The teasing had continued for exactly six hours, fourteen minutes, and twenty-two seconds. Rina had kept a meticulous log of every "Basement Queen" jab and every time Philip made that fake Labobo squeak. She hadn't said a word since lunch. She just sat at her workstation, the blue light of the monitors glinting off her glasses, her fingers moving across the keys with a speed that should have been a red alert for everyone in the building.
The boys should have known better. You don't mess with a world-class systems architect and expect to sleep soundly.
The Midnight Launch
The first strike hit at 3:00 AM.
Philip was dead to the world, dreaming about winning a weightlifting gold, when his high-tech, ergonomically adjustable smart-bed suddenly beeped. Without warning, the mattress's pneumatic lift system engaged at 100% power.
THUD.
Philip was launched like a human catapult, flying off the bed and landing face-first on a pile of gym mats.
"ARAY! What the hell was that?!" Philip yelled, scrambling up in the pitch black. The lights in his room flickered a deep, menacing red, and a synthesized voice—programmed by Rina to sound exactly like a squeaky plushie—piped through the speakers: "Exercise is good for the heart... even a sleeping heart."
On his wall-mounted TV, a giant image of the Labobo appeared, slowly blinking at him in the darkness.
The Deep Freeze
Meanwhile, in Marco's room, the stoic bodyguard woke up to a different kind of torture.
Marco liked his room at exactly 20°C. He woke up shivering as the smart-AC unit dropped the temperature to a bone-chilling 10°C. When he reached for his remote, the room's sound system began playing "Inuman Na" at 5% volume—just quiet enough to be maddeningly annoying, but loud enough to make sleep impossible.
He checked his phone to reset the temp. Instead of his lock screen, he saw a message from the 'Basement Security Protocol': System Error: Too much testosterone detected. Entering Deep Freeze mode to preserve the specimen.
The Coffee Embargo
The final blow was reserved for Chano.
Chano walked into the kitchen at 6:30 AM, desperate for his morning espresso. He placed his favorite mug under the Italian machine and pressed the 'Double Shot' button.
The machine whirred, hissed, and groaned. Instead of the rich, dark aroma of Arabica, a clear, lukewarm liquid trickled into his cup. Chano took a sip and immediately winced.
"Water? Phenphen, why is the machine only giving me hot water?"
Phenphen, who was sitting at the breakfast bar with his own laptop, didn't even look up. He was tapping away furiously. "Master, don't look at me. Rina locked me out. She didn't just hack the machine; she built a digital wall around the kitchen's entire subnet. I've been trying to bypass it for twenty minutes, but every time I get close, she redirects my IP to a 10-hour loop of 'Baby Shark'."
Rina walked into the kitchen, looking perfectly refreshed. She was holding a steaming cup of the real stuff—the aroma wafted through the air, taunting Chano.
"Good morning, everyone," Rina said sweetly, taking a long, dramatic sip. "How did everyone sleep? I heard there was some... 'activity' in the rooms last night."
Philip stumbled in, rubbing his lower back. "Ma'am Rina, have mercy! I'll throw the Labobo in the trash! Just let me have my bed back!"
Hardware vs. Software
Rina looked at Chano, waiting for the surrender. She expected an apology or, at the very least, for him to beg for his caffeine fix.
Instead, Chano just leaned against the counter, a slow, playful smirk spreading across his face. He pulled a specialized USB drive from his pocket—the one he used for high-level hardware overrides.
"Nice try, Rina," Chano said, casually plugging the drive into a hidden service port on the side of the machine. "But you forgot one thing: I built the physical motherboard for this unit. Software is your kingdom, but hardware? Hardware is mine."
Within seconds, the machine beeped, the red "Lock" icon vanished, and a rich, dark stream of espresso began to pour.
Chano took a long sip, looking at her over the rim of his cup. "I'll let you keep Philip's bed and Marco's air conditioning as your 'royal decree,' but don't ever come between a man and his caffeine. It makes us... less patient with 'Basement Queens'."
Rina's jaw dropped as her "unhackable" wall was physically bypassed. "You... you cheated! That was a physical bypass!"
"No," Chano teased, ruffling her hair as he walked past. "I just reminded you who the Master of the House is. By the way, Phenphen, did you record Philip flying off his bed? I want to see that on the big screen later."
"Already edited it into a GIF, Master!" Phenphen chirped, finally getting his access back.
"I hate you!" Rina yelled, her face turning bright red again. "I'm turning Marco's room down to five degrees!"
"Go ahead," Chano laughed, heading toward his office. "But if you do, I might just have to invite your tuxedo friend over for a second date."