Chapter 9

Isabella grabbed Vivian's wrist tightly. "Did he recognize you?" Her fingertips trembled slightly. If she'd known it was Ethan Roscente, she would never have let Vivian participate in that competition.

Vivian scoffed and shook off her hand. "He only knows me as Night."

"Sophia Evans?" Isabella's eyes widened. "That influencer who posts yacht photos on Instagram?" She stomped her foot angrily. "Is Ethan insane? Asking his ex-wife to save his mistress?"

Vivian wiped her fingers methodically, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "That's why I refused."

Isabella immediately perked up, leaning closer. "What's your plan?"

Vivian didn't answer. She strode straight to the parking lot. The roar of an engine split the night as a red sports car sped away.

Water dripped in the villa bathroom. Vivian emerged wrapped in a robe, her hair still damp. She opened her laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard.

Suddenly, Roscente Group plunged into darkness.

"What's happening?" The IT director wiped sweat from his brow. "All systems are down!"

A pig in a business suit appeared on every screen, a glowing "Roscente" character above its head. The technicians exchanged nervous glances, none daring to speak.

"It's Queen!" the lead engineer gasped. "Only she could breach our firewall!"

Ethan was en route to the hospital when his phone vibrated. The photo from Simon made his pupils constrict.

"Queen?" His eyes narrowed, knuckles whitening.

Memories of their three-day cyber battle two years ago surfaced. It had ended in a stalemate. He never expected her to attack Roscente Group now.

Vivian watched the cascading data streams, a cold smile curling her lips. With a tap of the enter key, every display in Roscente Group lit up simultaneously—

The suited pig began tap dancing to "The Piggy Song."

The entire IT department froze in shock.

Watching the live feed, Ethan suddenly laughed. He dialed an encrypted number. "Long time no see, Queen."

Vivian's screen went black. Blood-red letters slowly materialized:

"Got you."