Chapter 302: Chapter 302 Surviving guy talk
The canteen was loud and bright, filled with chatter, the clatter of trays, and the smell of strong coffee mixed with fried food. Bella followed Jeffrey in, her steps hesitant. The moment she stepped inside, she felt dozens of eyes and voices swirl around her, a room full of men in suits with loud laughter echoing from every table.
She felt like she had just walked into a zoo.
Everywhere she looked there were men — eating, talking, arguing, leaning back with their ties loosened. Disguised as one of them, she felt her nerves tightening. Her shoulders stiffened as she clutched her tray, pretending to be calm while her heart screamed for help.
Jeffrey, meanwhile, was in his element. He waved cheerfully at every second person they passed, laughing, talking, introducing "Isaac" to everyone like a celebrity. "This is the guy! The dangerous hacker! The legend himself!" he said dramatically, slapping Bella’s back hard enough to make her almost drop her spoon.
Bella forced an awkward smile, sitting down with her tray as the others nodded politely. Thankfully, no one paid too much attention, and soon everyone was back to their own conversations.
But Jeffrey didn’t stop talking. Not for a second.
"So tell me," he began between bites of rice, leaning close with his eyes gleaming like an overexcited puppy, "why did you even help us? Was it because you wanted a job here without an interview? Or wait, wait! Are you just showing off?"
Bella blinked, startled. "What? No—"
"And also," he interrupted, pointing his fork at her dramatically, "why are your hacking patterns so different from the industry standard? Like seriously, who codes like that? And how do they work perfectly every single time?"
He gasped loudly as though he had just uncovered a conspiracy. "Oh my god, you’re so talented!"
Bella froze mid-bite, staring at him as he continued his endless monologue, her brain slowly short-circuiting. She tried to smile politely but felt her lips twitch.
This man has no off button, she thought helplessly, poking at her food.
Jeffrey leaned even closer, eyes sparkling with admiration. "Tell me, do you dream in binary? Or are you secretly a machine disguised as a human? Because honestly, Isaac, you’re scaring me—in a good way!"
Bella groaned softly under her breath, resting her chin on her palm. "I’m just good at what I do," she said flatly, praying he would get distracted by his food.
But of course, he didn’t.
"Oh my god! So humble too! No wonder boss likes you!"
Bella choked on her drink. "Wh-what!?" she coughed, eyes wide.
Jeffrey nodded seriously, completely missing her panic. "Yeah, boss never praises anyone, but for you? He personally gave your description to every department! Man, the way he described you was poetic, like he was talking about his long-lost soulmate or something!"
Bella’s spoon fell from her hand, clattering against the tray. Her cheeks burned crimson as she stared at him in horror.
Jeffrey blinked. "Uh... you okay, bro?"
Bella forced a laugh that sounded suspiciously like panic. "Yeah... just swallowed wrong."
Inside, her heart was screaming. Leo, what did you tell them about me?!
After lunch, Jeffrey enthusiastically dragged Bella along to the company’s rest area, a bright lounge filled with couches, beanbags, and the low hum of casual chatter. A few employees were playing games on their phones, others leaning back with coffee mugs, laughing like they had known each other forever.
"This is our hangout spot!" Jeffrey declared proudly, flopping onto a couch. "Come on, Isaac! Sit with us!"
Bella hesitated for a second before sitting down stiffly between two men who looked way too relaxed for her comfort. Jeffrey began introducing her to everyone with his usual flair.
"This is Isaac, as you all already know, the new hacker genius! Boss personally recruited him!"
Everyone turned to look at her, impressed and curious. A few whistled jokingly. "Wow, so you’re the guy who made our system unhackable?" one said, grinning.
"Not unhackable," Bella said modestly. "Just... secure."
The men laughed. "Hah! Listen to him, acting humble! You’re a cool guy, Isaac!"
Bella smiled awkwardly, not sure if she should respond or just nod. For a while, the conversation stayed light — about work, projects, and random office gossip. But soon, it took a turn she wasn’t prepared for.
"So, Isaac," one of them leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "you got a girlfriend?"
Bella froze mid-sip of her juice. "W-what?"
"Oh come on!" another guy laughed. "Look at you — good hair, stylish, mysterious hacker vibe. Don’t tell me the girls don’t chase you?"
Jeffrey snorted, joining in. "Yeah, tell us, man! Don’t act innocent. You must have someone."
Bella blinked rapidly, her brain spinning. Girlfriend? Girlfriend?? Oh no, oh no, what do I even say?
She forced a laugh that came out more like a nervous squeak. "Ah—no, not really. I’m, uh... too busy with work."
"Work?" one guy scoffed. "No one’s that busy! You’re telling me you don’t even look?"
"Yeah," another chimed in. "Come on, Isaac, tell us your type. Blonde? Brunette? Curvy? Slim? Or do you like the quiet shy ones?"
Bella’s face turned scarlet. She gripped her drink so tightly she nearly crushed the cup. Her heart pounded in her chest as her imagination betrayed her — Leo’s face flickered in her mind, followed by his voice, his smirk, his shirt sleeves rolled up that morning.
She shook her head violently. No no no no, not now!
Jeffrey leaned closer, smirking. "I bet he likes the cute ones," he teased.
Bella’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. "I—uh—I don’t really—um—"
"Bro’s shy!" someone laughed. "Totally shy! You can tell he’s got a secret crush somewhere."
She gave a weak laugh, her entire face on fire. I’m going to die here. They’ll find out. They’ll know everything. Oh god.
The conversation got louder, more animated. The guys started joking about gyms, biceps, training schedules, and who looked better in a suit.
Bella tried to nod along, pretending to understand, while internally screaming.
"Bro, you work out, right?" one asked suddenly, eyeing her up and down.
"Uh..." Bella froze. "Sometimes?"
Jeffrey laughed. "See? I told you! Even his arms look delicate! I mean—uh—not delicate, elegant—ah, whatever!"
The others burst into laughter. Bella wanted the couch to swallow her whole.
This is it. This is the hardest mission of my life, she thought miserably, sipping her juice like it was her last hope. Forget hackingsystems. Surviving guy talk is the real challenge.