The lift of the arm gate signaled the end of their vacation.
Kendrick's car rolled into its usual spot. With a turn of the ignition, he grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and stepped out.
"Think he'll talk at work? Or stay the same?" Peter asked, trailing behind him.
The ping of the elevator echoed as it opened, carrying them up to the business department.
Sarah, Kendrick, and Peter stepped out.
"Well, we are in a professional setting," Kendrick said, tapping his ID card at the reader. "Maybe he'll talk more… maybe a little softer? I don't know."
They pushed through the glass doors that swung open with a soft hiss, the hum of keyboards and phones humming in the background as they strode across the office floor.
Sarah hurried to keep pace, still talking. "He might, but honestly? He looks like he's got more going on than just bipolar. Split personality, maybe? He doesn't laugh or smile at work—unless he's manic. Then we get some sort of human with emotion, not just some ai plastered on a human face."
The trio turned into the hallway lined with glass-walled meeting rooms.
"You're not even listening!" Telly's sharp voice carried through the muffled barrier, making Peter flinch.
As they approached, the conversation behind the glass became clearer.
"If they want to sue, let them." Telly sat back in his chair, arms crossed. "I have all the papers."
Across from him, Mariah pinched the bridge of her nose, her frustration palpable. "This is driving me crazy. Do you know what this could do to us?"
"I do. And so should you." Telly's tone was calm but firm, his gaze cutting through her like a blade. "You know me, Mariah. I set the standards—from the planning to the release. The architecture, the structure—they're mine. Not the company's. Those designs are non-exclusive."
The trio exchanged uneasy glances as they crept closer, careful not to interrupt.
"What we need to figure out now," Telly continued, leaning forward, "is who the mole is. Or at least, who we think it is." His voice dropped, thick with suspicion. "It might be intentional… or completely without their knowledge."
He paused and turned his head, locking eyes with the trio just outside the door. His piercing gaze was enough to make Sarah straighten her posture.
"Because we both know," Telly said, his voice ringing with finality, "the CEO of Coding Kitsch."
Before the tension in the room could settle, Mariah's phone buzzed, cutting through the silence like a knife. She answered swiftly, her expression shifting from frustration to alarm.
"We need to go," she said, rising from her seat.
Telly didn't hesitate, following her out of the room. The trio exchanged a glance before trailing behind.
The ping of the elevator doors heralded their descent to the ground floor. As they stepped out, their hurried strides echoed through the marble-floored lobby, the sound of their heels like an urgent metronome.
Mariah's gaze locked on a group entering from the main entrance, led by a tall man in a tailored suit. She instinctively raised her hand to bar Telly, but it was too late.
Without hesitation, Telly marched up to the man and slapped him across the face, the crack of the impact reverberating through the spacious lobby.
"Telly!" Mariah screamed, her voice sharp with shock.
The trio froze in place, wide-eyed.
"You stupid son of a bitch," Telly hissed, his eyes blazing.
The man rubbed his reddened cheek, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "Still with that temper, baby," he said, his tone infuriatingly casual.
"Baby?" Kendrick turned to Sarah, who groaned and rubbed her temples.
"You have no idea," Telly growled, his glare like daggers. Without missing a beat, he kicked the man's shin.
"Goddammit, Telly!" Mariah pulled him back before he could strike again.
"This asshole," Sarah muttered under her breath, shaking her head.
Peter, still processing, leaned toward Sarah. "Wait, you know him?"
Sarah sighed deeply, covering her face with her hand.
"That's her brother," Kendrick said, piecing it together as he turned to the others.
"What?" Peter asked, his jaw dropping as he glanced between Sarah and the smirking man.
Telly and Sarah's brother were still locked in a heated argument as Peter turned back to Sarah, bewildered.
Kendrick couldn't look away, his thoughts churning.
But baby? he thought, his gaze lingering on Telly and the man going for each other's throats.
The tension from the lobby lingered like an echo as they regrouped in the meeting room. The blinds were drawn, blocking out the cityscape beyond, leaving only the sterile glow of the overhead lights.
"This is ridiculous," Telly scoffed, rattling the handcuff attached to his chair.
Across from him, Caleb massaged his jaw, the redness still evident. "You've changed your look, but your temper's just as venomous. Quite the viper."
"I should've punched you at that banquet," Telly shot back, his glare sharp enough to cut glass.
The trio exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to be alarmed or amused.
"This is some reunion," Mariah interrupted, her voice clipped as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her. "Unannounced, but a reunion, still." She turned her sharp gaze to Caleb. "So what do you want, you pompous prick?"
"Is that any way to greet your boss?" Caleb smirked, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place.
"Former boss," Mariah snapped. "Former boss, Caleb."
"Lucky it isn't late," Telly added, his tone dripping venom.
Mariah closed her eyes and nodded, her lips twitching faintly. "Good line."
Kendrick's mind swirled as he tried to piece it all together. Telly and Mariah clearly had history, but Sarah's brother involved too? This was a web of connections he hadn't seen coming.
"So," Caleb said, brushing imaginary lint off his blazer, "let's talk about the theft."
"There's no theft, you ugly alien," Telly fired back, his head tilting dramatically as he spoke, dripping with sass. "I made everything. What part of non-exclusive did your birdbrain fail to process, you pelican-faced donkey?"
Peter coughed, barely concealing his laugh. Sarah shot him a glare but was clearly holding back her own amusement.
As Caleb leaned back in his chair, clearly running out of steam, Telly's eyes lit up with realization.
"Wait, I get it!" Telly said, turning to Mariah with an almost delighted expression. "He's not here about theft—he's here to buy the software!"
Mariah's brows lifted slightly, but her lips pressed into a thin line. Caleb didn't flinch, though; instead, he leaned forward with a smug smile.
"Wow, you really are something," Caleb said smoothly. "So, my offer—"
"Ap-ap-ap-ap!" Mariah cut in sharply, raising a hand to silence him. "There's no offer."
"Oh, you're going to want to hear it," Caleb said, pulling out a folded piece of paper and tossing it onto the table. "This... has a lot of zeros."
Telly scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "You're doing this behind the owner's backs?"
"It's for the company," Caleb said matter-of-factly, his smirk growing wider. "Anything that makes money makes the bosses happy."
Telly chuckled, a low, biting sound. "You really think so? You, sitting here with barely a fraction of a percent of the company?"
Caleb blinked, his confidence wavering slightly, but Telly didn't stop. He leaned forward now, elbows on the table, his grin razor-sharp.
"And all your investors combined don't even hit 30. The majority? Held by your owner's holding company." Telly's voice dropped an octave, sharp and venomous. "I know my facts, Caleb. And let me be clear—I'm not bluffing."
Caleb leaned in closer, a strange smile creeping across his face. Telly leaned back instinctively, tilting his head with a mix of disdain and discomfort.
Mariah's brows furrowed, her expression twisting in confusion as she tried to make sense of the bizarre interaction. Sarah, on the other hand, was visibly repulsed, her lips pursed in irritation at her brother's overly familiar demeanor.
Peter and Kendrick exchanged curious glances but stayed silent, unsure of what to make of it all.
Caleb shook his head slowly, his smile widening. "I knew it. You'd always win."
Telly stared, his disgust unhidden.
Caleb rose from his seat, brushing off invisible lint from his jacket. "See you later." He turned on his heel and strode out of the room without another word.
Peter and Kendrick turned to Sarah, their eyes questioning. She shrugged, looking just as baffled.
"That moron," Telly muttered, breaking the silence. He turned to Mariah abruptly, his tone sharp. "Give me the keys."
Mariah blinked. "What?"
"The keys," Telly repeated, almost snapping. "Give me the keys."
Mariah hesitated, but when Telly held out his hand expectantly, she sighed and dug into her bag, slapping a small keyring into his palm.
As the scene unfolded, Kendrick felt his thoughts swirl, unable to shake the strange tension in the room. What just happened?