It was the only way to truly stand firm in this world—unshakable, untouchable.


    And finally im real power.


    "Think it over, Eugene."


    Johnnie pulled open the hospital room door.


    He stepped out, but paused abruptly. Turning slightly, he nced back at the boy with a faint smile. "You were born into the very heart of power, naturally drawn to it. For others, reaching the top is a lifelong struggle, but for you, it''s right there-if you want it. Don''t waste that."


    "When your mentor arrives, I''lle pick you up."


    "Let me know your answer soon."


    "Good morning, Mr. Whitmore."


    "Morning, Mr. Whitmore..."


    Late morning, Forrest was leading a very reluctant Adrian by the hand as they entered The FM Building. Every employee who recognized Forrest greeted him, their curious gazes flickering toward the child at his side.


    It was a rare sight.


    Their boss had never married-had been single for ages-and now, out of the blue, he''d brought a kid to work. What was going on?


    And then, of course, everyone remembered the recent rumors.


    Apparently, Mr. Whitmore had been pursuing that woman-rumored to be the granddaughter of Jade, the founder of Splendid, one of the world''s thirteen most exclusive luxury brands. Anyone who followed high fashion had heard Jade''s name, and although their family connection had never been officially announced, whispers about it had persisted for years.


    And they both shared the samest name.


    M was making a name for herself in the industry too. She held a top position at Splendid, sat on the board of Montgomery Holdings, and had be quite active in business circles over the past year.


    Not to mention her rather colorful romantic history... She''d once been married to Lysander thete, legendary former chairman of the Montgomery Group.


    And they''d had a son together.


    Could this kid be the Montgomery family''s child?


    So, had their own Mr. Whitmore really swooped in on the Montgomerys?


    Digging through the gossip, people remembered that not long ago, Mr. Whitmore had been out of the office-reportedly flying overseas to chase after someone.


    Judging by appearances, his efforts had paid off.


    By midday, the office was abuzz with spection. Private group chats exploded with rumors, and by the time the story made its rounds, it had turned into, "Mr. Whitmore sessfully stole the heiress." People were already debating when the wedding would be, whether they''d get time off, maybe even bonuses orpany perks... After all, their solitary boss finally had some good news. Wasn''t that something worth celebrating together?


    Let the staff bask in a little of that happiness, too.


    Meanwhile, Forrest, in the middle of a meeting with the R&D team, waspletely unaware of the wildfire he''d started by simply bringing a kid to work.


    Not that he minded.


    He watched the project presentation sh by on the screen, listening to the technical report. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adrian perched on a chair, clutching his handheld game console-clearly, Forrest meant it when he said he''d bring the kid to work.


    He really was busy, after all.


    But since he''d promised M, he was determined to keep the boy close, right under his watchful eye-no mistakes allowed.


    Sensing Forrest''s gaze, Adrian set his game down and grumbled, "This is so boring: I''m hungry. I want to go outside. All these grown-ups were babbling about things he didn''t understand. It had been interesting at first, but now he was dozing off, and even his game couldn''t keep him awake.


    Dad used to do this, too.


    But at least he''d never made Adrian listen to all this.


    It was mind-numbing.


    He regretted not agreeing to just go out and y.


    Forrest chuckled, nudging his silver-rimmed sses up his nose. Indulgently, he said, "All right, let''s make some minor adjustments per the discussion, finalize the program as soon as possible, and get a batch of prototypes out there for testing." After a few more instructions, he finally stood, taking Adrian with him.


    Just as they stepped outside, a casually dressed man hurried over and called out, "Mr. Whitmore, the Federal Security Bureau just phoned-they say the CN algorithm we embedded is having issues, and they want you to look at it right away."


    "There''s a problem with CN?"


    Forrest frowned.


    He gave a short nod, then turned to


    Adrian with an apologetic smile. "Looks like w we''ll have to have lunch on the go, Adrian. Want toe with me to the Federal Security Bureau? Your mom helped design this algorithm, you know. Want to see what it''s all about?"


    Adrian was about toin, but paused at that. "Is it something really impressive?"


    Forrest thought about downying it, but considering the kid''s personality, he changed course. "Yes. It''s very impressive."


    "Then I want to see!"


    Federal Security Bureau.


    In the researchb, Forrest quickly scanned the system''s feedback logs for the embedded algorithm. His frown eased. "The system''s fine. Someone''s trying to hack in, using a very subtle method. Usually, this would just trigger false rms. They''re probably after some kind of


    data."


    A broad-shouldered, square-jawed man beside him looked grave. "Was anything


    stolen? Can you trace it?"


    The Federal Security Bureau couldn''t afford any leaks.


    "Don''t worry."


    Forrest had full confidence in his algorithm. No one was getting their data. But what mattered was tracking the intruder. He called up the logs, fingers flying over the keyboard, tapping out a string ofplex code. He murmured, "Encrypted."


    It didn''t take long. He turned to the man, rapping his knuckle lightly on a string of characters on the monitor.


    "It came from overseas."


    The room fell silent as everyone''s faces changed.