Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Jen's voice cut through the buzz of the lab, "Hey, boss! Boss! You gotta come see this, is it the files we were looking for?"

The boss hurried over to the computer, fingers flying over the keyboard. After a moment, he confirmed, "Looks like we got some data recovery happening, but I'm not sure it's what you're after. Someone give this a look?" Liz immediately took his place as he stepped aside.

Seconds ticked by painfully slow. Jen, unable to contain her anxiety, pressed, "Well? How much did we get back?"

"...Most of it, I think." Liz bit her lip, her expression hard to read.

Jen, unsatisfied with the ambiguity, double-checked herself. A wave of relief washed over her, "Thank God, nearly all of it's back!"

She threw her arms around Roseanne, claiming, "We owe you big time. Without your help, we'd be buried in work for weeks trying to redo all this."

"Sharp as ever, a true Kingswell University gem," even the tech guru couldn't help but praise enthusiastically.

Stoddard nodded in agreement, admiration clear in his eyes, "Absolutely, all thanks to young Anne!"

He then added thoughtfully, with a hint of jest, "No wonder Mr. Reynolds saw potential early on. Snagged a brilliant mind ahead of the curve, impressive!" His words were serious, but his gaze hinted at more.

Owen remained stoic, seemingly oblivious to the underlying message, though his hand clenched into a fist at his side.

Realizing he was affected more than he'd like to admit, he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

But some things were already in disarray...

Sammy clicked his tongue, eyeing Roseanne as if she were some kind of exotic creature, particularly fascinated by her intellect.

After a moment, he blurted out, "Roseanne, have you ever competed in Brain Games or something?"

Roseanne just stared blankly.

Jen and Stoddard burst into laughter, and that was that.

But Liz, she just glared at Roseanne with this cold, intense look.

Jen noted Roseanne's bewildered expression, Owen's resigned look Sammy's curious glances towards Liz, and the unmistakable hostility in Liz's eyes...

Things were sure to get interesting around here.

She'd have to remember to bring some sunflower seeds from home tomorrow.

...

The lab's computer virus was a serious issue, ranging from a simple mishap to potential data theft.

Owen was adamant, "We need to track down the source."

The tech guru reassured, "Don't worry, even if you didn't ask, the university would have us on it."

From the moment the problem arose to the recovery of the data, it had been a long day. With everything finally settled and darkness falling, it was time to head home.

Owen stayed behind to wrap things up, leaving Roseanne to make her way back alone. Thankfully, it was just a short walk.

As soon as she got home, she flopped onto the sofa, stretching out with a satisfied sigh.

*Ding dong* - her messenger app pinged.

Barely opening her eyes, Roseanne checked her phone. It was from Owen.

[Thanks for today. We've identified the source of the virus.]

Roseanne sat up suddenly, typing back:

[That fast?]