Betrayed ✔️

Chapter 3: "Curse my stupid mouth"

ADA

I STARED AT my computer screen and puffed out a frustrated breath, slamming my hand on the desk. After the meeting with Aliana, I was tense like a tightly wound spring, even the slightest irritation could set me off. The lines of code that I knew like a second language blurred together and I made several idiotic mistakes that could've been inimical, had my fellow Analysts not spotted them in time.

"You okay, Ada?" Analyst Ben asked, wheeling over on his favourite swivel chair.

"Perfectly fine, why do you ask?" I smiled through the torment whirling inside of me.

"Well, because you just made a mistake between lines two hundred and twenty and two hundred and sixty-six."

I checked and saw he was right. For reasons unknown, I had decided to start coding in another language. I sighed and deleted the lines in question. "Thanks Ben."

"No problem." He smiled, then paused and turned to me. "Hey, you're coming to my wedding, right?"

"Of course!" I nodded, ignoring the dark voice that murmured I might not make it back in time from the mission. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Okay, good." He grinned and turned back to his own screen where I could see he was exchanging emails with his fiancé.

For the rest of the day, my nerves were frayed and I was on the verge of a breakdown; every time I saw one of the Chiefs, I was convinced they were here to take me away. The clock beat in time to my breaking patience and, for the first time, I longed to Agency early.

After many gruelling hours, the time ticked past nineteen hundred hours. I was free to go. I sprinted to the elevator and pressed the button multiple times, watching as the little number on the screen above it slowly increased.

"Hey Ada!" Emma called out, standing next to me and slinging an arm around my shoulder. "Wanna go to the Japanese place I was telling you about this morning?"

I hesitated, wanting to go home and sleep for some time before my flight, or do anything else but socialise. But Emma was beaming at the thought of this restaurant. Surely a few hours can't hurt, right?

"Sure," I said, forcing out a smile. "I'd love to go!"

Emma squealed and looped my arm around hers. "Great! It's not too far away, so we can easily walk there!"

"Okay." I laughed, a little unnerved at how excited she seemed. Perhaps she had too much coffee.

The elevator dinged and the metal doors slid open. I stepped inside and pressed the ground floor button, trying to subtly extricate myself from Emma's death-grip but she held on tighter as if frightened I would escape.

"Hey Wilson!" A familiar cried out and Carter barrelled towards us, determination splayed across his features. It was startlingly similar to the look Wallaby had given me this morning.

Nope. I shook my head, rapidly slamming the 'close' button, relief flooding through me when the doors dinged! shut on Carter's stupefied expression. I was physically and mentally incapable of winning another battle of words.

I just wanted the day to be over without having to see him again.

Emma raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Woah."

"What?"

"I just- I've never seen you not take the opportunity to fight with Jay..." she said in amazement and placed her hand on my forehead. "Are you okay?"

I leaned away and pretended to be absorbed in checking my exhausted reflection in the mirror. "Yeah... I just don't want to ruin the night before it's already begun y'know?" I answered, leaning back and shoving my hands deep into my pockets.