:
“If you can hack it,” Jeffrey said calmly, his voice steady and unwavering.
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Riley fell silent. Looking back, she probably should’ve held back on making his defense system so wless. Now, even she could barely make a dent in it.
“Amelia’s profile has been hidden by a top–level hacker.” Riley brought it up again, wondering if Stanley had mentioned it to him. “If I can hack into it, it’ll probably take me two hours.”
Back in the day, she might’ve been stumped by this.
But now, this was a piece of cake. She could do it with little effort.
“Alright,” Jeffrey replied, settling in to wait for her. He had full confidence that she’d seed.
As the minutes ticked by, the only sound in the private booth was the tapping of her fingers on the keyboard. Stanley was stuck there, neither able to leave nor stay.
They didn’t drink or chat. It was boring.
Ironically, he was the one who’d insisted on meeting up.
“Jeffrey,” he finally broke the silence. “What’s the n for Primey Technologies‘ tenth anniversary bash? I heard your folks came to the hospital this afternoon to see Stephen.”
“Whoever made the mess can clean it up,” Jeffrey replied, his tone dismissive. His mind was elsewhere,pletely focused on how he could keep Reba by his side.
He knew he couldn’t just force her to stay. With her stubborn streak, she’d probably tear Reba’s Manor apart before she’d agree to anything.
And trying to trick her wasn’t exactly a foolproof n either.
Stanley raised an eyebrow<i>, </i>totally baffled.
He stared at Jeffrey, who seemedpletely out of it. “What’s on your mind?”
“Did you and your
desk mate secretly binge on romance novels back in high school or something?” Jeffrey suddenly blurted out.
Riley instantly looked up, eyes sharp, clearly caught off guard.
Stanley was floored.
There was no way he’d ever admit to that embarrassing part of his past. “I’ve only ever read ssics, alright? I have never touched a romance novel. Don’t talk nonsense<b>.” </b>
Jeffrey just stared at him, his gaze intense and unreadable.
12:21 <b>Thu</b>, <b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
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Stanley was under pressure. Jeffrey’s piercing gaze left him no way to dodge. After a long while, he relented, coughing nervously and shifting his stance. “Alright, I admit it. Just one book, okay? You can’t really call that a lot, right?”
“Yup.” Jeffrey said.
Stanley was baffled. ‘Seriously? Just a yup? That’s it?‘ he thought, feeling exasperated.
He cleared his throat. “That’s all you have to say?”
Jeffrey nced at him. “What do you want me to say?” he almost asked, but caught himself. Everyone had their own way of doing things. He thought it was better to make a n that suited both him and Reba, rather than copying someone else.
Stanley was totally lost. ‘How did this turn into me waiting for him to say something? He’s the one who started this conversation, right?‘ he thought.
“Just drop it, will you?” He didn’t stand a chance against Jeffrey’s way with words, so he backed down. “It’s awkward.”
“Fine,” Jeffrey agreed smoothly.
Stanley shot him a suspicious look.
‘I’m 100% sure he wanted to ask me something else. But for whatever reason, he held back. Guess I’ll never know what changed his mind,‘ Stanley thought.
Riley was enjoying the drama when something suddenly shed on herputer screen. She was stunned for a minute.
‘Why does this name look exactly like my mentor’s? No way… Did she change her name after vanishing from the web?‘ Riley’s mind raced, stunned by the coincidence.
“Any luck?” Jeffrey nced over at Riley from time to time, clearly keeping an eye on her progress even while chatting.
“Sort of,” Riley replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. She closed herptop, picked it up, and stood. “I’ll look into it somewhere quieter. Once I’ve figured things out, I’ll call you.”
Both Jeffrey and Stanley looked puzzled.
They turned their gaze to her, suspicion flickering in their eyes.
“Why are you two staring at me like that?” Riley raised an eyebrow, her messy bangs giving her an effortlessly cool vibe. “Come on. Don’t tell me you’re both falling for me here.”
“Aren’t you the type who loves working in a bustling crowd?” Stanley said, still a bit confused. “You always crack the system and then have a drink to celebrate. It never gets old for you.”
“Digging up stuff is nothing like going toe–to–toe with someone,” Riley replied smoothly. “No shame if you don’t get it.”
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With that, she strode right out of the bar, gged down a cab, and hopped in, leaving them both behind without <b>a </b>second thought.
As she settled into the seat, her mind couldn’t help but rey everything she’d just uncovered–that creepy image shing on the nk page and that name.
Riley thought, ‘All the pieces fit my mentor’s past perfectly. If Amelia was really the mentor I’d been chatting with online for almost ten years, then what happened after she disappeared from the web, and why did she assume a new identity?
‘Did she cut off her past because it was too painful, or to keep it hidden? If I really break through that firewall…‘
Her mind was racing with a million questions.
She decided to talk to Reba the next day. After their chat, she’d decide whether to hack into those files or just leave them alone.
Stanley couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off when she left. He nced at the nearly untouched sses on the table and turned to Jeffrey. “Did you notice Riley acting strange tonight?”
She barely touched her favorite drink.
Without a word, she just got up and left as if nothing had happened.
‘Didn’t she use to be thest one to leave? What’s different now?‘ thought Stanley.
“She must have uncovered something about Amelia,” Jeffrey said, calmly analyzing the situation. “It could be rted to her, or maybe to someone close to her.”
“Why didn’t you just confront her, then?” Stanley pressed.
“She’s cautious,” Jeffrey replied, standing up and straightening his clothes. His trust in Riley was clear. “If she’s staying quiet, there’s a reason. Let’s just give her some time.”
Stanley paused, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. “But what if she decides to keep it to herself?”
Jeffrey’s gaze was steady, cutting through Stanley’s worry. “If she chooses not to speak up, that means Amelia’s story is way moreplicated than I thought. Honestly, there’s hardly anything that could make her skip her fee, risk our friendship, and still stay tight–lipped.”
As long as he had her as a clue, he was confident he could piece together the truth about Amelia’s identity.
No matter if she spoke up or stayed silent, it didn’t really matter to him.
Stanley hesitated for a moment, thinking, Jeffrey is so smart.
They left the bar together, each getting into their own car. Jeffrey nced at his watch. It was almost ten. He finally turned his phone back on, pulled up Reba’s chat, and sent her a quick message: [Phone died. Just turned it on.]
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Reba was so engrossed in her sketches that she didn’t see the message until after two in the morning.
When she finally noticed his brief reply, all she could think was, ‘And then? There wasn’t a single word about the divorce certificate.‘
Suppressing her anger, she
got up to wash up and then went to bed. Honestly, given how he had reacted twice today, she knew he wasn’t going to bring it up in a text. She might as well wait till morning and call him directly.
‘He can’t seriously turn off his phone every time I call,‘ she thought.
The next morning, after having breakfast with Samuel, Reba was just about to call Jeffrey. But before she could even find his number, there was a knock at the door. She and Samuel exchanged nces. Their first thought was that it must be Jeffrey.
Reba went over and opened the door.
If it were him, she could finally talk to him face–to–face about the whole divorce certificate mess.
“Hey there, Reba,” Riley said, standing at the door in a casual outfit, a yful smirk on her lips.
Reba squinted at Riley. Riley’s face seemed familiar, but she couldn’t ce where she’d seen this super good–looking, rxed guy before. She blinked, puzzled, and said, “Hi, do I know you?”