I told them, "The CCTV footage proves I didn't say a word when Chester was promoting his tracking program. Hence, the loss has nothing to do with me. I'm resigning now."

Nancy snatched the resignation letter and tore it to pieces.

"If that money isn't recovered, no one can leave! Fine. We'll sit here and drag it out. Let's see who the bank will penalize first when their people show up!"

She glared at me through clenched teeth. I barely recognized her at that moment.

Three years ago, a similar incident happened at the bank.

We all thought we were about to be saddled with compensation when she stepped forward and told the bank, "I'll take responsibility for this alone. Even if it means going to prison, I'm going to protect my boyfriend."

Three years passed, and our relationship moved one step closer, from her boyfriend to her fiancé.

Yet our hearts drifted farther and farther apart.

Nancy came up to my workstation, lifted a USB holding the code, and fixed me with a threatening look.

The firewall alarms kept shrilling, but her voice was colder than the noise.

"Whether the money can be recovered or not, someone has to take the fall. Sign the liability agreement. This USB drive contains photos of your parents, right? They are elite hackers. If I release their photos to the public…"

She stopped short on purpose, flashing a menacing smile.

I clenched my fists as I met her gaze coldly.

My parents were once elite hackers who took on more than a few jobs that put them at odds with powerful tycoons. For years, they lived under assumed names and were constantly hunted.

Only in recent years did they finally walk away from that life for good and retire, living in seclusion.

The USB drive contained all the information about my parents. I was planning to destroy it in one go.

I couldn't even imagine the consequences if it ever got out!

"I can trace the money back. There are a few terms I need to negotiate with the bank's person in charge, so get them here first."

This time, I would never repeat the mistakes from my last lifetime. I would never save a dog that would betray me again.

Nancy only had eyes for Chester and could sacrifice everything for him. If so, I would grant them happiness.

Hearing that, Chester immediately dug his phone out to call the bank manager, Gary Smith.

As soon as Gary stepped into the IT department, Chester immediately pointed at me and complained, "Mr. Smith, Spencer really messed up this time! When the account money got stolen, he used my program to test things instead of figuring out how to track it back.

"He's the type who is always trying to piggyback on other people's work. He thought he could recover the money with my program, but…"

My colleagues couldn't stand it anymore and tried to speak up for me, but Nancy gave them a cold glare.

She cut in with a warning edge to her voice, "Mr. Smith, it's all Spencer's fault. Chester's just an intern. Spencer has pushed his team around more than once, but this time, he finally bit off more than he could chew!"

They echoed each other, twisting everything around. The blame was all pinned on me.

Gary walked over to me, his face serious. "You're Spencer Quill, the one managing the encryption keys all along?"

I nodded calmly. "Yes, that's me."

Gary glanced at everyone before barking, "Come to the office with me! I need to talk to you!"

Chester raised his head high and shot me a smug look, mouthing, "You're done."

I merely glanced at him before shutting the door.

The next second, Gary dropped to his knees in front of me with a thud.

"Spencer, you're the only one who can recover the money for the bank now. The money belongs to Felix Watch, the richest man in Cantfield! You must've heard the rumors about him. He loves money more than anything. If we can't get the money back, we're done for. You're our only hope!

I told Gary slowly, "I can recover the money, but I have a condition. When Felix asks about this, I want you to tell him honestly that the breach was caused by Chester's program, and Nancy approved it."

There was no room for negotiation in my tone.

Gary hesitated for a long time before he agreed.

As we stepped out of the office, Chester folded his arms and shot me a smug look. Lowering his voice, he said, "Mr. Smith probably pinned all the blame on you. Serves you right! If you had signed the agreement earlier, Mr. Smith wouldn't have had to come all the way to get things done."

I said flatly, "Get out of my way. Do you want to be held responsible if your action slows down the hunt for the thieves?"

As Chester froze, I pushed him out of my way and sat before my computer.

With two minutes of reverse tracing, I quickly pinpointed the location of the stolen account.

Their password was laughably easy to crack. In under five minutes, I recovered the 200 billion dollars lost.

My colleagues heaved a sigh of relief, and even Gary expressed his gratitude.

Nancy's expression remained dark. Once Gary left, she handed me a termination letter.

"You wanted to resign, didn't you? I've decided to fire you. You may leave now."

She threw the termination letter at me, her tone icy. "The work you handle involves confidential information about the bank. According to the contract, you're barred from working in the same industry for five years. If you need, I can help you get a job as a security guard."

I curled my lips into a mocking smile. "You're kicking me out right after recovering the money? Nancy, have you forgotten that I'm your fiancé?"

Nancy hooked her arm through Chester's and gave me a cool glance. "I can call off the engagement, but Chester can't miss his chance to go permanent. I'll tell Mr. Smith to inform the bank that Chester's tracking program saved the day, and you had nothing to do with it."

With Nancy backing him up, Chester shoved his hands in his pockets, no longer looking half as timid as before.

"Why so cocky? Everything you did just set the stage for me. It's hard to find jobs now. You'd better pack up and leave soon, or you won't even land a job as a waiter!"

One colleague couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up for me, "Ms. Cost, this isn't right. Spencer just saved our asses earlier. Besides, it was Chester's fault. How could you pin the blame on Spencer?"

Nancy shot them a cold, intimidating glance and said sharply, "Anyone defending him can come get your termination letters from me. The firewall Spencer was responsible for was breached, so he should take full responsibility. I'm just thinking ahead for all of you."

Her words sounded noble, but everyone could see it was just selfishness in disguise, passed off as looking out for the team.

I tapped the table calmly and replied unhurriedly, "The tracking system is linked to my computer. If the bank checks, they will know that my computer recovered the money. Every workstation leaves its own trail. Do you really think changing your story will fool anyone?

Chester glared at my computer angrily, then tugged at Nancy's sleeve and told her, "Nancy, why don't we smash his computer? Then, we'll just say my program recovered the money. No one will ever trace it back to him."

Conflict flashed across Nancy's gaze.

There was far too much confidential code on that computer. Destroying it could cripple the bank’s entire core system.

Anyone could see that, let alone Nancy, who had worked here for almost ten years.

Yet Chester squeezed out a couple of tears, lamenting that his chance of going permanent was gone.

Nancy hardened her resolve. Lifting her chin, she demanded, "If anything goes wrong, we'll just say your computer broke. You'll still hold full responsibility. So what's your choice? Will you do it yourself, or do you need me to break it for you?"

I slammed my hand on the desk and stepped in front of the computer, my voice ice‑cold. "You'd better think carefully about the consequences."

Nancy's face hardened. She grabbed a chair and smashed it straight into the desk.

The custom connectors, the network blockers—every piece of specialized equipment was reduced to wreckage.

The mess on the ground was everything I'd spent years building with my own hands.

She stepped on the router and ordered coldly, "Your equipment's wrecked, and you're useless to the bank now. Pack up your stuff and leave now, won't you?"

I stood rooted to the spot, a slight smile playing on my lips. "Are you sure you want me to leave?"

Right after I finished talking, the security system suddenly erupted in a rapid series of beeps. The system showed that the 200 billion dollars had just been stolen again.

Nancy's eyes went wide. "W-What is going on?"

Gary suddenly hurried back, looking as though he might burst into tears.

"I just told Mr. Watch that the money was recovered. He's arriving in two minutes. Hurry, get the money back!"

Hearing Felix's name, everyone panicked and turned to look at me.

"Spencer, hurry and recover the money! You know how Mr. Watch is. He'll definitely get us all into trouble!"

I kept my hands in my pockets, surveying the wrecked equipment with a carefree smile. "Sorry. The equipment's destroyed. I can't recover the money."