?Chapter 240:


    Tonight, while Cole drifted through dreams, she intended to temporarily neutralize Myles and once again prate the Evans Group’swork. She needed confirmation whether Jody—thework’s enigmatic guardian—would materialize. If Jody appeared, Myles couldn’t possibly be Jody, and she’d redirect her investigation elsewhere.


    Elliana descended the stairs and stepped into the night air. There, in the garden, Myles hunched over his work beneath the warm glow of a solitarymp. She approached with calcted casualness.


    “‘Mrs. Evans.” Myles acknowledged, rising immediately with proper deference.


    “‘Please, don’t trouble yourself,” Elliana said with an easy smile, her hand making a dismissive gesture. “I’m simply seeking some night air. Continue your work—pretend I’m not even here.”


    She settled beside the table as she spoke.


    Myles epted her presence without suspicion and returned to his papers.


    After a measured nce in his direction, Elliana discreetly uncorked the tiny vial concealed in her palm.


    Five secondster, Myles copsed against the table, consciousness fleeing.


    A hint of satisfaction curved her lips. Her specialized sleeping powder never disappointed—undetectable by color or taste, guaranteed to render its target unconscious within moments.


    With Myles effectively neutralized, Elliana extracted her phone and initiated her infiltration of the Evans Group’swork. After navigating several digital barriers, she finally breached Jody’s sophisticated firewall. Just as she prepared to delve deeper into protected files, Jody’s familiar digital presence emerged.


    Jody’s firewall wasn’t just good—it was elite. The kind of system that could frustrate even the most seasoned hackers.


    Even Elliana had to admit it was a challenge. She’d been working on it for quite some time. And the whole time she was cracking away at the system, Jody never showed. That only boosted her confidence. Maybe her hunch was right—maybe Myles really was Jody. She had made Myles unconscious, which might suggest the Evans Group’s most important gatekeeper was basically disarmed.


    But just as she reached the finalyer, ready to ess the Evans Group’s database, Jody appeared out of nowhere.


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    Though they couldn’t see each other, Elliana felt like she’d been caught in the act. Her heart stuttered. It was the exact feeling of a burr getting caught mid-heist.


    Jody’s message came through, smooth and calm, almost teasing. “Back again?”


    Elliana let out a nervousugh and typed back. “Yeah.”


    “Persistent, aren’t you?” he asked, amused.


    Sheughed again—awkward, fake, and flustered. “Ha-ha…”


    So much for her theory. Myles clearly wasn’t Jody. And now wasn’t the time to push her luck. If she triggered any rms, it could disturb Cole. He needed his rest.


    After a brief pause, she sighed and logged off, quietly backing out of thework of the Evans Group.


    She slipped her phone into her pocket and tiptoed upstairs. Gently, she pushed open the bedroom door, careful not to make a sound.


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