Chapter 40 A Head-to-Head
Haley carried the ingredients into the villa and said as she walked, "This is my grandmother's house."
"Your grandmother sure treats you well," Thomas clicked his tongue twice, "But let's be clear, this house belongs to your grandmother, not your name. How about this, marry me, and I'll buy you a Bund waterfront villa with only your name on it."
Haley kicked at him, "Thomas, if you keep talking nonsense, just get out!"
"Ouch, Haley, be gentle, that hurt!" Thomas dodged with Angela in his arms. "I was wrong, I won't tease you anymore."
He sat on the floor in the living room, playing with building blocks with Angela. Todd glanced at his sister and habitually opened his laptop, logging into his personal account. Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of coldness appeared in his gentle eyes.
Someone was trying to crack the encrypted surveillance video he secured. Half of the one hundred and eight passwords had already been decoded. He quickly opened the program page and entered battle mode in an instant.
For each password the other party cracked, he strengthened another layer of key protection. With multiple layers built up, the video was already protected by hundreds of keys, however, the other party showed no intention of giving up.
"Todd, what are you doing?" Thomas suddenly leaned over.
After understanding the situation, he burst into laughter, "There is actually a hacker genius who can match Todd's skills in this world. This is interesting."
At the age of three, Todd had already displayed exceptional hacking talent. Now, just over four years old, he had become a top hacker worldwide. If it wasn't for Haley forbidding Todd from using hacker techniques for illegal gains, Todd might have become a billionaire by now.
Thomas always believed that when Todd was serious, he would undoubtedly be the world's number one hacker. But now, it seemed like Todd had encountered a formidable opponent.
Thomas stared at his screen for a while, then brought over another computer, entering the battle program in a second. Both of them simultaneously encrypted the video, doubling their speed, leaving the enemy far behind...
On the other end of the computer, Keith's hands flew swiftly. Quickly tapping on the keyboard, his speed was so fast that only blurry afterimages could be seen. Sweat beads had already started appearing on his forehead, dripping onto the keyboard, one by one.
It had been more than a year since he entered the hacking business, and he had never encountered such a formidable opponent before. This video was Emily ambushed Haley at the cemetery. It had been circulating on the internet for several days, with an astonishing number of shares. He had to delete it.
Keith took a deep breath, his movements on the keyboard becoming faster. However, he was ultimately no match for two people. Soon, all the footage he had decrypted had been encrypted with an S-level key.
Just then, Ivan pushed open the door and entered the study. The room was dark, and the blue light from the computer screen reflected on Keith's face, making the sweat on his forehead more visible.
"Keith, what are you doing?" Ivan stood about a meter away from him, coldly speaking. "Didn't I tell you, not to use hacking techniques for anything, anymore?"
Keith pursed his pale lips and slowly replied, "I have to do this for the sake of my mother's reputation."
His actions on the keyboard didn't stop at all, instead, they became even faster. But no matter how fast he was, it was useless. The other side was closing in too quickly, leaving him no time to catch his breath.
Ivan stepped closer, step by step. He finally saw the video clearly. It was surveillance footage that had been circulating on the internet a few days ago. Haley was ambushed by Emily at the cemetery and was ultimately killed by her.
Although the fervor of public opinion had subsided, as long as this video existed, Emily would never be able to clear her name. No matter how bad of a person Emily was, she was still the mother of their children.
Ivan clenched his jaw tightly. He approached Keith and grabbed him by the back of his collar.
"Dad, let go of me!" Keith struggled, "I swear, this is the last time I'll be a hacker."
Ivan threw him aside and sat down at the computer himself. Keith thought his dad would shut down the computer, but instead, he saw Ivan's fingertips landing on the keyboard, typing away.
Outsiders only knew Ivan as a business genius. Only Keith knew that his dad was the real hacking expert. When Keith was three years old, he accidentally saw his dad using a computer to battle illegal hackers from abroad, which ignited his own talent in this field.
With his dad taking action, this matter would be resolved, However, half an hour later...
"Fuck! Who the hell is that on the other side?" Thomas slammed his fist on the computer. "I actually lost!!"
Todd tightened his pale pink lips and spoke softly, "They switched players in the middle. The person behind is the real hacking master. I'm no match for him."
Having been in the hacking world for a year, he had never encountered these two people before. The person in front could be considered on par with him, but the person behind. It would probably take ten of him combined to equal that person.
In this round, he lost.
Haley brought out the food and glanced over, saying, "Thomas, what bad things are you doing with my son again?"
Thomas calmly stuffed the two laptops under the couch, and replied, "Haley, we were just, well I just want to ask Todd what it takes for him to call me 'dad.'"
"Maybe in the next life, there will be a chance," Haley said indifferently.
"Haley, you're so heartless!" Thomas exaggeratedly clutching his heart, said, "I've pursued you for four years. Even a stone should have been warmed by now. Why are you so indifferent? Why am I so miserable..."
Todd pulled out a chair and sat down, casually saying, "Thomas, hurry up and eat. Angela is almost done with the food."
Thomas was startled and quickly sat at the dining table. He had witnessed Angela's appetite, which was even bigger than his. If he acted too slowly, he would end up just drinking the soup. The meal ended amidst the laughter and chatter of the few people.
However, Thomas clung to the blanket on the sofa and refused to leave. "I don't have a place to stay in Cuenca. I'll stay here today."
Haley kicked his leg, saying, “I’ll give you money. Go and book a hotel for yourself.”
"No, I have cleanliness issues. I'll get rashes if I sleep in a hotel," Thomas sobbed while clinging to Angela, "Angela, I care about you the most. Today, your mom wants to kick me out and make me sleep on the streets. I'll freeze to death in the night temperature. Angela, can you help me?"
Haley resisted the urge to roll her eyes and said deliberately, "Are you asking me to throw you out?"
Just then, Angela suddenly pushed open the door to the guest room on the first floor with her short little legs. Then she looked up with her watery eyes and gazed at Haley. Haley understood Angela’s intentions. She wanted Thomas to stay.
Besides relying on her and Todd, Thomas was the third person Angela trusted. Perhaps because Thomas was the only adult male figure in the little girl's life, she naturally trusted and relied on him.
Haley pursed her lips and said, "At most three days, after three days, get lost."
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