BY DEFAULT

Teardrop slithered on Errina’s cheeks, her chaotic thoughts focused on pondering what this envelope was about and why the lawyer gave it to her at her sister’s funeral.

A few months after, fresh out of college, Errina found herself at Valle’s office- the new CEO of “FIT & SAFE”.

This morning, the coffee smelled different, and the stiff air from the printer made her feel strange. When she sat at her desk with her newly printed badge, the first thing that caught her attention was the photo frame next to the laptop.

Errina and Valle leaning on each other, holding their bubble tea at Siesta’s Beach. Errina had a few more months before finishing college, and Valle celebrated her company’s success.

It felt empty and cold without Valle now. She sighed. The thought that her days would continue without her sister unnerved her, making her wonder if she could be as brave.

Valle’s absence was everywhere—in the empty chair across the desk, in the untouched stack of notebooks, in the way the team avoided looking her in the eye. They didn’t say it, but Errina knew what they were thinking: she wasn’t Valle. She wasn’t ready for this.

Her parents were straightforward, expressing their doubts and concerns.

“You don’t have to do this, Errina. This company absorbed your sister’s life,” her mom had said once. “Life is just starting for you. You could sell this business and move on.”

-Mom! Seriously?? Valle invested so much into this company! It was like her baby! How can I leave this?! Especially when these were her last words to me!

Her dad, always frank and lacking refined statements, added, “Valle worked her ass off to neglect herself to the point of death! Don’t you dare go this way, young lady!” He was angry at Valle for not telling anyone about her cancer.

The fitness platform was designed to bring users together through locations, images, and workout routines. Valle dreamt of inspiring and creating a strong community and safety. Alas, she didn’t notice how her passion and goals for success consumed her.

Little did Errina know about her sister’s lump in the breast; it was too late for anything. She was gone soon after the diagnosis, leaving her younger sister to deal with a company she hardly comprehended. And yet, Errina, being principled and respecting her sister, felt obligated to protect this legacy. Neglecting her sister’s will was the last thing she could do! Valle was a proud big sister, an ambitious and successful badass woman whom Errina always admired. Valle was the main reason Errina could go and study at the Imperial College of London, and support her dreams. And so, Errina did the only thing she felt right - staying, despite the weight of expectations and responsibilities flooding her from the moment she joined “FIT & SAFE”.

A few buzzing sounds from incoming email woke her up. Errina had forgotten her phone nearby while falling asleep to white noise. Music had stopped a long time ago, and she had been sleeping a bit longer for the past few weeks. Then again, a shorter buzzing sound.4:06 it said when she stared at the dark mode screen. In the blink of an eye, she saw “CALL ME ASAP!” on the lock screen. Then her eyes widened seeing the rest of the panel.“!URGENT!: Data Breach Detected”

Errina’s stomach felt queasy. She stood up, threw her phone on the bed, went to the window, then went back on the bed, looking at the phone in the sheets as if it were a ticking bomb. For a second or two, she was taking the courage to open the email and read the details. After taking a few breaths, she turned up the light and sat at the edge of the bed with her phone. Mark wrote that the app’s default settings somehow exposed user data locations, private images, and GPS-shared workout routines.

Errina didn’t hesitate to dial Mark in the middle of the night.

How are you? - She heard, which made her feel even worse.

Is it that bad, Mark?

Let’s talk tomorrow, Errina. I had to let you know as soon as I got the message. I know you won’t be able to sleep now, but I wanted to let you know ASAP. It is going to be a long day.

I see..Meet you in a few hours, then. I don’t know why I called you. I apologise. Still processing the news - Errina ended the conversation to continue staring at the email and brainstorming what was coming.

The hyenas had made headlines already. Errina couldn't help googling.” Betrayed users”, “their trust is shattered!” “Fleet-footed bastards,” she caught herself thinking. Her eyes briefly scanned a few Gonzo articles, but her mind was too overwhelmed. She went for a shower.” Time to get ready, baby”, her voice was self-soothing. Her sister used to say that when they used to play paintball for venting.”

The meetings started earlier than usual, considering the urgency. Errina fiddled restlessly with the shiny ring’s spinning beads, sliding them back and forth while she was looking at the data printouts.

-We need to fix this. Whatever it takes! - Her voice was trembling but still firm. It took so much of her energy to sound as brave as Valle.

-Errina, the problem isn’t just a swift patch.- Mark, the company’s CTO, leaned back in his chair and sighed. - What we know so far is that the default settings, like location sharing and public profiles, the developers baked into the app’s design. If we change these, we have to recreate the whole platform.

- But we don’t have time for this!- Errina sounded angry. - We must reassure our users as soon as possible!”

Mark was looking at her, always calm and focused. She noticed how he looked at her. Somehow different.

I need to tell you something, Errina. I don’t know how to say it.. This is not just fixing a bug, understand that. It is how we have placed the company’s growth over safety. Valle had these concerns soon before she passed.

Would you mind elaborating more on that? - She didn’t want to accept what she was already thinking about.

The investors were pushing her desire to make privacy the default. They required engagement metrics and viral growth. For that, she had to compromise. And she knew it.

In that moment, Errina was sure that when she inherited the ship, she also got its fractures.

Tuesday morning. Her assistant brought her the daily Wall Street Journal, and the article hit her. “FIT & SAFE: When Comfort Becomes a Debt”** The subhead read “Dylan Patel”.

Dylan was an author famous for his interest in tech companies and incisive journalism. His article elaborated on the breach, the tragic story of a user who had been stalked after her location was exposed. In addition, he focused on the risks of default sharing settings and the tsunami of disappointed users.

Errina loathed him for this pungency. But he was also fair.

“Dickhead!” - she almost whispered to herself while sipping the third coffee of the day.

****

She met Dylan at a tech conference a week later. He approached her during a panel discussion, his expression a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

“Errina Clark,” he said, extending a hand. “Dylan Patel, author of the article”

“I know who you are,” she said. Dylan could sense the annoyance that she didn’t bother to hide.

“My aim wasn’t to be offensive or aggressive”, he said in a calm voice.”I wrote the article given the fact that people deserve to know the stakes.”

“Then I start wondering why you haven’t mentioned the good that we have done?” Errina snapped back.

“I am aware of the communities you have built. And perhaps the lives you’ve improved,” Dylan said, his voice rising at the end.

“Errina, you and I completely understand that often good intentions don’t excuse bad design.”

Errina blinked twice, back‑to‑back, like her face wasn’t sure whether to look defensive or uncomfortable. The silence stretched and felt long. She knew he was right. Embarrassment flooded in, tinged with a sharp, hurt pride too stubborn to speak.

***

The threats started 5 days after. Messages coming from a hidden number started spamming Errina’s FIT & SAFE inbox. Then emails followed containing her daily habits, her favourite cafes, and her route to work. Errina was mortified. She couldn't think of any close friends to talk to after the mess with the app. Her mom was out of the question. They were just waiting for her to call, crying, announcing her defeat. She wasn’t giving up on this company!

After considerable hesitation, she finally called Dylan first. As they tried to solve the problem with the breach, they ended up in various meetings and conversations, which softened the tension between them.

“I can’t sleep. I can’t close my eyes without thinking about what is coming next. It’s not just about the breach. Someone is targeting me. I hope it isn’t you!” Errina laughed nervously at the last sentence, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t Dylan.

Dylan said nothing. Errina noticed that he was a good listener. Probably that was one of the things that made him a reticent and observant writer.

“Have you thought about the possibility of a hacker exploiting the breach? Or someone inside the company?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” Dylan said. “Who may benefit from this? A disgruntled employee? A rival company? Someone who wants to see you fail?”

Errina’s mind raced. She thought of Marcus Kane, the interim CEO and a former developer who had been trying to talk to her a few times. There was something eerie about him - this ridiculous Asterix moustache,the sweaty shirt, his voice. She knew in the end that he was clashing with the investors, but he was famous for being so good at his job. He was working closely with her sister, but decided to leave right after Errina took over.

Errina never really read Marcus’s overwhelming, lengthy e-mail on his goodbye. She then scanned bits of it like “ risks of default settings” and “act before it is too late”.

Errina and Dylan traced the threats to Marcus. Something in the puzzle lacked coherence. Marcus said he wasn’t involved, and he could prove it. Despite her intimidation, Errina was determined to investigate further.

She dug deeper into her sister’s past, hoping to find answers. She also hoped for forgiveness, thinking that the resolution of the problem would redeem her in the end.

That’s when she discovered the emails. Buried in Valle’s old account were messages to Felix Harper, a man Valle had had some secret affair with before her death. Valle never mentioned that to her. The emails revealed that Daniel had hoped to marry Valle and inherit the company, but Valle had never taken him seriously. After her death, Daniel learned he would get nothing.

One day, she discovered the email. In Valle’s old account, she saw archived messages from Felix Harper. It seemed Valle had a secret affair with this guy and never told anyone. Errina could decode their relationship as serious; Felix was highly attracted to her, but more from his side. Maybe they were about to get married? What must have happened in the end?

Hope drained from her as she ran through the final email. In it, Valle had confided in Felix about the app’s design, explaining how leaving the default settings to share would increase the app’s virality and help it gain market share in a crowded space. Felix had used this insider knowledge to exploit the app’s vulnerabilities.

Errina and Dylan faced Felix at his home. He had been a mess after his sister’s death.

No denial followed.

“You are missing the point,” Felix said, and he lit a cigarette. “I loved Valle! I wanted to build a life with her. But she didn’t care. She said she was dying, and nothing else matters. She dumped me…She said her sister will take care of everything, and I don't need to worry about anything. As if she were going on a vacation for God's sake!”

“So you decided to destroy everything Valle built?” Errina shot back. “How does that honor her memory? Is this how you express your love?

Felix’s face twisted with anger. He pushed a cloud of smoke in her face. “If can’t stay with me, it’s no one’s.”

Errina stepped forward. “Felix, I understand your pain. You don’t need to stay stuck in this place. We can fix this. Together. This is not how the story ends. Let's choose another end”.

Felix pushed her away, and Errina lost her balance. Next, she could see Dylan tackling him.

The two men struggled as Errina ran to Felix’s computer, anxiously trying to get to the settings and restrict his access.

The screen turned dark just as Felix broke free. He glared and muttered something Errina couldn’t understand. Then he shouted, “The damage is already done!”

***

The partial app’s leak created immense media firestorms. The user base sank, and Errina faced regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits. The investors called off the round, and the company was on the verge of collapse.

And yet, for the first time, Errina felt stronger than before. She took responsibility for the breach and issued a public apology. She was determined to rebuild the app with privacy-first defaults.

Dylan’s follow-up article was surprisingly kind. He praised Errina’s courage in taking responsibility and emphasized the factory presets and their influence.

***

Months passed. Errina and her team started a new app with privacy-first defaults and educational tools supporting users’ decisions about their data.

The app got a humble but loyal user base, and Errina felt proud of her accomplishment. She wasn’t the little sister anymore.

At a tech ethics conference, Errina gave a powerful and sincere speech about the lessons she had learned. “Technology should empower people, not exploit them,” she said. “We, as creators, are responsible for this to happen.”

After the speech, Dylan approached her with a glass of lemonade.

“Errina…”He paused. “ You’ve journeyed far.”

Errina smiled, “So have you. Would you like to take a walk in the city? We can grab something to eat on the way?”

“Let me get my stuff”, he said with no hesitation.

As they strolled through the city, Errina’s heart felt light. She glanced at the colourful shop windows, and while passing by a bubble tea cafe, she smiled softly, imagining her sister watching over her.

You know sip happens…- started Dylan.

Errina stopped, her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened.

“So keep slurping pearls!” she laughed and pulled his hand to the bubble tea shop.