Chapter 5: The Little Avenger

"Mommy, don't cry." Mia hugged Serenity's leg, looking up with tears in her own eyes.

Serenity wiped her face and forced a smile. "I'm not crying, baby. Just... some dust in my eye."

She hated herself for showing weakness in front of the kids. Jackson's appearance had shaken her to her core.

"That bad man made you sad," a cold, childish voice spoke from the doorway of the playroom.

Serenity looked up. Alex was standing there, leaning against the doorframe. His arms were crossed, and his small face was frighteningly grim.

He looked too mature for a five-year-old.

"Alex, it's nothing," Serenity lied quickly. "Just a rude client."

"He smelled like trouble," Alex said flatly. He walked over, his eyes scanning Serenity's red wrist where Jackson had grabbed her. "He hurt you."

"I'm fine now, sweetie. Let's go home." Serenity picked up her bag, eager to leave the office. She didn't notice the dangerous glint in Alex's eyes.

As Serenity ushered Mia out, Alex stayed behind for a second. He glanced at his mini iPad.

No one bullies my Mommy.

---

Two hours later. The Sterling Group Headquarters.

Jackson was in a video conference with international partners. He was trying to focus, but his mind kept drifting back to the little girl with the teddy bear.

Why did she call me a 'Bad Uncle'?

And why did he feel a strange pang of guilt?

Suddenly, the screen in the conference room flickered.

"Sir? Is something wrong with the connection?" the European partner asked on the large monitor.

Before Jackson could answer, the screen turned pitch black.

Then, a bright red skull appeared in the center of the screen.

It wasn't scary. It was a cartoon skull, sticking its tongue out.

[ SYSTEM ERROR ]
[ YOU ARE A BAD UNCLE! ]

Sirens started blaring throughout the office.

"What is happening?" Jackson stood up, slamming his hand on the desk.

Luke rushed in, sweating profusely. "Mr. Sterling! We are being hacked! Someone breached our firewall. All the computers in the building are displaying... a cartoon skull."

"Shut it down!" Jackson roared. "Where is the IT department? What do I pay them for?"

"They are trying, sir! But the hacker is too fast. He locked us out of the mainframe."

Jackson stared at the cartoon skull on his screen. The text under it changed.

[ APOLOGIZE TO MOMMY OR LOSE YOUR DATA ]

Jackson's eyes narrowed.

Mommy?

He suddenly connected the dots. The "Bad Uncle" comment. The cartoon style. The "Mommy" reference.

This wasn't a corporate spy. This was a child.

And there was only one woman he had offended today.

"Serenity," he muttered the name through gritted teeth. But instead of anger, a strange smirk curled on his lips.

Interesting. So she had a helper?

"Luke!" Jackson barked. "Tell the IT team to stop fighting the firewall. Trace the signal! I want to know where this little rat is hiding."

Ten minutes later, the chaotic alarm finally stopped. The computers returned to normal, but a file had been left on Jackson's desktop named "PUNISHMENT".

Jackson clicked it open. It was a photo of him... photoshopped to look like a pig.

Luke gasped, covering his mouth to stop from laughing. He looked at Jackson's terrified face.

"Get out," Jackson said calmly.

Luke scrambled out of the office.

Jackson looked at the pig photo, then at the IP address report Luke had placed on his desk.

Origin: Starry Tower, 30th Floor. Serenity's Office.

"So, it is you," Jackson whispered, tapping the desk.

He wasn't angry about the pig photo. He was impressed.

To hack into the Sterling Group's top-tier security system in under five minutes... that required genius-level coding skills.

Was Serenity that smart? No. He knew her. She was a designer, not a hacker.

So who did it?

Jackson's mind flashed back to the investigation file. "Miss Vera brought two children..."

He had seen the girl, Mia. She was cute and feisty.

But he hadn't seen the other child. The boy.

A crazy thought formed in Jackson's mind. Could a five-year-old boy take down his company's network?

If it was true... then that child was a prodigy. A genius.

And intelligence like that usually ran in the blood.

Jackson picked up his phone.

"Luke, prepare the car," he said, his voice deep and determined. "And contact a DNA testing facility. Tell them to be on standby."

"Sir? Where are we going?" Luke asked over the intercom.

"We are going back to Starry Tower," Jackson stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. His eyes shone with a predator's light.

"I need to meet this 'Little Avenger' in person."