Love Algorithm

Chapter Ten: Marcus's Perspective

Marcus Zhang stared at the line of code on his screen, the implications sinking in slowly, like the dull ache of a wound just starting to throb. The extra data string—a line buried deep within the algorithm—had no place being there. It didn't fit the flow of the logic they had built, and worse, it had compromised the algorithm's output during the demo.

Someone had tampered with the code.

"Sabotage," Elena whispered beside him, her voice tight and hoarse from hours of working in silence. She stood stiffly next to him, her face pale as she processed what this meant. "Who would do this?"

Marcus exhaled, leaning back in his chair. His mind raced through every possibility, flipping through faces and names of their colleagues, competitors, anyone who had a vested interest in bringing them down. But he couldn't pinpoint anyone specific. They had spent months working tirelessly on the algorithm, and while competition in the industry was fierce, this level of interference seemed personal.

"I don't know," Marcus admitted, his voice heavy with frustration. "But whoever it was, they knew exactly where to hide it. This wasn't some amateur mistake."

Elena clenched her jaw, her fingers tightening around the back of her chair. She was silent for a moment, her dark eyes fixed on the screen as if willing the code to offer an explanation. But nothing about this made sense, and that helplessness gnawed at both of them.

"Jasper," she said abruptly, turning to face Marcus. "We need to tell Jasper."

Marcus hesitated. The idea of bringing this to Jasper right now felt like walking into a hornet's nest. He knew how the CEO operated—every problem was an opportunity for control, for leverage. If Jasper knew someone had sabotaged the algorithm, he might use it as an excuse to tighten his grip on the project, or worse, pin the blame on them.

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked, his tone cautious. "Jasper's already under a lot of pressure with the board. If we go to him without a clear solution, this could backfire."

Elena's eyes flickered with a mixture of fear and resolve. "If we don't tell him, and someone else finds out, it's going to look even worse. We can't keep this a secret, Marcus. Not with the stakes this high."

She was right, of course. As much as Marcus hated the idea of handing this over to Jasper, it would be worse to hide it. The board was already expecting answers about the anomaly. If they found out that sabotage was involved, and that Marcus and Elena had tried to cover it up, it would be game over for both of them.

"Okay," Marcus said finally, standing from his chair. "But we need to be careful how we handle this. We tell Jasper, but we keep control of the narrative. We find out who did this and why before the board starts pointing fingers."

Elena nodded, her expression grim. "Agreed."

---

The hallway leading to Jasper's office felt longer than usual, the sterile white walls closing in as Marcus and Elena walked side by side in tense silence. Marcus's mind raced as they approached the door. He kept running through scenarios—how Jasper would react, how they would frame the discovery, how to make sure this didn't turn into a complete disaster.

Elena, on the other hand, was quiet, her face set in that unreadable mask she wore when she was trying to maintain control. He knew her well enough by now to recognize the signs—the tension in her jaw, the stiffness in her shoulders. She was holding everything together by a thread, and Marcus worried that the thread was about to snap.

The door to Jasper's office slid open, revealing the man himself seated behind his large, glass desk. He glanced up from his screen as they entered, his sharp gaze immediately locking onto them.