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Upon returning to her room, Nelly locked the door and emptied her purchases onto the table. She sat down and opened the note that Alpha Kilian had given her, revealing a string of numbers. After entering the numbers into her phone, she glanced at the words on the paper with a hint of gentleness in her eyes, then set it on fire and threw it into the ashtray. As the note burned in the background, she went into the bathroom to shower. When she returned, her eyes had turned cold.
She approached her desk, took out her laptop from her backpack, and turned it on. She then plugged in a flash drive that she retrieved from her bag. As letters and numbers appeared on the screen, Nelly’s fingers danced across the keyboard. Soon, the interface transformed into what resembled a website. After logging in, a chat interface popped up.
Tony’s eyes sparkled as he typed: Nelly! Nelly: What you did today was extremely dangerous! Tony: Some risks are worth taking. Ben was complaining that he didn’t get to go. Before Nelly could reply, more words appeared in the chat. Tony: Nelly, we miss you! Nelly’s heart filled with warmth and pain at those words. Nelly: I miss you guys too! There was a one-minute pause before Tony typed: Nelly, we know what you’re planning to do. Don’t worry, we’ll support any decision you make.
After a while, Nelly replied: Okay. Tony: But you have to let us help! Nelly: You talk as if I can stop you. Tony: Does that mean you agree, Nelly? Nelly: I know about the bounty list, and so does Boss. Tony: I wasn’t hiding it from him. In fact, I want him to know I’m after his life! Nelly: Tony, whatever you plan, make sure you protect yourself. Tony: Don’t worry, Nelly. We know how to take care of ourselves. Nelly felt relieved after reading his reply and replied: Also, tell Alpha Kilian to be prepared. Boss is going to make a move against him soon. Tony: You can rest assured that Daddy is ready to face him. Nelly thought for a moment before replying: I’ll be back soon. Tony: I know.
Upon seeing his response, Nelly felt as if she could visualize Tony nodding at her with conviction. Smiling, she wrote: Alright, now I’m logging off. We’ll be in touch if anything comes up. Tony: Okay.
Nelly logged off, closed her laptop, and glanced out the window before letting out a heavy sigh. In that moment, her despair seemed to transform into a determination to survive. I must uncover the truth, but I also need to make sure I come back alive. As she pondered this, a cunning glint appeared in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Tony, sitting in front of his computer, felt relieved after Nelly logged off. He now knew she was safe and could be reached. Turning off his computer, Tony turned to face Ben. “Come on, let’s go see Daddy.” Ben nodded.
In Alpha Kilian’s room, Tony updated him on the situation. Alpha Kilian narrowed his eyes. “How did you find out?” Stunned by the question, Tony exchanged glances with Ben. Should we tell him? Unexpectedly, Alpha Kilian asked, “Was it Anonymous again?” Um… Now that he’s given us the excuse, what else can I say? Gathering his courage, Tony nodded. “You can say that…” Alpha Kilian sneered, “Anonymous seems to care an extraordinary amount about Nelly.” Deddy sounds jealous. What can I say? “I guess so… He and Nelly were both highly regarded in the hacker community. That might be why they’re concerned for each other,” Tony said, looking at Ben for assistance.
“Concerned for each other?” Alpha Kilian scoffed. Ben turned to Tony and rolled his eyes. Of all things, why did he have to say that?
After racking his brain, Tony reassured Alpha Kilian, “Daddy, there’s no need for you to worry about Anonymous. He doesn’t pose a threat to you whatsoever.”
“Worried?” The words caused Alpha Kilian to raise his brow. “Do you think I’m worried?”
“Um, are you not?” Tony questioned, as the jealousy Alpha Kilian emitted couldn’t be any more obvious.
Unexpectedly, Alpha Kilian let out a chuckle before a contemptuous expression descended upon his face. “Despite his capability on the internet, he’s just someone who hides behind a computer. In real life, do you think I’ll see him as a threat?”
Tony was taken aback.
Even though Daddy doesn’t know that I’m Anonymous, no one can take such words lying down. After all, a man’s pride can never be challenged.
At that moment, Tony felt as if there was something stuck in his throat. He suppressed his emotions and calmly rebutted, “Daddy, how do you know that he’s incompetent in real life? Considering how capable he is on the internet, I’m sure he’s equally impressive in real life.” Alpha Kilian merely laughed with disdain.
Nevertheless, Tony continued to endure the humiliation.
“Remember, a really ambitious man will never be satisfied by staying behind the scenes. That’s the reason why he’s incompetent,” Alpha Kilian said confidently, his eyes brimming with certainty.
Tony’s mind went blank as he looked at his father. Alpha Kilian’s words had hit the nail on the head. It was true that he never wanted to stay behind the scenes forever. Not only did he want to dominate the internet, but he also wanted to do his best in real life.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Unfortunately, he was still a child and was not strong enough yet. Thus, without the ability to protect himself, he had no choice but to hide behind the screen.
Despite that, he never planned to hide forever.
Holding that thought, Tony felt inexplicably depressed. Hence, he abandoned his initial plan to come clean.
Daddy, I’ll let you continue feeling exasperated.
Noticing the minute change in Tony’s gaze, Alpha Kilian asked, “What’s wrong? Am I mistaken?”
Tony maintained a faint smile on his face. “Daddy, let’s not jump to conclusions. How do you know that he doesn’t want to make himself known? Since you’re unaware of his identity, you wouldn’t recognize him even if he was standing in front of you.”
Alpha Kilian narrowed his eyes. Tony seems to be adamant about defending Anonymous today.
He threw the question back at Tony. “If he was indeed standing right in front of me but refused to reveal his identity, wouldn’t he be even more of a coward?”
Tony was lost for words. He turned toward Ben and noticed that the latter was trying to hold back his laughter.
Tony gave him a warning look, and Ben nodded, signaling that he would try to control himself.
Then Tony returned his attention to Alpha Kilian. “Daddy, the internet is the future, and Anonymous is a famous hacker. Do you know how many people fear and respect him? Aren’t you being too harsh with your criticisms?”
“I don’t look down on his capability, but aren’t his skills inferior to Nelly’s?”
Tony was enraged at Alpha Kilian’s scathing comments.
“Daddy, he isn’t less skilled than Nelly. He’s just letting her get ahead on purpose.”
“Oh? How do you know about that?”
“I…” Tony stared at him. “Anonymous told me.”
Alpha Kilian gave him the side-eye. “In that case, there’s less reason for me to worry.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a man submits to a woman, he no longer stands a chance with her. Moreover, Nelly-with her inherently dominant character-will not fall for someone like that.”
Tony fell silent. He was in the midst of figuring out how to turn things around when Alpha Kilian added, “Also, Tony, when he says such things, he’s probably just making excuses for his incompetence. You need to take his words with a pinch of salt.”
Tony took a deep breath.
Argh, Daddy’s words are just killing me!
At that moment, Tony felt the full force of Alpha Kilian’s sharp tongue.