Instead of heading home, he directed the driver to a nearby bar.
Maureen returned home, nerves still rattled.
Just then, Zoe called with the children.
“Mommy.”
“Mommy.”
Two little faces filled the screen.
Only after confirming Geoffrey hadn’t followed did Maureen respond: “Jacob, Ethan… Mwah.”
She forced normalcy into her voice, hiding any traces of distress.
“Mommy, when are you coming home?”
Ethan’s big eyes blinked expectantly.
Maureen smiled tenderly: “Soon, sweetheart. Mommy will be home soon.”
“Mommy, my brother and I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too.”
་་
Jacob appeared on screen: “Mommy, don’t forget to drink milk tonight. Remember to take your vitamins.”
“Got it.”
“1
One child mature, the other playful and adorable–Maureen felt incredibly blessed.
Because of them, her fear subsided.
She knew she must stay strong. Having chosen to raise both children alone meant being
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ready to face dangers anytime.
Next time, she’d properly learn self–defense techniques, maybe even buy some defensive
weapon.
After the call, Maureen went to sleep.
Meanwhile, Zoe urged the boys to rest since Ethan needed hospital tests tomorrow.
Pretending to be asleep until Zoe left, they whispered in the dark.
“Ethan, you didn’t leave any traces when escaping Springwood, right?”
Jacob asked.
A smug smile curved Ethan’s lips: “Of course not. I replaced all my personal items.”
Even his toothbrush!
After tossing his own, he’d tricked the nanny into using his children’s toothbrush.
That’s why Geoffrey’s paternity test showed no blood relation.
Ethan had only prepared for contingencies–never expecting it would actually matter.
“Good.”
Jacob said.
“Bro, I think you need to reflect on yourself. Geoffrey almost caught you last time.”
Ethan brought up how Jacob had stolen from Geoffrey before.
Jacob choked on his words and rolled over.
“Didn’t expect him to be somewhat capable.”
“If Mom hadn’t returned with us this time, keeping him too busy to investigate, he might’ve tracked it back to her.”
Ethan sighed.
A shiver ran through Jacob too. “Alright, let’s sleep.”
But Ethan couldn’t sleep. Nights often brought aching bones. He murmured, “Bro, are we
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really letting him off this casy?”
Jacob snorted coldly. “I left a little bug in their system before we left.
“Nice. Well done.”
Geoffrey, clueless about the kids‘ capabilities, sipped his drink.
Next morning, every computer at Sutton HQ malfunctioned.
Screens flooded with doctored photos mocking Geoffrey!
The photo was a doctored image of Geoffrey and Andrea together, even adding a cheating sign on his head.
By the time Geoffrey found out, it had already spread like wildfire and made breaking news.
The tech department had deleted all copies and was now investigating. The method closely resembled the carlier hacking of Geoffrey’s private account, occurring around 3 or 4 AM.
After sobering up, Geoffrey stared at the photo, his head throbbing.
“Still no leads on who did this?”
Wayne hesitated before finally responding. “We traced the IP to Sean’s private Seaside Villa. But Sean wouldn’t pull such a stunt.
“The person
residence.”
who hacked your private account last time? The trail leads to Katherine’s
Wayne ventured cautiously, “Could it be… that kid?”
At the mention of Jacob, Geoffrey fell silent.
“Suppress the news.”
He then asked, “Any sign of the boy?”
Wayne shook his head.
Geoffrey grabbed another glass of liquor, the burn searing his throat as he swallowed.
He slammed the empty glass down. “Keep looking.”
“Yes, sir.”
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“One more thing, boss. We identified last night’s troublemakers. Mrs. Sutton offended a local thug–domestically known as Mr. Long. He’s done multiple prison stints and isn’t someone to
cross.”
Wayne sighed: “We accidentally let him get away this time.”
Geoffrey heard this and slightly furrowed his brows.
“Got it.”
With nothing else to discuss, Wayne left first.
Geoffrey sat on the sofa, thinking about yesterday’s events. Finally, he turned on his computer and had a customer service rep from one of his companies send him the account
details.
Maureen hadn’t managed to sell her new song, so she could only seek new collaborations.
But today, luck was on her side. Early in the morning, a major website offered her a revenue- sharing deal.
Maureen had no clue this site was Geoffrey’s doing, nor that he’d long known about her work.
Online, Geoffrey personally messaged her.
Maureen typed: “Hello, should we meet offline to discuss?”
“No need. Sign digitally, I’ll wire the payment.”
Geoffrey replied.
Maureen hadn’t expected such efficiency. After verifying the corporate account, she signed
the contract.
True enough, 50 million soon hit her company account.
“Thank you. Pleasure doing business.”
Geoffrey played her new track while typing: “How many songs have you composed total?”
“Including this one, thirty–two.”
Maureen answered.
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“I listened to your new piece. Excellent work.”
“Thanks.”
Geoffrey thought for a moment, then texted: “Could you sign your other songs to me too?