CHAPTER 3: THE EMPEROR'S LEDGER

The rain had stopped by morning.

The streets were still wet and shiny under the gray sky.

Avery stood outside Wright International, holding Nina's small hand.

The huge glass building reached high into the sky. It looked like a giant blue blade.

Across the plaza stood the Vance Group building.

Avery looked down at herself.

She was wearing faded jeans and an old yellow sweater she had bought for Nina at a small store.

They looked very different from the people around them.

Everyone else wore expensive suits and perfect clothes.

But Avery no longer looked scared or weak.

Her back was straight.

Her eyes were sharp.

She looked like someone who had finally remembered her own worth.

"Mommy," Nina whispered.

She looked up at the huge glass doors.

"Are we going to be safe here?"

Avery smiled.

"More than safe, my love."

She squeezed Nina's hand.

"We're going to make sure nobody can ever throw us away again."

Two hours earlier, something important had happened.

A special challenge had appeared on the secret side of the internet where the world's best hackers worked.

Wright International's mysterious CEO, Ethan Wright, had created the challenge.

He was looking for the best hacker in the world.

The reward was huge.

Anyone who could break through Wright International's main computer security in less than ten minutes would get a high-paying job as the company's Chief Technology Officer.

But the challenge had another purpose.

Ethan was trying to find Xenon.

The hacker who had exposed Jasper's stolen technology the night before.

Avery had accepted the challenge.

She broke through the security in only four minutes.

Then she received an invitation to meet the CEO.

Now she walked through the company's huge lobby with Nina.

Some of the workers stared at her old clothes.

Avery ignored them.

She pressed the button for the private elevator.

The doors opened.

She and Nina stepped inside.

The elevator moved quickly upward.

The numbers on the screen changed.

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

Avery stepped into a huge office.

One entire wall was made of glass.

The city could be seen far below.

A tall man stood near the window.

He wore a dark gray suit.

His back was turned toward them.

He was Ethan Wright.

He was one of the most powerful people in the technology world.

His wealth and influence were so great that Jasper Vance seemed small compared to him.

"You're two minutes late, Xenon."

His deep voice filled the room.

Ethan slowly turned around.

Avery stopped.

He was very handsome.

His face was sharp, and his eyes were cold and serious.

Then his eyes moved from Avery to Nina.

For the first time, surprise appeared on his face.

"A woman," he said quietly.

Then he looked at Nina.

"And a child."

His eyes returned to Avery.

"The hacker who shut down the Vance Group last night is a mother?."

"My status have nothing to do with my brain, Mr. Wright."

Avery's voice was calm.

She refused to be scared by him.

"And I'm not just a hacker."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"I am the real creator of the code Jasper Vance showed the world."

Ethan stopped a few feet away from her.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"I know."

He folded his arms.

"My team spent the entire night checking the code."

"Jasper's billion-dollar company is built on a copy of your work."

Avery's eyes became harder.

"He threw you out of his wedding yesterday, didn't he?"

"News travels fast."

"I make it my business to know everything about my enemies."

Ethan looked down at Nina.

His cold expression became slightly softer.

He pressed a button on his desk.

"Please bring some hot chocolate and pastries to the lounge."

A few moments later, an assistant came in with a tray.

She placed it beside a large sofa.

Nina looked at Avery.

She was waiting for her permission.

Avery smiled.

"Go ahead, sweetie."

She pointed toward the food.

"Eat. Mommy needs to talk about business."

Nina happily ran to the sofa.

Ethan turned back to Avery.

His friendly expression disappeared.

He became serious again.

He walked to his desk and pushed a thick folder toward her.

"The contract."

Avery looked at it.

"Name your price," Ethan said.

"You become the Chief Technology Officer of Wright International today."

He continued.

"You will have a powerful legal team, a safe apartment, and access to the best technology in the world."

Avery did not touch the contract.

Instead, she leaned against his desk.

She looked directly into his eyes.

"A man like you doesn't offer someone this much money just because he likes her code."

Her voice was calm.

"What's the real reason?"

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

He seemed impressed by her question.

Then he reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a small silver pocket watch.

It was old and damaged.

He placed it beside the contract.

"Seven years ago, the night your parents were killed..."

His voice became quieter.

"I was in the same area."

Avery's face changed.

"I was attacked by the same people."

Ethan looked at the pocket watch.

"A young woman hacked into the city's traffic system."

"She made the streetlights stop working and confused the people attacking me."

"Then she pulled my injured body into an alley and disappeared."

Avery stared at the pocket watch.

Suddenly, memories came rushing back.

That terrible night.

She remembered helping a stranger who was badly hurt.

Then everything had changed.

Her parents died.

And later, the Vance family had forced her into their lives.

Avery looked at Ethan.

"That was you."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"It was me."

Ethan's eyes stayed on hers.

"I spent seven years searching for the person who saved my life."

He paused.

"Then I found you."

His voice became harder.

"You were trapped inside the Vance family."

Avery's hands tightened.

"Jasper didn't just steal your work, Avery."

Ethan's next words made her heart stop.

"His family was behind your parents' deaths."

Avery stopped breathing for a moment.

"What?"

"They killed your parents to hide what they had done."

The truth hit Avery harder than anything else that day.

Her marriage had not simply been a mistake.

The Vance family had taken her life, stolen her work, and hidden the truth about her parents.

Ethan stepped closer.

His shadow fell over Avery.

But this time, she did not feel afraid.

She felt protected.

"Sign the contract, Avery."

Ethan held out the pen.

"Help me improve my company's security."

"Together, we can stop the Vance Group."

His eyes became cold.

"And I will give you the power to destroy everything Jasper built with your stolen work."

Avery looked at the pen.

Then she looked at Nina.

Her daughter was happily eating pastries across the room.

Finally, Avery looked back at Ethan.

She reached for the pen.

Her fingers closed tightly around it.

Then she signed her name.

Avery Vance.

The woman who had spent seven years as a quiet housewife was gone.

A new Avery had returned.

The genius.

The hacker.

The woman who would fight for the truth.

And now she had found someone powerful enough to stand beside her.