Chapter 37
As soon as we left the private room, he shook off my hand and strode ahead.
I followed behind him. Watching the distance between us grow, I didn't break into a jog to catch up like I used to. Instead, I slowed down and walked at my own pace.
I'd been running after him for too long—I'd almost forgotten my own stride and life.
By the time I reached the car, James had already been waiting for a bit. He was sitting in the back seat looking at his phone. Hearing my footsteps, he turned his head, his calm eyes fixed on me.
I paused mid-step.
James was actually waiting for me.
"Are you getting in or do you want to walk back yourself, Ms. Brown?" He said this slowly, his words carrying clearly to my ears on the night breeze.
Maybe it was my imagination, but I seemed to hear a note of gritted teeth in his tone.
I figured I must have misread it. I calmly walked past him and pulled open the car door. "It's not like I haven't walked before."
Last winter, James and I went back to the Smith Mansion together to spend Christmas with Indigo. Halfway there, James got a call from Amelia and told me to go back to the Smith Mansion on my own while he went to pick up Amelia.
The Smith Mansion was in a remote location with few cars on the road. I walked for nearly an hour in the bitter cold before reaching the Smith Mansion.
The snowflakes that day were so light, landing on my hair without any feeling at all. But passing through the gap of time and falling into the car at this moment, they carried infinite weight, freezing the atmosphere inside.
James looked perfectly normal—he'd long since forgotten about that incident.
He never paid attention to anything concerning me.
I leaned against one side of the seat, closed my eyes, and pretended to rest, thinking about strengthening Shadow Circuit Studio's defense system when I got home tonight.
"How did you know about the TechNova Summit in Harmony City?" James suddenly spoke.
I looked at him, my gaze naturally falling on his phone.
His phone screen was stopped on the introduction page for Harmony City's TechNova Summit.
So that was what he'd been looking up just now.
"I received an invitation, of course," I replied.
As a legendary figure in the computer industry, ZeroSpecter was naturally on the invitation list.
"In what capacity? As the wife of me or as a partner of Shadow Circuit Studio?" James's tone was full of mockery.
That mockery contained contempt.
Like a needle slowly pushing into the most tender part of my heart.
The pain was sharp.
In his eyes, I was never an independent person. I could be his accessory or Andrew's sidekick, but never myself.
I quickly steadied my rapid breathing and pulled up the electronic invitation. "Sorry to disappoint, but it's in my personal capacity. TechNova Summit sent the invitation specifically to me."
My tone was stubborn, desperate to prove myself.
If James looked carefully, he'd see the name on the invitation was clearly ZeroSpecter—the very person he most wanted to meet.
But he only glanced at the invitation briefly, gave an ambiguous snort of laughter, and looked away.
I dejectedly withdrew my hand.
'Sophia, what are you trying to prove? He doesn't care about you, doesn't care about anything related to you. You don't need to prove your worth to a man who doesn't need you.' I thought.
The car fell silent again until Amelia's special ringtone sounded.
James answered without hesitation. Amelia's anxious voice filled the small car interior. "James..."
James switched the phone to his other side, turning his back to me. I couldn't hear the rest, only his voice. "Don't worry, I'll be right there."
Before he could hang up, I signaled the driver to pull over.
As I got out, James had just ended the call.
Before leaving, I bent down and looked at James through the car window. His brow was furrowed, worry written all over his face.
"Someone will come pick you up."
Before he finished speaking, all I could see were his taillights fading into the distance.
A certain spot in my chest felt hollow, like something was missing.
I didn't have time to wallow in disappointment. I turned and hailed a cab back to the private club.
I walked into the same private room. Andrew and Armando sat at opposite ends of the round table, a row of bodyguards in black standing behind Andrew. Audrey was nowhere to be seen.
Armando's actions had threatened Andrew's company security. He definitely wouldn't give Armando a chance to cause trouble. I knew he'd come quickly, but I didn't expect him to bring people with him.
"Quite the show of force?" My words drew the attention of both Andrew and Armando.
Seeing me return, Armando looked confused.
Andrew introduced, "Armando, you just joined the company and aren't very familiar with it yet. This is the company's other boss."
Armando shifted uncomfortably, fine beads of sweat on his forehead trickling down. "Mr. Anderson, I didn't expect I'd be able to crack the company's firewall."
"You're very skilled." I gave him a fair assessment and walked over to pick up Armando's phone.
Armando wanted to grab it back but didn't dare move because of the bodyguards.
I took out the USB drive I always carried and plugged it into Armando's phone port, quickly cracking his phone.
After reading his chat history with Audrey, I understood his entire plan. "You're smart and bold—you actually dared to impersonate ZeroSpecter."
My fingertips lightly tapped the table. "Are you going to tell us, or should I?"
Armando hung his head, his face pale, and laid out the plan truthfully.
My unwillingness to appear publicly as ZeroSpecter gave Armando an opportunity. Knowing James had been trying to contact ZeroSpecter recently, he got ideas.
After all, his skills were solid—he was confident he could handle the Smith Group's project. If he pulled off this deal, everyone in the industry would think he was ZeroSpecter.
He and Audrey just happened to share a surname; they weren't actually siblings. One wanted fame, the other wanted a man—they hit it off, which led to today's meeting with James.
What happened next was Armando meeting me, being unsure of my identity, and changing his story on the spot to say he knew ZeroSpecter.
After hearing Armando's explanation, Andrew realized Armando wasn't a spy from a rival company. He relaxed and laughed heartily, saying to me, "Sophia, you need to stop being so low-key."
"You're ZeroSpecter?" Armando suddenly looked up, staring at me in shock.
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Impossible," Armando muttered, picking up his phone to make a call.
The ringtone in my pocket sounded again. I took it out and placed it on the table.
Earlier, because Andrew had called me, Armando's call hadn't gone through. My ringtone now became a slap across Armando's face.
Looking at that familiar phone number, Armando finally stopped struggling and said resignedly, "Just call the cops!"
"That depends on you."
Hearing that, light rekindled in Armando's eyes.
"As long as you do what I say."
Armando didn't agree immediately; his expression hesitant.
I scoffed lightly, "You had the guts to impersonate someone else, but now you're scared?"
"Don't worry, I just need you to act as a middleman and pass along a few words to James." I whispered a few sentences in Armando's ear.
When I finished, I patted Armando's shoulder and waved the USB drive in my hand, reminding him with a smile, "Do as I say!"