Chapter 427

Asher’s voice carried a hint of smugness. “Looks like the tables have turned.” He still had vivid memories of the incident at Maple Group. Back then, Lemira had the audacity to make him beg her. Deep down, Asher harbored resentment, and now, it was finally her turn to utter those words. He wondered how long Lemira could hold out.

With a frosty tone, Lemira retorted, “No, it’s still you who’s begging.”

Asher snorted. “Lemira, I’ve been patient with you out of respect for our parents. But if you’re going to be this clueless, you might as well leave the company. We wouldn’t want to upset our folks.”

Lemira glanced around the office, her eyes landing on the framed motto “Hard Work Pays Off” that her father had once inscribed. Unmoved, she stated, “But you’re the one who sought me out this time.”

“Me, seek you out? Don’t be ridiculous. Just go, I have work to attend to. Without your firewall code, I can find someone else with the skills to rewrite it.”

Asher’s tone was laced with derision. “Nothing is irreplaceable.”

“That’s true, but the person you found was me.”

“You? Impossible.”

Asher was quick to dispute, skepticism evident in his expression. “The person I contacted is a reliable name in the black market. You, at your young age, famous in the black market?”

Lemira calmly responded, “I initially took on a side gig for some extra cash. After all, writing firewall systems isn’t new to me. I know the process well. But only after seeing the company address did I realize it was you, and that’s why I declined.”

As Lemira finished, Asher’s expression soured. The person he had reached out to had indeed turned down the job upon learning the company’s address. Asher, at a loss for words, stared at the documents before him.

Chapter 43

Lemira continued, “The first time I entered the black market was when Lucian’s tech company faced issues. I thought of teaching myself computer science to help. Lucian found out and forbade me from dealing with the black market ever again.”

Asher spoke up, “So, you’re here to gloat?”

Lemira met his gaze. “Honestly, I don’t have the time for that.”

“Yet here you are, making sure I realize I can’t find anyone trustworthy without you, right?”

Asher adjusted his tie, clearly agitated.

“Mr. Asher, let’s make a deal. As per our initial agreement, I’ll rewrite the firewall code, and you give me the information I need.”

Lemira’s gaze was steady. “It’s a fair trade for you.”

“Lemira, what makes you think I’d agree? I can’t even trust outsiders, let alone you. Do you know how much trouble your unannounced system breach caused me?”

Asher was not keen on repeating history.

“But your resorting to the black market suggests you couldn’t find anyone suitable, doesn’t it?”

Lemira stood up. “I’m in no rush. You know how to reach me if you change your mind. If you’re concerned about the Langston family finding out I wrote the firewall software, we can sign a confidentiality agreement.”

Knowing Asher’s pride, Lemira was aware he wouldn’t want the Langstons to learn he had approached her again. As Lemira was about to leave, Asher called out.

“Lemira, you’d rather deal with me in this manner than give Alaric a break?”

“It’s not about not giving him a break, it’s about you and Evelina never giving him one,” Lemira shot back, her tone mocking.

Asher, infuriated by her gaze, exploded, “Lemira, dare you say that in front of the legacy our father left?”

“And would you? To tell them the whole story without feeling guilty?” Lemira countered with equal fervor.

“I, at least, am not deluding myself or manipulating others to appear blameless,” she declared, walking away without looking back.