“She bombarded me with bizarre messages and then went silent after my response. I think Norah is playing games,” Derek said, unable to mask his irritation. “She even dragged your name into this, warning against crossing her path again. As if she has any right!”
Madeline’s heart skipped a beat as she tentatively asked, “Does Miss Wilson still harbor resentment toward me? Whenever I see Miss Wilson, she’s openly hostile and always has a terrible attitude toward me. It’s one thing to be used to her disdain, but now she’s trying to tarnish my image with you, Derek.”
Derek brushed aside his doubts, comforting Madeline. “Norah tends to get jealous and start arguments. But she’s no match for you, Madeline. I see you for who you are, and gossip can’t change my affection for you. My heart belongs only to you.”
He softly stroked Madeline’s back, adding, “Our relationship is built on trust. Let’s not let unfounded issues weaken it.”
Madeline shifted the conversation, casting her gaze downwards. “Finalizing the divorce with Miss Wilson sooner rather than later would be wise. My parents are asking about when our two families can meet. They’ll be upset if they learn you haven’t completed the formalities.”
“I promise to handle it as quickly as I can. Just give me a little time.” Derek embraced Madeline closer, as though she was his entire universe. Madeline was his cherished one.
Eating alone, Norah prepared two dishes and a soup, finally checking her messages. Derek’s messages read, “What’s going on? Can we get together to talk over the divorce details?”
“Hey! Where have you gone? Weren’t you just here? Are you ignoring me?”
“Fine! Norah, you’ve outdone yourself!”
Reading Derek’s messages, Norah couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction. At last, Derek was experiencing the sting of being ignored in a message exchange! She edited the messages while eating.
Her reply read, “We can meet to discuss, but I don’t want to repeat what happened in the cafe last time. Set up a time.”
Norah savored a bite of the delicious dish and narrowed her eyes, acknowledging her cooking skills hadn’t diminished. Reflecting on what Sean had said during the journey back home, she sent another message saying, “Watch Madeline closely. Don’t let her pull any moves behind the scenes. I’m letting the Oceanic Treat Cafe incident slide for now, but if she tries anything similar, I’ll hit back just as hard.”
Concerned Derek might misunderstand her, Norah took the time to search for a video and forwarded the link. Sean had tipped Norah off that a video from the Oceanic Treat Cafe incident was circulating.
The footage, showing Madeline’s feigned innocence against Norah’s calm demeanor, painted Norah as the villain. The comments were unanimously harsh, accusing Norah of manipulation and dishonesty.
Norah was uncertain about the number of sponsored commenters active in the comment section. However, the video’s rising popularity was undeniable, as evidenced by Sean’s attention to it. As Norah enjoyed her soup, she resolved to address this matter later.
Madeline shouldn’t think she could overlook this simply because the mastermind remained unidentified. No, Norah was set on compiling evidence.
Derek’s response came quickly, with messages arriving shortly after: “Pick the time and place.” “This isn’t about Madeline. The cafe was crowded. Why point fingers at her?”
Norah couldn’t help but scoff at Derek’s blind devotion. No matter Madeline’s actions, Derek seemed ready to defend her at every turn. She had to concede that Derek’s adoration for Madeline was unmatched. Norah chose Friday for their meeting. Finalizing their divorce earlier seemed like the logical step.
After her meal and cleanup, Norah positioned herself at her desktop computer in the bedroom. This wasn’t the sleek, portable kind favored by her age, but a stationary setup with a separate monitor and CPU. The 24-inch display cast a soft glow.
Norah drew the keyboard closer and dove into coding. Code streamed out behind the cursor unceasingly. Norah’s fingers flew across the keyboard, their movement a blur.
Launching the program, Norah couldn’t suppress a grin as Derek’s name appeared in the corner of her display.
Accessing the site hosting the controversial video, Norah set to work with a smirk. She navigated from the video uploader’s IP address to those commenting, and the screen filled with data. With a keen eye, she sifted through the information.
The uploader’s IP address pinpointed Derek’s villa as the exact location, and a significant portion of the comments came from paid posters, all echoing the same sentiments from matching IPs.
Following the trail of these commenters led Norah to their collective chat. She breached their server and uncovered dialogues between Madeline and the group owner, capturing every exchange.
Norah had a hunch that Madeline was behind the popularity of the footage from the coffee shop. It seemed to Norah that Madeline spent her days plotting to tarnish her name.
Norah couldn’t think of anyone else who would hold such a grudge. Any previous enemies she had were now long gone.
Diving into Madeline’s network using her IP address, Norah stumbled upon conversations between Madeline and Aikin. Madeline’s message read, “Norah’s just been through a divorce, and it’s the perfect opportunity for someone to step in. Win her over, and I’ll give you a hundred thousand.”
A spark of realization hit Norah. As expected, it was all Madeline’s doing.
Norah scrolled through Madeline’s phone gallery, watching numerous private videos. A smirk crossed her face as she transferred them all to her computer. Madeline and Derek had carelessly captured their moments together, scattered throughout various places.
Norah clicked on a video, only to feel disgusted. She quickly shut it off. Derek found time for intimate moments with Madeline but not for finalizing their divorce? Did he find joy in leaving her hanging? The thought fueled Norah’s anger.
With the evidence of chats and videos saved, Madeline would have to confront the truth if she ever tried to mess with Norah again.
Just as Norah was about to turn off her computer, she noticed something odd in Glophia’s local network. Curiosity piqued, she traced the data’s path.
The data appeared to originate from overseas, with its target precisely identified. It happened to pass through the local network of Dreamview Villas, drawing her attention.
A blue glow emanated from the screen, reflecting Norah’s stern expression. Her gaze locked onto the data sequence as her fingers rapidly tapped over the keyboard, pursuing it without pause.
Noticing the data’s sudden stop, Norah observed the assailant hovering just outside the Nexa Tech firewall, clearly intent on breaking through with malicious purposes.
Norah arched an eyebrow. What an unexpected coincidence. Wasn’t this company associated with Sean?
Was the party attempting to steal sensitive details or acquire particular data by launching a malicious assault on Sean’s company’s database firewall? Having encountered it, Norah couldn’t simply look the other way.
With ease, she neutralized the data breach, repaired the compromised firewall, and silently exited, performing a noble act without leaving a trace.
Sean had helped her in the past, so handling this minor issue was easy. Yet, she pondered the source of this mysterious data.
When another piece of data tried to make a getaway, Norah’s eyes lit up. She determined to uncover its source.
The elusive data darted across the network, trying to evade Norah. Yet her tracking data clung stubbornly to its trail, allowing no chance for escape.
“Attempts to escape.”
“Damn it!” In a dimly lit room, a man with golden hair and blue eyes cursed at his computer screen. “Is the opponent’s hacking really this good? If they get any closer, we’re compromised.”
He slammed his fist on the desk. “I’ve got to lose them, even if it means we both take a hit!”
The man clenched his teeth, hammering away at the keyboard with force.
Norah was hot on the trail, her pursuit reaching across borders. Just as she was about to catch up, the other party launched a fierce counterattack, stubbornly holding on to their data.
Norah couldn’t help but mock their simplicity. In under a minute, she devoured the attacker’s data completely, erasing all evidence of the encounter.
Admittedly, the other party was also skilled, realizing they couldn’t drag her data back to their base. They chose to risk it all instead.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t uncover the identity behind the threat to Sean’s company. Still, in the digital world, information was crucial. Norah planned to warn Sean to stay vigilant at the next opportunity.
After erasing her digital traces, Norah powered down the computer, got up, and stretched, feeling almost relieved. All that was left was for Derek to show up on Friday to finalize their divorce, detaching her from the Carter family once and for all.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.