Chapter 348 The Internal System Has Already Collapsed
Susanna's eyes went wide. Gifts from Aaron?
Lillian's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. She practically sprinted to the boxes, looking tiny next to the giant stuffed animal. Susanna gave the gifts a once-over, her face a mix of emotions. What was Aaron up to?
Lillian, all excited at first, suddenly paused and looked at Susanna before putting the gift back. She asked, cool as a cucumber, "Mommy, do we even need these gifts?"
Susanna sighed, unable to ignore the sparkle in Lillian's eyes. She couldn't deny the kid's joy.
She'd always wondered why Lillian suddenly had a thing for Aaron. Maybe it was just the whole blood relation thing.
Susanna ruffled Lillian's hair. "Nah, let's keep 'em."
"Mommy, why are we taking gifts from that jerk dad?"
Susanna shrugged, "Because last night he agreed to go on a date with me. But he still doesn't know who we are, so we're sticking to the plan. We only got a week. If Edward finds out we're in Lindwell, he'll drag us back in no time. You know Uncle Edward always gets his way."
Lillian nodded, all serious. "Okay. What's next, Mommy?"
"Well, I'll hit him up first. You stay home and play sick. Then, when the time's right, you faint, and I'll bring up the bone marrow match," Susanna laid out her plan.
Even with the plan set, Susanna felt a knot in her stomach. How was she gonna get Aaron's bone marrow without spilling the beans about Charles?
After breakfast, Susanna was scrolling through social media and saw Elaine's posts, mostly from the party, flaunting the designer bag and shoes Susanna had given her. Looked like Elaine was really into the gifts.
Susanna quickly hit the 'like' button and dropped a cryptic comment on Elaine's post: [Heading to the hospital later. Wanna come?]
With the clock ticking, she had just a week to get Aaron's bone marrow and also plot some payback for the Abbott family's past bullying. She turned to Lillian. "I'm heading out. Be good and call me if you need anything."
Lillian nodded like a little soldier. She could video call Charles and play with Emma later, so she wasn't worried about being bored.
Seeing Lillian being so good, Susanna couldn't resist giving her a kiss. Then she went upstairs, changed into the latest dress from her closet, grabbed a limited-edition bag, and put on some designer jewelry. She left looking like a million bucks.
Lillian watched Susanna leave from the bedroom window. Then she got down to business, opened her laptop, and logged into some software. Soon, a handsome boy with a serious face popped up on the screen. "Why does your IP say you're in Lindwell?" he asked.
"Because Mommy's in Lindwell."
Lillian, not great at lying, started to panic. Susanna had warned her about the fallout if Edward found out they were in Lindwell—his anger was no joke!
A blonde girl with a sickly look appeared next to Charles and weakly said, "I know, because your mom's trying to trick your dad into giving his bone marrow."
Charles was instantly ticked off. "Who told you to pull this lame stunt? I won't croak without the bone marrow."
Lillian's eyes welled up. "But Mommy said with the bone marrow, you'd get better."
She just wanted Charles to be healthy, go to kindergarten like her, and make friends his age.
In her sweet, innocent voice, Lillian pleaded, "Charles, don't tell Uncle Edward."
Seeing Lillian crying on the other side of the video, Charles's stern look softened a bit. "Stop crying."
"Promise me first, Charles," Lillian insisted.
A few minutes later, Charles grudgingly said, "I promise."
Lillian immediately stopped crying, wiped her tears with her chubby hands, and with snot still hanging from her nose, she gave Charles a bright smile through the video.
Charles sighed. He always knew Lillian was just crying to get her way, but he couldn't do anything about it.
The blonde girl, used to these scenes, casually waved the tablet in her hand and remarked, "Your dad's pretty hot, and he's got a rep for being ruthless in the Lindwell business world. He's kinda awesome."
Charles let out a cold snort, his young face set in determination. "Today, he'll see."
During their brief chat, a computer beside Charles had already hacked into the Abbott Group's system. He navigated through the internal network like a pro, but soon enough, the blaring sound of the Abbott Group's firewall alarm pierced the air.
Lillian was super nervous. "Charles, you've been busted. Run!"
It would be a disaster if Aaron found out about Charles. But Charles stayed cool, his fingers flying over the keyboard. He wasn't about to bail. His eyes stayed glued to the screen, a flicker of uncertainty in them. This time, he had underestimated his opponent.
Usually, Charles breezed through company systems, but the Abbott Group's setup was a tough nut to crack. What had tripped the firewall alarm was still a mystery to him.
Used to breezing through computing challenges, Charles wasn't about to back down now, especially not from Aaron's system!
Charles tightened his handsome little face and started a virtual showdown with the firewall. Soon, the Abbott Group's internal system began to crash, and no one could log in.
Aaron got the news and rushed to the Abbott Group. He stormed into his office and turned on his computer, only to find the internal system had indeed crashed.
With a cold expression, he said, "It's been over thirty minutes and you haven't caught the guy or fixed the system. What are you doing?"
Tyler was sweating bullets. "I'm sorry, Mr. Abbott. The security team is working hard, but this hacker's got serious skills and refuses to leave."
"He refuses to leave, and you're helpless?" Aaron asked sharply.
Tyler explained, "The security team is still trying. The hacker has already cracked the firewall you set up, which is why he's so bold."
Aaron yanked at his tie in frustration, his eyes dark. He sat in front of the computer, and his long fingers began to fly over the keyboard, with lines of code appearing on the screen.
