Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

The tech guru, with a mix of frustration and patience in his voice, finally said, "Look, you've asked me the same question five times in just a few minutes. Give me a moment to figure out what went wrong so I can fix it and get your data back." Sammy quickly responded, "Alright, I'll let you focus," though he couldn't help but glance over at Owen, worried that he might blame Liz for the mishap.

After a moment's hesitation, Sammy approached Owen, lowering his voice, "Mr. Reynolds, I was there when Liz shut down the computer. I can vouch it was purely accidental. She's been working tirelessly on data entry for days; she wouldn't have done this on purpose..." Owen rubbed his temples, "I won't jump to conclusions before we know what happened."

It wasn't that he distrusted Liz, but he remained open to all possibilities, relying solely on facts.

Sammy wanted to say more, but Jen tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to drop it.

Owen was fair; he wouldn't wrongly accuse the innocent, nor would he let the guilty off hook.

Biting his lip, Sammy stayed silent.

About fifteen minutes later, the tech guru stood up, facing Owen, "Looks like a virus got in. I've done what I can to salvage the data, but unfortunately, anything not backed up... is likely gone."

Though everyone had braced for the worst, the confirmation still weighed heavily on them.

a virus get in? Everyone's phones are off, and USB drives are issued by us.

shook his head, "The virus is complex. Phones and USBs are direct methods, but indirect ones, like the surveillance system or even the biometric systems outside, could be vectors." Liz clenched her

say; it depends on

anxious, inquired, "And the data?

issue. Once that's compromised,

if there was any other way, heartbroken over the loss of

voice low and filled with regret, apologized for not backing up

the blow, Owen remembered connecting the lab computer to his personal laptop last Friday.

Owen nodded.

If we follow

transferred. Let

able to ft