Chapter 193 He Used the Beauty Trap
FD charged forward with two bodyguards, followed by a whole crowd with Ruby, Daryl, Nina, and Evelyn trailing behind.
Nicholas's face twisted in disdain.
Daryl shouted, "Nicholas! Let go of Emma and get the hell out of here!"
Nicholas straightened his slightly disheveled collar and walked out of the study with measured steps.
As he passed 001, he paused, casting it a sinister glance.
His expression was grim, already conjuring up ways by which he would dismantle it into pieces.
001 immediately covered its electronic eyes with both mechanical hands and slid over to Emma's feet.
"Scary, so scary! The CEO wants to destroy me! Emma, save me!"
Emma jumped down from the desk and walked over to comfort it.
"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare."
In the end, Nicholas was mercilessly expelled from Jackson Mansion, his hard-earned access privileges completely revoked.
Charlie hurried to meet him. "Mr. Harrison, are you alright?"
Nicholas's eyes were dark as he said coldly, "Go back and properly reprogram 001. It talks too much and meddles in everything."
Charlie couldn't help but sympathize with the robots which weren't excluded from Mr Harrison's wrath.
"Yes, sir." He quickly responded and opened the car door.
After this incident, 001 became the Jackson family's undisputed hero.
The whole family wanted to hand-feed it treats, showering it with praise.
Not only was it clever, but it showed righteous courage at the crucial moment, fearless in the face of authority!
Only it had dared to rally everyone and corner Nicholas.
At the moment, it was extending its mechanical arm, testing Daryl's blood.
Fifteen seconds later, the results slowly appeared on the display screen.
That lively electronic voice rang out again.
"Mr. Jackson, your uric acid levels are a bit high. You should eat less seafood in the future."
"Oh, and your blood is thicker than normal. You should watch your fat intake."
Daryl gave it a thumbs up, completely convinced.
"Accurate, very accurate."
One scan plus a drop of blood could complete a full body checkup, it helped a great deal in saving resources and money. No wonder it was a global bestseller.
001 continued its report.
"Oh my, you also have a kidney deficiency. You must be careful not to have too frequent marital relations, or else it could be dangerous."
The prideful look on Daryl's face instantly froze.
"What nonsense!" He jumped up. "Completely inaccurate!" He scoffed.
With that, he hurried away with his hands behind his back, his retreating figure carrying a hint of embarrassment.
In the living room, the three girls immediately burst into laughter, collapsing against each other.
Ruby walked out of the kitchen carrying freshly cut fruit, looking at this scene curiously.
"What's so funny?"
Evelyn was first to answer, laughing until she teared up.
"Mom, 001 says if you and Dad get more intimate, you'll definitely have a second baby!"
Emma immediately chimed in with mock seriousness.
"Yes, there's a high probability of you having a son. You need to seize the opportunity and not slack off."
Nina, though unable to speak, was bursting with expression, gesturing wildly with expectant eyes.
Her meaning was crystal clear. 'We want a little brother! Mom, you can do it! Go for it!'
Ruby blushed slightly. "I'll... consider it."
The three girls burst into laughter again.
Daryl, who had just reached the stairs, stumbled.
His expression darkened as he turned back, glaring fiercely. Those three little troublemakers, he thought silently to himself.
Suddenly, the noisy living room fell quiet.
001's display screen showed an emoji with spinning eyes and its tongue sticking out.
Its electronic voice became intermittent, like a bad signal.
"My stomach hurts."
Evelyn curiously moved closer, poking its metal shell.
"You can get a stomachache? Your stomach full of screws."
001's screen flickered again, its voice even weaker.
"I feel... my energy is almost depleted... Emma, help..."
As soon as it finished speaking, the system completely shut down, and the soft blue light around its body went out.
The entire robot instantly became a cold piece of metal.
Emma's heart jumped. She nervously shook it.
"001, 001."
But it was like it had lost power, completely motionless.
Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and called Charlie.
"Charlie, 001 seems to have stopped working. How do I charge it?"
Charlie's voice on the other end was calm as always.
"Don't panic, Mrs. Harrison. There might be a system bug. Could you please bring 001 back to the company for diagnostics tomorrow?"
Emma breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright."
At that moment, in a speeding black sedan with the phone on speaker, Nicholas listened to her response through the phone, his originally calm eyes flickering slightly as his lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.
He was very satisfied!
In Empire City, the sky had completely darkened, and under the lead-gray canopy, tiny snowflakes began to fall.
Zoe had been missing for almost 18 hours.
Luna hadn't slept all night, her eye sockets sunken, sitting on the sofa while continuously wiping away tears.
There was movement at the entrance, Luke had returned.
He removed his snow-dusted coat and handed it to a servant.
Luna immediately rushed to him, grabbing his arm, her voice trembling, "Luke, you must find Olivia. I can't lose her again."
Luke's tall figure loomed over her. He reached out, gently patting her thin back.
"Mom, don't worry."
His voice was low, carrying an unquestionable sense of reassurance.
"Go upstairs and rest. I promise you that before dinner, I'll bring Olivia back to White Mansion."
Luna was convinced, nodding as a servant helped her slowly up the stairs.
Luke turned and walked toward a wall deep in the study. After fingerprint unlock, the hidden room's door slid open silently.
He entered and activated the dark web system inside.
The screen lit up, casting a ghostly blue light on his sharp features, his eyes as cold as the ice and snow outside.
He sent only one command.
"One hour. Find her."
---
In the mountains, two inconspicuous wooden cabins were hidden among the withered trees.
Zoe was shivering from the cold, curled up in an icy corner.
Her eyes were covered with a black cloth, unable to see anything, only able to shout at the top of her lungs.
"Someone help!"
"Who are you? Let me out!"
Finally, the door to one of the cabins was pushed open.
A wave of cold air rushed in immediately, making her shiver even more.
Then, the black cloth over her eyes was roughly torn away.
The light was blinding. She slowly opened her eyes, and in her blurry vision stood two tall men.
One man had a camera on his shoulder, its lens pointed directly at her.
The other was methodically removing his shirt, revealing solid muscles and sinister tattoos.
Zoe's eyes widened as she scrambled backward in terror.
"What are you going to do?"
"However much money you want, I can give it to you! I'm the White family's eldest daughter!"
The man with the camera squatted down, grabbing her chin and examining her from side to side.
"Tsk, quite a beauty indeed."
He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Your life is precious. Don't worry, we won't kill you."
"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being born into the White family. That's your fate."
Zoe shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face.
"No, let me go... You can make any demands to the White family."
The other man had finished removing his shirt and urged impatiently.
"Hurry up! We don't have time. Luke's people will be here soon!"
Hearing that name, Zoe grasped onto it like a lifeline.
"Let me go, my brother won't make things difficult for you."
"Don't come closer! My fiancé is Nicholas, you can't mess with me, he won't let you get away with this."
"Ahhh—!" A piercing scream cut through the mountain forest's silence.
The snow in Empire City was falling heavier and heavier, the air was thick with the bloody scent of power and conspiracy intertwined.
Half an hour later, Luke's men precisely located the cabin.
But they were still a step too late.
When Luke kicked open the door, he saw Zoe curled up in the corner.
She was like a bird traumatized beyond recovery, her clothes torn to shreds. Except for her relatively clean face, the exposed skin was covered with purple bruises.
The butterfly-shaped jade pendant around her neck pierced his eyes deeply.
It was what her grandfather had personally placed on her when she was born.
Luke removed his own coat, wrapping her entire body tightly, and personally bent down to carry her.
She was very light, almost weightless in his arms.
"We must catch them."
He carried her out, his voice so cold it could drop icicles.
"Get the evidence back."
Zoe hid in his embrace, her body still trembling finely, her sobs broken.
The car sped directly to their private hospital.
Doctors were already on standby, quickly giving her a preliminary examination.
Then they began treating the deep, long wound on her forearm.
As the alcohol swab wiped across the torn flesh, she only frowned slightly.
After the doctor finished cleaning and prepared to begin suturing, the needle tip had just pierced her skin when she screamed.
"Ah! Get away!"
Zoe suddenly burst into angry shouts, full of energy.
"Can't you use some anesthetic? You're killing me!"
At the doorway, Luke, who was about to push the door open, froze mid-step.
His hand was still on the door handle, his entire body went rigid.
The next day, Emma carried the unresponsive 001 back to Harrison Group, heading straight to the tech department for diagnostics.
Several top engineers in the tech department worked around 001 for a long time, finally reaching a chilling conclusion.
001 had been attacked by an unprecedented virus, completely locked down. Only Nicholas's highest authority, using his retinal scan, could force entry into the system backend.
Emma had no choice but to find Charlie.
As soon as Charlie saw her, his expression was even more troubled than that of the tech department engineers. He lowered his voice.
"Mrs. Harrison, you'd better speak with Mr. Harrison personally."
He paused, adding carefully, "Mr. Harrison heard about 001's problem and is in a rather poor mood. His temper is... a bit explosive."
Emma took a deep breath, somewhat nervously walking toward the CEO's office that symbolized absolute power.
She gently pushed open the heavy door, the office was empty.
The door to the adjacent restroom was slightly ajar, with faint sounds coming from inside.
Emma walked over and politely knocked, but there was no response.
She hesitantly reached out and gently pushed open the door.
Just one glance.
Emma froze completely in place, her eyes wide as saucers.
In the rest room, a man sat on the edge of the bed.
Who else but Nicholas?
He wore a finely tailored black dress shirt, the top two buttons undone, collar wide open, revealing sharply defined collarbones and a stretch of firm, pale chest.
Most striking was the half-visible tattoo on his chest, eye-catching and alluring.
He was supporting himself with one hand on the mattress beside him, body slightly reclined, head tilted back, his elegant neck creating a beautiful arc, his Adam's apple clearly visible.
The entire space was filled with a crisp, clean cedar scent that dominantly invaded Emma's nostrils.
This scene...
This pose...
Emma's cheeks instantly flushed red, her mind buzzing.
Without thinking, she turned to make her escape.
A well-defined, large hand suddenly reached out, precisely catching her wrist and yanking hard.
Emma cried out as she was pulled inside.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Indeed, today Nicholas was employing the seduction strategy, intending to win her over.