Patience Heart

WellSecure

Mathias's POV

Today has been a mess. I'm driving home from the office, my brain buzzing with the chaos of the day. WellSecure—the company I built from scratch with my college friends—feels like it's unraveling. And yeah, I know the name is ironic because lately, WellSecure has been anything but secure. But the real problem isn't the system. It's the people inside.

That's the part that's gnawing at me. It's not a glitch or a virus; it's betrayal. Someone on the inside is sabotaging us, and I can't shake the sick feeling in my gut that this isn't just a random mistake. It's deliberate. Everything we've built—years of hard work, sacrifice, late nights—it's all at risk because of someone I trusted. Someone who was supposed to have our back, but instead, they're selling us out.

I grip the steering wheel tighter as I think about the team. We started this together, a bunch of idealistic college kids with a dream to change the world of cybersecurity. We were tight, a family even. But now? Now I'm questioning everything. Who's loyal? Who's not?

The worst part is, I have no idea who it could be. Every face I pass in the office looks familiar, yet suspicious at the same time. Each handshake feels like it could be hiding a knife behind it. I've been through enough to know that when trust starts to crack, the whole foundation can collapse.

I slam the steering wheel in frustration. Damn. I want to believe it's just paranoia, that maybe I'm overreacting. But I know better. Something's off, and it's been growing for a while now. The subtle shifts in behavior, the missed deadlines, the unusual system activity—it all points to someone working from the inside.

As I navigate through the traffic, my thoughts spiral. What if we can't fix this? What if this is the end of WellSecure? The idea terrifies me. This company isn't just a business; it's a part of me. It's my legacy. But if I don't figure out who's behind this and stop them soon, we could lose everything.

Thing is, even though WellSecure was my first baby, it never reached the same level as Chattame, the AI messaging app that took off beyond my wildest dreams. I mean, Chattame brought in insane success, attention, money—everything we hadn't expected. I should be grateful, but I can't help but feel like WellSecure has been neglected. And now, it's showing. There's something big happening behind the scenes, a security breach that could sink us if we don't act fast.

Chattame skyrocketed out of nowhere. I remember the day we first launched it, thinking, "This is just a side project, a tool for quick communication." It was supposed to be simple. But then, boom—it exploded. Everyone wanted a piece of it. Investors, clients, tech enthusiasts—they all flocked to it like moths to a flame. And suddenly, we were on the map, making headlines, pulling in big-name partners.

That success was intoxicating. It was like catching lightning in a bottle, but it also pulled my focus away from WellSecure. I let it slide to the back burner, thinking it would be fine. After all, it was running smoothly. But now, looking at the state of things, I realize how wrong I was.

We should've been more vigilant. Security is our business—hell, it's in the name. And yet, here we are, facing a breach that could bring everything crashing down. It's not just a cyber threat; it's an inside job, and the thought of betrayal from someone I work with every day feels like a punch in the gut.

I can't stop replaying the warning signs in my head. The way some of the team members have been acting off lately—quiet meetings, secretive emails, hushed conversations when I walk into the room. At first, I brushed it off. People get weird when they're stressed, right? But now? Now I can't afford to ignore any of it. There's too much on the line.

This company, this dream, was built on trust, on the belief that we were all working toward the same goal. But if someone inside has flipped, if they're selling us out, we're done for. All it would take is one leak—just one breach of data, one client finding out their security's been compromised—and we'd lose everything. The reputation, the clients, the contracts. WellSecure would be finished.

I pull into a red light, the hum of the engine filling the silence as I tap my fingers on the steering wheel. I think about the guys—my friends, my partners. The people I thought I knew inside and out. Could one of them really be behind this? Could one of them be the reason we're unraveling?

I shake my head, trying to dispel the creeping paranoia. But I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something, that I'm blind to a betrayal that's staring me right in the face.

As the light turns green, I ease my foot onto the gas and continue driving. Maybe I'm too close to it all. Maybe my emotions are clouding my judgment. But how could they not? WellSecure was my first big break, my first real company, and it's falling apart. It's personal.

I'm getting closer to home, and the thought of seeing Viola and Timmy helps calm me down, if only for a moment. They're my peace, my escape from all this corporate madness. Viola's been my rock through all of this, even though I haven't told her the full extent of what's happening. I don't want to worry her. And Timmy—man, that kid has no idea how much just playing with him makes the world seem less complicated. His laughter has a way of grounding me, pulling me back from the edge.

But even with them, I can't ignore the storm brewing at work. I need to get ahead of this. Tomorrow, I'll have to start looking closer, paying attention to things I might've missed before. Maybe it's someone new. Or worse, maybe it's someone I've known for years.

I exhale slowly, trying to push the stress aside. Right now, I just need to make it through tonight. I pull into the driveway, the house coming into view. Just one more deep breath. Whatever's waiting for me tomorrow, I'll deal with it then. Tonight, I just want to be Mathias—the guy who plays with Timmy and holds Viola close. The guy who, for a few hours, can forget that his whole world might be falling apart.