CHAPTER 4: THE PREDATOR BECOMES THE PREY

The Vance Group's boardroom was filled with tension.

Jasper Vance stood at the head of the long table.

His tie was loose, and his usually perfect hair was messy.

The calm billionaire everyone had seen on television the night before was gone.

"What do you mean you can't find them?"

Jasper slammed both hands on the table.

A group of cybersecurity experts jumped.

They kept their eyes on their laptops.

On the huge screens behind them, the red X from the night before was still flashing.

"Mr. Vance," the head technician said nervously.

He wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Xenon's security is extremely strong."

"Every time we try to find the hacker's location, the signal moves through several different satellites."

He swallowed.

"It's like trying to catch a ghost."

Jasper's face became darker.

"What are you saying?"

The technician took a deep breath.

"Xenon didn't just break into Aegis 2.0."

"The hacker created the hidden entrance that was used to build it."

Jasper stared at him.

"Silence!"

Victoria Vance's voice cut through the room.

She sat near the window, tightly holding her pearl necklace.

Her face showed both anger and fear.

"Jasper, this isn't some silly computer trick."

"If this hacker releases the original code in thirty days, our company could collapse."

"Our stock could fall."

"The banks could demand their money back."

She looked at her son.

"We could lose everything."

"I know that, Mother!"

Jasper began walking around the room.

"I have already offered ten million dollars for Xenon's identity."

"Every hacker and bounty hunter in the region is looking for them."

Suddenly, the glass doors opened.

Chloe rushed inside.

She was holding a tablet with shaking hands.

"Jasper..."

Her voice was nervous.

"You need to see this."

"The global technology market just released new information."

Jasper grabbed the tablet.

He read the headline.

His face suddenly became pale.

[WRIGHT INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES NEW CTO: LEGENDARY HACKER XENON JOINS THE COMPANY.]

"What?"

Victoria stood up so quickly that her chair scraped loudly across the floor.

"Ethan Wright hired the person attacking us?"

Chloe shook her head.

"It's worse."

Her voice trembled.

"Wright International has sent us a legal notice."

"They are suing us for stealing their technology."

"The lawsuit is worth trillions of dollars."

Jasper's eyes widened.

"They say Aegis 2.0 belongs to Xenon."

"And they have the original key to prove it."

Chloe took a shaky breath.

"They've also invited every major news reporter to their headquarters."

"Right now."

Jasper's face hardened.

"Get the car."

He looked at Victoria and Chloe.

"We're going to Wright International."

"I don't care how powerful Ethan Wright is."

"Nobody takes my company from me."

Ten minutes later, several black luxury cars arrived outside Wright International.

Jasper, Victoria, and Chloe stepped out.

They marched through the lobby and ignored the security guards trying to stop them.

They entered the elevator and took them straight to the 99th floor.

When the doors opened, they entered Ethan Wright's large office.

Ethan stood near the window.

His hands were behind his back.

He did not turn around.

"Wright!"

Jasper's voice was angry.

"You've gone too far."

"You hired a criminal to attack my company."

"That's against the law."

He stepped forward.

"Give Xenon to my lawyers now, or I will destroy your company piece by piece."

Ethan did not answer immediately.

Then he laughed quietly.

The sound made Chloe nervous.

"Destroy my company, Jasper?"

Ethan slowly turned around.

"With what?"

He looked at Jasper.

"Stolen research and a company whose security is already failing?"

Jasper's face tightened.

Ethan moved aside.

He pointed toward the large chair behind his desk.

The chair slowly turned around.

Jasper froze.

Victoria gasped.

Chloe dropped her tablet.

It hit the floor and broke.

Sitting in the CEO's chair was Avery.

But she looked nothing like the woman they had thrown into the rain the day before.

She wore a perfect dark suit.

Her hair was neatly styled.

Her face was calm.

Her eyes were cold and confident.

She looked powerful.

"Hello, Jasper."

Her voice was calm.

"You mentioned something about a lawsuit?"

"Avery?!"

Jasper could barely speak.

He stepped backward.

"What are you doing there?"

Then he looked around.

"Where is Xenon?"

Avery smiled slightly.

"You're looking at her."

She leaned forward and placed her hands together.

"For seven years, you called me poor."

"You called me uneducated."

"You called me a charity case."

Her eyes became colder.

"But you forgot something."

"Before your family trapped me, I was the person who created the code that helped build your company."

Jasper stared at her.

"This is a joke."

Victoria stepped forward.

Her face was filled with anger.

"You?"

"A genius?"

She laughed bitterly.

"You're just a useless housewife."

"You couldn't even make your own son love you."

She turned toward Ethan.

"Ethan, this woman is lying to you. She's only using you to get revenge on my son."

Ethan walked toward Avery.

He stopped behind her chair and placed one hand on her shoulder.

His message was clear.

Avery was under his protection.

"Watch your words, Mrs. Vance."

Ethan's voice became cold.

"You are speaking to the Chief Technology Officer of Wright International."

"Insult her again, and you will be dealing with me."

Jasper stared at Ethan's hand on Avery's shoulder.

Something burned inside him.

Jealousy.

Just one day ago, Avery had been crying in the rain.

Now she was sitting in one of the most powerful offices in the world.

And Ethan Wright was standing beside her.

Jasper hated the sight.

"Avery."

His voice became softer.

"Listen to me."

He stepped closer.

"I understand that you're angry about the divorce."

"But this is business."

"You can't destroy your own family."

He paused.

"Think about Leo."

"Think about your son."

"If you destroy the Vance Group, you will also destroy his future."

Avery stared at him.

Her face showed nothing.

"My family?"

She slowly stood.

Her suit made her look even more powerful.

"My family is me and my daughter, Nina."

Jasper's face changed.

"Leo made his choice yesterday."

"He chose to believe the people who turned him against me."

"He also helped them give me a fake document."

She picked up a digital tablet from the desk.

Then she pushed it toward Jasper.

"The thirty-day countdown has already started."

Jasper looked at the tablet.

Avery continued.

"By tomorrow morning, many of your business contracts will be in danger."

"Wright International is releasing a better and free version of Project Artemis tonight."

Jasper's hands began to shake.

Avery looked directly into his eyes.

"I built your kingdom."

Her voice was calm.

"Now I'm going to take it back."

Jasper stared at her.

For the first time, he understood how serious the situation was.

He looked at Avery again.

But she had already turned away.

She stood beside Ethan, looking out at the city.

Jasper, Victoria, and Chloe were no longer important to her.

They had been dismissed.