He held his breath. Click.

For ten minutes.

The laptop speakers crackled. The voice returned, softer now:

His laptop sounded like a jet engine idling on a runway. The "Activate Windows" watermark had been floating in the bottom-right corner of his screen for 47 days—long enough to feel like a taunting ghost. He couldn’t afford a license. Not with rent due and a freelance editing gig hanging by a thread.

Then his browser redirected to a casino ad. Then his mouse moved on its own. Then a folder opened, then closed, then opened again. A voice, synthetic and cheerful, whispered from his speakers: "Hello, Leo. Thank you for the admin access."