Nicholas couldn't shake off the feeling of unease as he left Mr. Elijah's office. He had taken a huge risk by passing off Benjamin's project as his own, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the truth came to light. As he walked back to his desk, he caught Rachael's eye; she raised an eyebrow, clearly curious about the meeting. Nicholas forced a smile, trying to appear nonchalant.
"Everything okay?" Rachael asked, strolling over to his desk.
Nicholas nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."
Rachael's eyes sparkled with interest. "Yes, I was impressed by your project proposal in there, but you didn't tell me about it."
Nicholas hesitated, unsure how much he needed to reveal. "Just a little something I've been working on," he said vaguely.
Rachael leaned against his desk, her expression thoughtful. "I see. Well, if you need any help, I'm happy to lend a hand."
Nicholas smiled, feeling a pang of guilt. He knew he didn't deserve Rachael's kindness, not after what he had done.
As the day wore on, Nicholas found himself struggling to focus on his work. His mind kept wandering back to the meeting with Mr. Elijah, and the weight of his deceit. He tried to push the thoughts aside, telling himself that he had gotten away with it. But the guilt kept rising, preying on his conscience.
It was a reckless move, and Nicholas knew it. But he couldn't stop himself. He was addicted to the rush of adrenaline and he then started to plan his next move.
As the days turned into weeks, Nicholas found himself growing increasingly anxious. He knew it was only a matter of time before Benjamin discovered the truth.
But for now, he was safe. Benjamin was too busy working on the project to suspect anything.
Benjamin didn't know what was going on so Nicholas begin to dive deeper, he was beginning to get more and more entrenched to his own deceit. He began to steal more of Benjamin's ideas, passing them off as his own and presenting them Mr Elijah to show him how seriously he was working on the project. He started getting close to Mr Elijah because how knew now he was so interested in his work and he wanted to know more about Mr Elijah weaknesses in the company.
But little did Nicholas know, his troubles were only just beginning. Mr. Elijah, it seemed, had a few surprises in store for him.
And as for Benjamin, he was still working tirelessly on the project, unaware of the storm that was brewing on the horizon.
Benjamin was exhausted after sitting for five hours, working on his project. He decided to visit Nicholas at home, where he met his mother, Mrs. Emily.
"Hello, Mrs. Emily," Benjamin greeted her.
Mrs. Emily looked up, a strange expression on her face. "How are you, Benjamin? It's been a while," she asked.
"I'm very good, thank you," Benjamin replied. "It's just been work, work, work nowadays. Is Nicholas around?"
Mrs. Emily shook her head. "He's not home yet, but he should be back soon. Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"No, thank you, ma'am," Benjamin declined. "I just need to speak with Nicholas. I have something very important to discuss with him."
"I'll let him know you came by," Mrs. Emily promised.
As Benjamin turned to leave, he couldn't help but notice the strange expression on Mrs. Emily's face. It was a mixture of concern and curiosity, and it made Benjamin wonder if everything was okay.
"Is everything alright, Ma?" Benjamin asked, turning back to face her.
Mrs. Emily hesitated for a moment before responding. "Oh, yes, everything's fine. Nicholas has just been...preoccupied lately, that's all."
As soon as Benjamin was leaving, Nicholas arrived and saw Benjamin about to start his car. He quickly jumped out of his own vehicle and rushed towards Benjamin.
"Hey, Benjamin! Wait up!" Nicholas called out.
Benjamin turned around, a look of surprise on his face. "Nicholas! I came to see you."
Nicholas approached him, a mixture of curiosity and caution on his face. "What's up? What brings you here?"Nicholas asked.
Benjamin smiled. "I came to see my friend, hahaha ! I was working on the project, and I found something really interesting," he said.
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked.
Benjamin hesitated for a moment. "I've been studying the decentralized AI, and I think I've found a way to break pattern challenges and I don't think it has ever been done," he said.
Nicholas asked, "Really?"
Benjamin nodded, launching into a detailed explanation of his findings. Nicholas listened and asked probing questions.
As they talked, Nicholas felt a pang of guilt. He had been passing off Benjamin's ideas as his own. Now Benjamin was sharing even more of his research with him.
But Nicholas pushed the feeling aside. Benjamin didn't seem to suspect anything yet.
Benjamin knew that his current job wasn't his true calling, which was why he had poured his heart and soul into the project. He had trusted Nicholas implicitly, and that trust had led him to share his work with his friend.
Three months later, Benjamin finally completed the project and couldn't wait to share it with his mother. However, when he showed her the project, she advised him not to share it with Nicholas or his company.
Benjamin refused to listen to his mother's concerns. "He's my best friend," he said confidently. "Whatever it is you're thinking, Nicholas would never betray me."
Despite his mother's warnings, Benjamin decided to give Nicholas the entire project, trusting that his friend would take it to his company and help him get the recognition he deserved. Deep down, Benjamin knew that his work was exceptional, and he was confident that it would make the company take notice of him.
Benjamin waited two days for a reply from Nicholas, but it never came. He tried reaching out to him, but his calls went unanswered. Growing increasingly concerned, Benjamin decided to pay a visit to Nicholas's company.
As he arrived near the firm, he ran into an old friend from high school, Alex. Benjamin's face lit up with excitement as the two friends exchanged warm greetings.
Alex's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he asked, "It's been a very long time, Benjamin - what brings you here?"
"A friend of mine works at Lyrik, and I've been trying to reach him for two days now, but I haven't been able to connect with him."
"What about you, what brings you here?" Benjamin asked Alex.
"You mean Nicholas?" Alex replied. "I've seen him around a couple of times, actually. I work at Lyrik too. He didn't recognize me, so we didn't get a chance to talk."
Alex thought to himself, "Why would this guy show up to his friend's place of work? I guess this is trouble."
He quickly composed himself and said, "Our company has strict rules, I doubt anyone will be willing to help you in there. But you can tell me what you came here for, and I'll definitely try to get some answers for you."
Benjamin, desperate for any lead, opened up to Alex about the project. "To be honest, I'm the one who worked on the project, not Nicholas," he revealed.
Alex gave Benjamin his word that he found out anything about Nicholas, he will inform him.
Nicholas submitted the project to Mr. Elijah, who was utterly thrilled with the brilliant work. "This is truly impressive, Nicholas!" Mr. Elijah exclaimed. "You've really outdone yourself, and you shall be rewarded for it. I'll make sure of that. Congratulations once again!"
Nicholas smiled confidently. "I put all my efforts into it, and I believed it could be done. I wanted to prove that I'm capable of achieving far more than anyone expected," he replied, his voice filled with conviction.