Chapter 21
I lowered my eyes slightly, sneering inwardly, though my face remained expressionless.
It seemed she had no idea that the ZeroSpecter she was talking about was standing right in front of her.
"Ms. Martinez, you seem to have quite an opinion about ZeroSpecter?"
Reading her thoughts, I spoke slowly, casually meeting her provocative gaze. "But at your level, you wouldn't have access to people in that circle. Some misunderstandings are pretty normal."
My words were like a soft thorn, gently pricking her.
Amelia's face darkened, but she quickly resumed that pitiful look, leaning against James as if I had wronged her terribly.
But blind James seemed to like her that way anyway.
"You..." She was about to argue back.
"Amelia." James's deep voice cut in, signaling her to stop talking.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on my face.
The scrutiny in his eyes deepened, as if trying to see through my calm expression.
He didn't join her in putting down ZeroSpecter, which actually surprised me a bit.
Interrupted by James, Amelia bit her lip unwillingly, then as if remembering something, her face lit up with a smug smile again, taking on a boastful attitude.
"But speaking of which, even though we can't get ZeroSpecter, the Smith Group isn't without talent in this area. Actually, I recently hired a top computer expert specifically to handle the company's core security, and he's here today too." As she spoke, she waved toward someone in the crowd.
A young man in a somewhat stiff black suit and black-framed glasses walked over awkwardly.
He looked quite young, with a hint of the awkwardness and nervousness typical of tech geeks on his face.
When he got closer and I saw his face clearly, something stirred in my heart.
I knew this person.
Or rather, I'd seen his ID on the Shadow Circuit Studio forum—"ByteSeeker."
A fairly active computer industry professional on the forum.
But his technical skills were only above average at best, and he occasionally posted questions.
To someone at my level, he was indeed just a "transparent" presence.
He obviously didn't recognize me in my current appearance.
"This is Samuel Harris." Amelia introduced him with extremely exaggerated praise.
"I spent a fortune to recruit this talent, specifically to deal with all kinds of network attacks and system vulnerabilities."
The engineer named Samuel blushed slightly at Amelia's flattery, awkwardly adjusting his glasses, not even daring to meet my eyes.
I found it amusing.
Amelia was really going to great lengths to put me down.
Samuel looked at me, then at the console I had just operated, his eyes showing the curiosity of meeting a fellow professional, but more of the embarrassment of being pushed onto the stage.
He hesitated, seeming to organize his words, then looked at me with a pretty direct tone.
It was the stubbornness unique to technical people.
"Ms. Brown, I saw how smoothly you handled that screen attack earlier. Would you be interested in a little competition?"
Seeming to feel his suggestion was too abrupt, he quickly added. "Just as a technical exchange, learning from each other."
I raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that although Samuel's skills weren't top-tier, his curiosity and competitive spirit weren't weak.
On the forum, he'd asked me for help with problems quite a few times, though I rarely replied.
Before I could respond, Amelia, as if seizing a golden opportunity, immediately jumped in. "Competition? What's the fun in just competing? If we're going to do this, let's make it interesting!"
Her eyes flashed with malice and calculation, her gaze wandering over our faces before finally settling on James, egging him on.
"I remember when you got married, Grandmagave you a sapphire necklace."
She pretended to mention this casually, then turned to me with a sweet but fake smile.
"Sophia, since we're competing, why don't we bet something? If you lose, give that necklace back to me. After all, you and James are divorced, and I'll be the only daughter-in-law of the Smith family from now on. It should rightfully be returned to its proper place and passed down to the next generation."
"James, what do you think?"
Her words were like a boulder thrown into a lake, stirring up waves.
James didn't respond, seemingly letting her make a scene.
I was long used to this, my heart no longer rippling.
Andrew frowned, stepping forward to stand beside me protectively. "Ms. Martinez, this bet isn't appropriate."
But I raised my hand, gently pressing Andrew's arm, signaling him to stay calm.
It seemed she'd been coveting my possessions for quite a while.
I looked thoughtfully at Amelia.
Her face showed undisguised greed and certainty of victory.
She looked at the flustered Samuel.
Finally, her gaze swept past James's dark expression.
The conflict between us was pushed to its peak by this ridiculous bet.
I suddenly smiled, a faint smile. "Fine."
Halfway through, I changed direction, looking directly at her and James, my voice clear: "If I lose, I can arrange for you to meet ZeroSpecter."
This statement was like thunder on flat ground, immediately stunning everyone present.
The mocking smile on Amelia's face froze, her eyes widening as if she'd heard the most ridiculous joke.
James's pupils contracted, his usually inscrutable gaze suddenly sharpening, locking onto me as if trying to see right through me.
Even Andrew looked at me in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure, choosing to trust me unconditionally.
"You? Arrange for us to meet ZeroSpecter?" Amelia was the first to react, her voice rising with extreme doubt and absurdity, full of sharp mockery.
"Sophia, if you're going to brag, at least make it believable! Who do you think ZeroSpecter is? Someone you can meet whenever you want, arrange meetings with whenever you please? You? That's hilarious!" She laughed as if she'd heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing so hard she was nearly in tears, as if I'd told the most clumsy and ridiculous lie to avoid the bet.
Though James didn't speak, his tightly pressed lips and the thick doubt in his eyes clearly showed his attitude.
He simply didn't believe that I, his supposedly worthless ex-wife, could have the ability to contact and arrange a meeting with the mysterious ZeroSpecter that even he couldn't reach.
Facing Amelia's mockery and James's silent doubt, I just stood there calmly, as if their ridicule had nothing to do with me.
Looking at Amelia's smug face, convinced I was bluffing, I spoke slowly, my voice not loud but carrying a strange penetrating power, clearly reaching everyone present. "What? Are you afraid to bet?"