Knowing Someone And Still Chose To Be The Third Party
1557 Words
Selena Green's instincts kicked in immediately.
She lowered her gaze, no longer focusing on Gary's striking features. He suddenly noticed the string of sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist.
They seemed familiar to her.
Quickly, she recalled a past event.
One year at an auction, she had her eye on a set of prayer beads, intending to buy them for her grandfather. The auction house planned to let her have them without much fuss, but someone unexpectedly started bidding against her. The item, worth several million, was bid up to fifty million. Amused and annoyed, she finally let the other person have it for a hundred million.
As she thought about this, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
Could he be the one who competed with her back then?
Her presence clearly made the group of black-suited bodyguards wary, their sharp eyes watching her every move until both parties passed by without incident.
Once she was a safe distance away, Selena allowed herself to relax a bit and headed toward the third floor. She didn't notice the young man suddenly stop, turn, and watch her retreating figure with interest until she disappeared from view.
"Find out who she is," the young man said, idly fiddling with the beads on his wrist.
"Yes, Liam."
Selena reached the third floor, scanned her fingerprint and retina at the door, and the heavy door opened silently.
Everyone in A City knew that the third floor of Nightfall Bar was not open to the public, regardless of how high or powerful one's status might be.
As soon as she entered, Selena was greeted by a wall filled with electronic screens, each displaying surveillance footage from various countries around the world.
In front of the screens, a group of people were diligently working. Selena stood nearby, arms crossed, observing without interrupting.
Soon, the bar manager hurried over, visibly excited.
"Miss, you're back."
Selena gave a slight smile, "Long time no see, Uncle Zong."
The Green Clan's business empire spanned a vast range of industries—finance, real estate, jewelry, entertainment, healthcare, consumer goods, and mining. They had a hand in almost every profitable sector, with a secret focus on the military industry, ranking among the world's top ten arms dealers.
After Selena took over the family business, she established a highly secretive intelligence organization called XY. No one knew that its headquarters were right here at Nightfall.
In the past few days, Henry had reported all the intelligence gathered over the years to her. Today, she was here to reassure her team and to make some necessary arrangements.
After finishing her tasks, she remembered the man she had seen in the hallway earlier. Curious, she walked over to an empty computer, pulled up the surveillance footage, and pointed to the young man, asking, "Who is this?"
Uncle Zong glanced at the screen, his expression turning serious. "That's Liam from the Connor Family. The Connor Family's base is in Europe. A few years ago, after Liam took control of the family business, he expanded some of their operations and influence back here. Now, the Connor Family is a formidable force domestically, one that no one dares to underestimate."
"This guy is really tough to deal with! Once, we took a job to investigate him, but before we even got close, he noticed us. The people we sent were returned half-dead, and a batch of our goods mysteriously disappeared, only to be found six months later..."
The money they lost was exactly the amount they earned from the investigation job, a clear act of retaliation and warning from the other party.
"What's he here for today?"
Uncle Zong frowned, "He wants to meet with you to discuss the merger of XY."
Calling it a merger was more like a takeover.
Selena chuckled softly, "Interesting."
It had been a while since someone dared to covet her possessions.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, her fingers swiftly tapping on the keyboard, lines of code appearing on the screen.
Meanwhile, in a moving car, Mark held his phone and turned to the young man pretending to sleep in the back seat, "Liam, there's a hacker trying to breach the T-net backend, and our IT team can't hold them off."
Liam opened his eyes, his dark gaze deep and unfathomable. He reached out, and his assistant quickly handed him a laptop.
Selena soon realized her intrusion was being blocked, which made her a bit excited, "Finally, someone who can put up a fight."
She hadn't expected that the Connor Family had an intelligence organization behind them, no wonder they wanted to take over XY.
After all, two tigers can't share one mountain.
An hour later, the screen in front of her suddenly went black. An ink-painted cat paw pressed down on a struggling fish, and with a flick, it gobbled up a line of command characters. As each line disappeared, the Connor Family data she had found was completely shredded and destroyed.
Selena glared at the screen, where the cheeky ink cat was licking sunflower seeds, grinding her teeth in frustration.
How could she, a globally renowned hacker, be defeated like this?!
Though part of it was due to her three-year hiatus from hacking, which inevitably dulled her skills, the fact remained she was outmatched.
Uncle Zong looked at her with concern, but Selena pushed down her resentment and reassured him, "Don't worry, they can't trace my identity."
Just as she finished speaking, a line of text flashed across the screen: [You lost!]
[I have a business proposition for XY. Meet up?]
Clearly, the opponent had already figured out that XY was the one who hacked in!
Selena snorted. Just because you say meet, I should?
Yet, her fingers typed on the screen: [Time and place.]
With her agreement, an electronic invitation promptly appeared—a future charity gala hosted by David Smith.
Selena stared at the invitation, narrowing her eyes.
She was determined to find out who exactly was on the other side!
Inside the car, Liam's lips curled into a knowing smile.
Mark received the news of the failed attack and sighed in relief, turning back to Liam, "The data is intact, nothing was lost."
"Could this be XY's doing? We were just about to meet their boss, and then our system got hacked..."
Liam replied calmly, "If they can't even manage this, then they're not worth my time."
"XY has been declining over the years, overlapping with T in many areas. Merging them doesn't seem to offer much benefit," Mark pondered aloud.
Liam's long fingers tapped on the screen where a motionless fish was displayed.
"A fish without its owner won't dare to jump around, but once the owner returns, it will inevitably stir up trouble."
"However, the best place for a fish is always in the belly of a cat..."
...
Soon after, Selena casually descended the stairs and headed toward the private room where Robert was.
As she reached the door, Robert, who was standing guard, spotted her immediately. His eyes lit up as he approached, asking, "Ginger, where did you go?"
"Just went to the restroom," Selena said casually, her eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on the couple at the center of attention.
The man was handsome and noble, the woman graceful and ethereal—a perfect match. It was Charles and Ruth.
Ruth's cheeks were slightly flushed, seemingly unable to handle her drink, as she leaned softly against Charles, their posture incredibly intimate.
The people around them were smiling and chatting, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Selena ignored the brief pang in her heart, curled her lips into a slight smile, and followed Robert into the private room.
Someone with sharp eyes noticed them and immediately shouted, "Wow, Mr. Pearson, where did you find such a beauty?"
The voice was so loud that it drew everyone's attention.
Charles's indifferent gaze turned toward them, and he instantly recognized Selena. His expression darkened.
It seemed she hadn't taken his previous warning seriously.
His cold eyes locked onto the vibrant Selena. Did she think a change in appearance would make him change his mind?
"Don't make a fuss, or I'll deal with you if you scare Ms. Green!" Robert scolded the person who had shouted, proudly leading Selena toward Charles and the others.
Charles watched his hand resting on Selena's waist, a flicker of anger crossing his eyes without him even realizing it.
Ruth noticed his change in demeanor and subtly glanced at Selena, her brow furrowing slightly, though her face remained with a gentle smile. "Brother, who might this be?"
Selena gave her a half-smile, "Miss Pearson, it seems you've forgotten me."
Ruth's smile paused for a moment, but she remained polite. "I'm sorry, I've just returned to the country and haven't seen my friends here in a while. If I've been presumptuous, I hope you won't mind."
Selena didn't respond to her, instead turning to Robert with a deeper smile. "Did you organize this gathering?"
Robert seemed oblivious to any tension, grinning widely. "To celebrate my brother's escape from misery and his upcoming divorce!"
Selena's lips curled with a hint of mystery. "Upcoming divorce, so not yet divorced?"
She gestured towards the cozy Charles and Ruth, her smile bright. "So, are you matchmaking, or helping your sister play the third wheel?"
- Writer
