My five ghostly husbands
Chapter 88 Privileges

Chapter 88: Chapter 88 Privileges

Minutes passed in silence as Ruby worked, her hands steady, her mind focused. Finally, a flicker of progress appeared on the screen.

"Found something," Ruby said, her tone neutral but laced with a hint of triumph. She pointed to a small folder marked with an encryption symbol. "Looks like someone tried to erase everything but left a trace behind. It’s encrypted, though, which means we’ll need a passcode or I’ll have to crack it."

The old witch stepped closer, her hope rekindled. "A passcode... I—I don’t remember setting one," she admitted, her voice trembling.

Ruby smirked faintly, her confidence unwavering. "Good thing I don’t need you to remember," she replied, already typing in a decoding command. "Just give me a few more minutes."

As the screen filled with complex symbols and shifting data, Ruby’s mind worked like a machine, piecing together fragments of the digital puzzle. She could feel the tension in the room behind her, but she blocked it out, focusing only on the task at hand.

"Come on," Ruby murmured under her breath, her fingers tapping faster. "Show me what you’ve got."

Finally, the screen displayed a message: "Data Erased: 10 Hours Ago."

Ruby’s eyes sharpened, her focus intensifying as she leaned closer to the monitor. "Looks like you caught it just in time," she muttered, her voice firm.

She straightened slightly but kept her gaze locked on the screen. "Thankfully, your computer froze before the wipe was completed. Deleting such a large amount of data likely caused the system to crash," she explained, her tone matter-of-fact but strong.

The old witch’s eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Yes! Yes, that’s exactly what happened," she exclaimed. Her voice trembled slightly, both from relief and unease. But even as she spoke, her mind raced, wondering who could have tried to erase all the data in the first place.

Ruby didn’t react to the witch’s outburst. Instead, she continued typing, her hands moving swiftly as she prepared the recovery process. "Is it possible to recover the data, Miss Ruby?" the old witch asked, her voice filled with cautious hope.

Ruby glanced at her, then turned back to the computer. "Yes, it’s possible," she replied, her tone steady. "But it won’t be easy. I’ll need more time to recover everything, and there’s no guarantee it’ll all come back intact. Also..." She paused briefly, her gaze flicking to the outdated machine. "I strongly suggest you invest in a new computer. This one is old. It’s barely holding on."

The old witch nodded quickly, her face lighting up with a mixture of relief and determination. "Of course! I’ll do whatever is needed. How long will it take you?"

Ruby shrugged slightly, her focus still on the screen. "Depends on how much was deleted and the level of corruption. A few days, at least, if I’m thorough."

The old witch exhaled deeply, her mind already forming a plan. "That’s fine," she said with newfound confidence. "I’ll tell the authorities the computer broke down and that someone tried to tamper with our data. It’s a believable explanation and close to the truth."

Ruby smirked faintly, impressed by the witch’s quick thinking. "Not a bad idea," she said, her voice tinged with approval. "Just make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake. Backup everything once you have a new system."

"I will," the witch promised.

Everyone in the room sighed in collective relief, though the tension hadn’t entirely lifted. Ruby leaned back in the chair, her eyes narrowing at the sluggish progress bar crawling across the screen.

"Looks like this is going to take quite a while," Ruby muttered, exhaling in mild frustration. "The system is too old, and the process is crawling at a snail’s pace."

The old witch hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Miss Ruby, would it be possible for you to stay here until the recovery is complete?" she asked tentatively.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face, though she kept her tone polite. "No, I can’t," she replied smoothly, though her words were a lie. "My husband gets scared being alone at home."

She barely kept herself from rolling her eyes at her own excuse. As if. This will take more than a couple of days, and I’m no saint to babysit this machine until it decides to cooperate, she thought, keeping her inner monologue to herself.

The old witch’s face fell, regret washing over her features. "Oh," she murmured, her shoulders sagging slightly. "We just don’t know what to do." Her gaze drifted back to the slow-moving screen, as if willing it to speed up.

Ruby softened her tone slightly, though her practicality remained intact. "I’m really sorry," she said, her voice firm yet understanding. "But this will take more than just a few hours—more than days, in fact. Once the process is complete, you can call me, and I’ll help with the next steps."

The old witch rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing as she considered Ruby’s words. After a moment, she straightened and spoke again, a new determination in her tone. "Miss Ruby, how about this—you take the computer home with you. I’ll explain everything to the authorities."

Ruby froze for a second, her gaze snapping to the old witch. "Take it home?" she repeated, her tone flat with a hint of disbelief.

"Yes," the old witch insisted, nodding earnestly. "That way, you won’t have to come back and forth, and you can work on it in peace. I’ll handle any questions from the higher-ups. They don’t need to know every detail, just that it’s being fixed."

Ruby looked at her, thinking about the offer. It wasn’t a terrible idea, but she didn’t like the thought of dragging a half-broken machine back with her.

After a pause, she finally sighed. "Fine," she said, though her tone made it clear she wasn’t entirely happy about it. "I’ll take it home, but don’t expect miracles. This thing is Old, and recovering everything will still take time."

The old witch’s face lit up with gratitude. "Thank you, Miss Ruby," she said earnestly, clasping her hands together. "You don’t know how much this means to us."

Ruby waved her hand dismissively, already turning her attention back to the computer. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "Just get me something to pack this thing up."

"Miss Ruby, thank you so much for your help. We’ve prepared something for you as a token of our gratitude," another voice said, catching Ruby’s attention. She turned to see a witch with a confident stride approaching her, gratitude radiating from her expression.

Ruby’s eyes lit up momentarily, though she quickly composed herself, maintaining a kind and modest expression. "Oh, why would I need this?" she said with a faint smile, her voice carrying a tone of humility. "I’m always happy to help the government in any way I can."

The two witches who had accompanied her earlier nearly choked on their surprise. Their eyes widened as they exchanged a glance, their disbelief evident. Wasn’t this the same woman who had bluntly asked them why she should bother helping in the first place?

One of them whispered to the other, "Did we hear her right? ’Happy to help’? That’s not what she said before..."

The other witch nodded quickly, equally astonished. "Exactly! What I am thinking."

Meanwhile, Ruby caught their exchanged glances from the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but smirk internally. A little charm goes a long way, she thought. Let them think what they want. I’m just here to do my job.

The witch offering the gift didn’t seem to notice the exchange, her smile deepened as she presented Ruby with a beautifully wrapped package. "It’s just a small token, but we hope it shows how much we appreciate your time and effort, Miss Ruby."

Ruby accepted the gift with a graceful nod, inwardly curious about its contents. "Thank you," she said warmly.

Ruby couldn’t hide the spark of excitement in her eyes as she glanced at the large, beautifully wrapped red gift box. Her mind raced with curiosity. Oh, maybe it’s a note... or better yet, a five-note bundle! Who knows? she thought eagerly, already imagining what could be inside.

The box was big—bigger than she’d expected for a mere token of gratitude and the shine of the wrapping made it look even more enticing. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her excitement in check, though her fingers twitched with the urge to tear into it right there.

Before she could let her thoughts wander too far, the old witch’s voice brought her back to the moment. "Miss Ruby, you are welcome to take this computer home to fix," the witch said, her tone laced with both authority and gratitude. "And don’t worry, since you’ve helped the government, you will be provided with certain privileges."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that, her interest piqued. "Privileges?"

"Yes, Miss Ruby," the old witch said with a kind yet knowing smile that carried a hint of mystery. "Once the computer is repaired, we’ll tell you everything. I’m sure you’ll love it."

Ruby raised an eyebrow but simply nodded.

—To be continued...🪄

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