Welcome, dear reader! What we have here is another wild tale, one that’ll grip you for sure. Not too much time to waste here, let’s get into it!

The digital clock on the far wall let out a soft chime, signaling the arrival of six o’clock in the evening.

Willem Doku, the only occupant in the spacious office, sighed and leaned back in his chair, his eyes briefly closing as he stretched. The satisfying cracks in his arms and shoulders echoed in the silence of the office. Another long day of hard work come to an end.

“I’ve been sitting for too long,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he rose to his feet. “I need to get up and move about a bit.”

He made his way to the door and stepped out.

As expected, the office was deserted, with everyone departed for home. The only sign of human presence came from the desk of Rosemary, his trustworthy secretary. She sat at her desk, her fingers busily moving over her keyboard, though the pace was slower than during the day’s peak hours.

She was probably responding to one more email before heading home.

“Finishing up on that email, Rosemary?” Willem asked as he approached her.

Rosemary glanced up, her face lit up in a gentle smile. She nodded. “Yes, sir. Just about done now. Don’t want to be late for choir practice tonight.”

He nodded. “Oh yeah, yeah. It’s Tuesday. I know you don’t joke at all with that.”

Rosemary laughed softly. “Not at all,” she agreed, hitting a few more clicks before nodding in satisfaction. “Done now.”

“Oh good, good,” Willem nodded. “Alright then, enjoy the rest of the evening. I’m working on a few other docs before I leave.”

“Yes, please. Goodnight, Mr. Doku,” Rosemary said as she rose and gathered her bag.

“Goodnight, Rosemary.” Willem turned back toward his office.

As he closed the door behind him, he stood in the middle of the room, gazing out of the window at the cityscape. A view enjoyed so much from the fifth floor of the building they occupied.

With a sigh, he paced around his office, his gaze lingering on the walls adorned with plaques, awards, and framed citations. A testament to years of dedication and relentless innovation.

His fingers brushed over the edge of one particularly striking plaque, engraved with “Visionary Leadership Award – Tech Innovators Summit 2022.”

This award brought back some good memories: the standing ovation he received, flashes of cameras, and the weight of the moment when he realized just how far he’d come.

A few steps down, he paused before a framed newspaper article featuring a younger version of himself shaking hands with a government official. The headline read: “TransGlobal Dynamics: Pioneering Smart Solutions for a Connected World.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “The good old days,” he remarked softly to himself.

TransGlobal Dynamics had started as a modest venture—a single-room operation with barely enough resources to sustain its ambitious goals. Now, it was a juggernaut in cutting-edge software development and technological solutions, its innovations powering everything from urban infrastructure to advanced healthcare systems.

All down to his hard work and dedication.

Next to the article hung a citation from the Ministry of Technology, recognizing TransGlobal’s contributions to advancing AI ethics and secure data frameworks. Beside that hung a large award for “Outstanding Contribution to Global Tech Solutions.” Beneath it, a small brass plaque bore the inscription:

“To Willem Doku – For dreaming boldly and building tirelessly.”

Hands in his pockets, he stood there and smiled. He truly had come a long way, with countless late nights, the moments of doubt, and incredible breakthroughs that had pushed the company to the forefront of the industry.

Turning away, Willem let out a soft chuckle. “Chale. No rest for the visionary,” he said to himself.

With that, he made his way to the coffee machine near his desk, ready to dive back into the plans for the next big thing.

Carefully cradling the steaming mug of coffee he had prepared, he lowered himself back into his leather chair. As he settled in, his eyes drifted to a small picture frame on the corner of his desk.

A picture of him and his wife of 23 years, Eugenia, laughing together at a company party. She looked radiant in a deep red dress, her smile beaming as her hand rested on his shoulder. He smiled briefly, remembering how she had teased him that night about his inability to relax, even during celebrations.

“Well, I’m still learning how to do that, my dear,” he murmured to himself as he turned to the monitor. “I’ll soon be able to relax during celebrations.”

Chuckling softly, he tapped the keyboard, bringing the screen to life. His login page loaded.

And something odd was up.

His credentials had been rejected.

An eyebrow was raised. “Odd,” he murmured, “I didn’t log out before stepping out. Where from this?”

He typed his password again, slowly this time, to be doubly sure.

The message remained: Access Denied. Incorrect Password.

“Ah. How come?”

Worry creeping up his system, he tried again.

Still no success.

Frowning, he picked up his phone to check out what was happening.

He had been logged out of his email accounts there as well.

“Ah! What’s going on? What the hell is going on?” he wondered aloud. “Have I been hacked or something? Ei, where is this coming from?”

A cold sweat began to form on his brow as he clicked the password recovery link on his desktop, hoping to solve the matter.

The page that loaded wasn’t the familiar recovery form. Instead, it was stark and ominous, with the text blinking in red against a black background.

“Your system has been compromised. Do not attempt to resolve this on your own.”

“No, no, no, no. Oh God, please, no,” Willem whispered, his voice barely audible. His hands shook violently as he gripped the edge of the desk. He had been talking a lot about the importance of protecting IT systems against cyber attacks, as they were on the rise. Hardly had he imagined he’d fall victim to this.

He quickly checked his phone for any messages from the company’s IT department, but there was nothing.

Heart pounding against his chest, Willem drew a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his racing thoughts. Panicking wouldn’t solve anything, and right now, he needed solutions.

He picked up his phone again, scrolling through his contacts to find the number of the company’s IT manager. “I’m sure Kwame can help me out with this,” he muttered to himself.

Just as his thumb hovered over Kwame’s name, his phone buzzed in his hand. An incoming call.

He glanced at the screen—a number he recognized.

What the hell is she calling me for? Especially at this time?

“Massa, massa, massa! Not now,” he muttered, dismissing the call before returning to his task, pressing Kwame’s contact.

Before the call could go through, though, the phone buzzed again. A call from the same number.

“Ah! What the- herh! Mtchew!”

Willem rejected the call once more, irritation creeping into his already frayed nerves. He got back to calling Kwame.

As the call began, Willem held his breath, willing his IT manager to answer. “Please answer, Kwame, please answer.”

A flat, automated message greeted him: “The number you are trying to reach is switched off. Please try again later.”

“Oh, for God’s sake!” he swore under his breath, gripping the phone tighter.

Then it buzzed. He looked at the screen in hope.

It was her calling again.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ah! Are you serious?” Willem barked, rejecting it with more force than necessary. “What is wrong with her? Can’t she see she’s choosing the worst possible time to bother me? Ah! It’s not like I owe her anything at the moment too. Mtchew!”

He tapped Kwame’s name again, determined to try once more. Maybe the network was just misbehaving, and another try would go through.

Before the call could connect, a notification appeared on his screen.

1 New Message

Against his better judgment, Willem opened it.

His eyes scanned the text over and over…

… and his blood immediately started boiling over.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!”

He jabbed the number of the persistent caller on his screen, his hand trembling with fury.

When the call connected, he didn’t wait for a greeting.

“ASIBI! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!”

Well, who is Asibi? And why exactly is she carrying out this hacking exercise?