospital surveillance. | need to see who was with my mother before she passed and what they said to her." Byte 7 squinted. Hands shoved in his hoodie pockets, his lean frame could be blown away by the night breeze.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I don't usually take on jobs like this. Too messy," he confessed.
Restoration could lead to questions of authenticity and the footage might end up in court. He could even be summoned to attest to its legitimacy.
He found it all a hassle.
Dorothy's heart sank, but she insisted, "You took my deposit! You can't back out!" "Could you let me finish?" he interjected with a click of his tongue.
Dorothy nodded.
Byte 7 glanced at her, "You're planning a lawsuit, right? To take down those who hurt your mom?" "Yes!" "Then I'll get you an HD video copy. Wouldn't want the court to go blind." Dorothy was stunned, "Is that possible?" "Doubting me?" "No, no," she quickly shook her head.
Byte 7 eyed Dorothy, who was shivering slightly in the night air, and gestured dismissively, "Go home. | got what | needed." And with that, he turned and walked away with no hesitation in his step.
Dorothy watched him disappear into the night before she tiptoed back to Bay Residence. As she walked in, she looked up.
There sat Everett, lounging on the couch.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
