Chapter 7
Serena saw the years of suppressed possessiveness and satisfaction in Adrian's eyes, and her heart fluttered.
She reached up, wrapped her arms around his waist, and softly murmured, "Mm."
That single sound was like a bolt of lightning, crashing right into Adrian's heart.
Adrian watched as Serena, the woman who used to be gentle and shy only with him, now leaned into Lucas's arms, showing a real smile from deep within, a smile Adrian had never seen before.
It felt like someone had torn a hole right through his chest; the pain was so sharp, he could hardly breathe.
He realized, with a bitter ache, that she was gone from his life, forever.
Meanwhile, at the Kelsen Group's CEO office, the air was so thick it felt like you could barely breathe.
Dozens of top cybersecurity experts were sweating bullets, their fingers flying over the keyboards so fast they were just a blur, but the screens stayed pitch black, except for a blood-red ghost icon flashing wildly.
"Mr. Kelsen, the attack is way too strong. Our firewall was completely breached in just three seconds..." the tech lead stammered, his voice trembling. "The attacker... it's 'Ghost,' the number one hacker on the international list!"
"Useless! Every single one of you is useless!" Adrian snapped.
With a furious sweep, he sent all the files flying off his desk, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
Just one morning, and the Kelsen Group's core database was locked, their overseas funds frozen, losses soaring into the billions. Adrian was already exhausted from Serena marrying Lucas, and now, to make matters worse, disaster struck again.
"Ghost only takes jobs from the dark web. What did the Kelsen Group do to offend him?" Adrian growled through clenched teeth.
Just then, the blood-red ghost icon vanished, replaced by a live surveillance feed.
On the screen, Serena was lounging on the terrace of Reed Manor, basking in the sun on a rocking chair. A sleek silver laptop rested on her lap, and her jade-like fingers tapped lazily across the keyboard.
Adrian's eyes narrowed in shock. "What does this mean? Is Ghost spying on Serena?"
"No... Mr. Kelsen, look at her hands!" the tech lead shouted, panic in his voice.
The surveillance feed zoomed in, and everyone stared in disbelief. Serena's keystrokes and coding patterns were perfectly synchronized with the attack commands hitting the Kelsen Group, down to the very last line.
As Serena hit the final enter key, a line of bold, crazy handwriting flashed across the projection screen in Adrian's office.
[Mr. Kelsen, do you enjoy this billion-dollar surprise?]
Adrian felt like he'd been struck by lightning. He stumbled back, crashing into the leather chair and sending it toppling over.
"Serena... is Ghost?" Adrian muttered, barely able to believe it.
He'd always seen Serena as nothing more than a clingy shadow, someone utterly ordinary except for her little perfume hobby. Now, reality hit him like a slap to the face.
The threat he'd guarded against like a priceless treasure, hiring every expert in Cloudmere City to defend against, turned out to be the very woman he'd discarded like yesterday's news, the one he'd sent to the operating table, his so-called "walking blood bank" ex-wife.
*****
At Reed Manor's terrace, Serena closed her laptop, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
"Had your fun?" a deep, magnetic voice rumbled from behind her.
Lucas had appeared at some point, a light blanket in hand, draping it over her shoulders with effortless ease.
Serena turned to look at him, the chill in her eyes melting a little. "Since you already knew, why didn't you stop me? What if I crash Cloudmere City's entire financial system?"
"If you wreck it, I'll cover it," Lucas said.
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder, his breath hot against her skin. "My wife can hack whoever she wants. If you want to hack into Reed family's vault, I'll hand you the password myself."
Serena's heart fluttered. In her past life, just touching Adrian's computer would get her a cold warning: 'Don't mess with business secrets.' But with Lucas, it felt like he'd gladly tear the whole world apart just to make her happy.
"Mr. Reed, Adrian is probably going crazy and heading this way right now," Serena said, raising an eyebrow. "What's your plan?"
A menacing look flashed in Lucas's eyes, his voice gravelly. "If he dares to show up, I'll make him kneel and watch the news of Kelsen Group's downfall."
Just then, the butler rushed upstairs. "Mr. Reed, Mr. Kelsen is outside, shouting at the door. He says he wants to see Mrs. Reed."
"Let him in," Lucas said, his tone icy.
Serena stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress, her gaze frosted over again. "Some debts really need to be settled in person."
*****
Five minutes later, Adrian burst onto the terrace, barging in like a madman.
He stared at Serena, curled up in Lucas's arms, and pointed right at her face, his voice so hoarse it barely sounded like him. "Serena! You hacked the Kelsen Group's system, didn't you? Why? Is it money you want? I could've given you anything. Why did you have to wreck everything we built?"