The witch laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I’m afraid that’s not possible," she said, her voice cheerful but final. "Your wages are calculated monthly, and you’ll receive them in full at the end of the cycle. It’s the standard policy here."
Adrian swallowed his frustration, nodding slowly. "Understood," he said quietly, though his chest felt heavy. He had been hoping to bring something home today, even a small amount would have meant a lot.
"Good work today," the manager added with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Keep it up, and your efforts will be rewarded at the end of the month."
Adrian nodded again, suppressing the urge to say anything more, and turned to leave. His hands clenched into fists as he walked out of the office. So this is how it works, he thought, his mind spinning with disappointment. I’ll have to wait weeks before I see any payment
When Adrian reached home, he rang the bell, feeling completely worn out. The door creaked open, and Karl stood there, his baby-blue eyes lighting up with a bright smile.
"Welcome back," Karl said warmly, his voice full of genuine care.
Adrian managed a small, tired smile. "I’m so exhausted," he admitted with a sigh, stepping inside.
Karl’s smile softened into a look of concern. "I can tell! Don’t worry, Brother Adi—I’ll heat up some food for you," he said quickly, rushing to the kitchen without waiting for a response.
Adrian stood there for a moment, watching Karl disappear into the kitchen. A faint sense of warmth touched his chest, breaking through his exhaustion. As he walked further inside, he noticed Julian and Milo sitting on the floor, deep in conversation.
Milo’s honey-brown eyes sparkled as he gestured animatedly, his voice full of energy, while Julian’s mossy-green eyes stayed focused on him, nodding thoughtfully as he listened. They seemed completely engrossed in their discussion.
Adrian paused, observing them quietly.
"Hey, Brother Adi! Come here!" Milo’s cheerful voice rang out, breaking Adrian’s moment of rest.
Adrian sighed softly but stood up, walking toward Milo and Julian, who were still sitting on the floor. He lowered himself to sit next to Milo, his dark eyes curious but calm.
Milo grinned widely and held up a piece of paper covered in shaky letters. "Look, Brother Adi, I wrote this!" he exclaimed, his honey-brown eyes sparkling with pride.
Adrian leaned forward, glancing at the paper. The letters were uneven and a bit messy, but the effort was clear. "Great," he said simply, nodding with approval.
"So she taught them how to write," Adrian thought to himself, glancing at Julian, who was holding his own paper with a more reserved expression. It was obvious Ruby had spent time teaching them.
"See, wife said I’m doing well for a beginner!" Milo added, puffing up his chest proudly, his excitement infectious.
"Brother Adi, I heated food for you! Come wash your hands quickly," Karl called from the kitchen.
"Coming!" Adrian called back as he stood up, stretching briefly before heading to the washroom. He washed his hands and splashed cool water on his face, the freshness helping to ease the tiredness from his long day.
When he entered the dining room, the smell of warm food filled the air, making his stomach growl in anticipation. Karl was busy at the table, carefully setting down a neatly prepared plate of food.
Adrian’s eyes scanned the room, and he quickly noticed Ruby wasn’t there.
Ruby, meanwhile, was in her room, kneeling by her small table as she focused on the computer in front of her. When she had returned to her room earlier, she was surprised to see the process she had been monitoring had suddenly sped up. In no time at all, it had completed, something she hadn’t expected after the slow progress earlier.
Her red eyes narrowed with caution as she turned on the computer, her fingers hovering near the keyboard. As the system booted up, she carefully checked the files, scrolling through each folder with precision. To her relief, all the data was intact, just as it had been before.
But still, a nagging doubt lingered in her mind. Could it really be fixed so easily? she wondered, her brows furrowing slightly.
Deciding to be thorough, she restarted the computer, her eyes fixed on the screen as it powered down and began to load again. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the computer, and Ruby’s focus was sharp, her fingers tapping lightly against the table in a nervous rhythm.
She watched the loading bar, her breath held, waiting to see if everything would return to normal once more. If it did, it would confirm her success. If not, she’d have to figure out another solution—and fast.
As the computer started up again, Ruby’s gaze never left from the screen. Come on...
The computer started again, the familiar hum filling the room. Ruby’s fingers moved quickly as she navigated through the folders, her eyes scanning the screen. To her relief, everything was intact, all the files and data were exactly where they were supposed to be.
She leaned back slightly, exhaling a deep breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Good, she thought. At least I don’t have to start over.
Though the computer was a bit outdated and slower than what she was used to, it still functioned well enough. Deciding to explore further, Ruby began checking the installed software. Most were standard programs for basic tasks, but one caught her attention, it looked unfamiliar.
Curiosity piqued, she clicked on it, and a new window opened. The interface was simple, with a search bar at the top and filters below that allowed for sorting by name, details, and categories.
Interested, she decided to test it out. Typing "R" into the search bar, she hit enter.
The screen populated almost instantly, showing a list of five thousand results. Ruby’s eyes widened slightly. That’s... a lot of data.
She clicked on a few entries, skimming through the details. Each one seemed to be tied to names, addresses, or some form of identification. The amount of information made her pause.
Deciding to test further, she typed in "A" and pressed enter. This time, six thousand results appeared on the screen.
—To be continued...🪄