Close to midnight, with the hallway quiet and only the faint light from security lamps, Otis and Jake hurried through the offices. They quickly reached the central server room where the most crucial data of Sterling Corporation was stored.
Jake, with his quick hands and technical knowledge, immediately unlocked the electronic door to the server room. Inside, the servers hummed steadily with green and red lights flashing like warning signals, making Otis feel more tense than ever.
He quickly plugged the USB drive into the central computer and began copying the vital data. Each second seemed to stretch endlessly.
Otis stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the screen, praying that everything would go smoothly and quickly. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from afar, growing louder, unmistakably heading their way.
Otis's heart raced, and she and Jake exchanged frantic looks. Neither of them had prepared for this.
Jake whispered tensely, "Almost done. Just one more minute."
The footsteps grew louder, and Logan Matthews's voice called out from just outside the server room door, filled with suspicion. "Who turned on the lights in here?
Is someone in the server room?"
Otis clenched her hands tightly, her breath growing more frantic. She knew that if they were discovered now, Ryan would have all the reasons he needed to destroy her completely.
But she could not let these final pieces of evidence fall into his hands. Jake quickly pulled the USB drive from the computer just as the last of the data was transferred, looked around, and quickly pulled Otis behind a large server rack.
The door swung open just seconds later, and Logan entered, his sharp eyes scanning the room. "Is anyone here?
Logan called out loudly, his voice filled with caution.
Jake and Otis stood perfectly still in the darkness, their hearts pounding as if Logan could hear them. Logan slowly circled the room, his eyes never stopping their inspection.
He paused right in front of the rack where they were hiding, just steps away from them. A long moment of silence stretched, full of tension.
Finally, Logan's phone suddenly buzzed. He frowned and quickly walked out of the room to answer the call, his voice growing quieter as he moved away from the server room.
"Yes, Mr. Sterling.
I'll check immediately."