<b>Chapter </b><b>110 </b>


    Alone in the office, Briar nced at the closed door, then at Ashton’s desk. After a moment’s hesitation, she slowly got up and walked over,


    Settling into his chair, she ced her hand on Ashton’s keyboard and took a deep breath.


    Ashton’s quick response to the earlier incident made it clear he was a trueputer expert. Anyone that skilled would be extremely alert <b>to </b>


    any changes on their ownputer.


    If someone touched hisputer, he would notice. No matter how carefully they tried to cover their tracks.


    It was an instinctive sense, and what she was doing now was definitely a huge risk.


    If Ashton noticed anything strange, she’d be the first person he’d suspect. After all, she was the only one who had ess to hisputer during this time.


    He’d even entered his password right in front of her.


    But she had to act fast before Ashton realized what was going on. She needed to erase any traces she’d left on theputer.


    Theptop on the couch was Ashton’s personal device, and it was synced with the desktop.


    Even if she deleted all her browsing and usage history from theptop, it would still be essible on thisputer.


    A minuteter, Briar settled back onto the couch. Everything on the desk looked exactly as it had when Ashton left–like nothing had ever been touched.


    She tore open a bag of chips, crunching away at them, lookingpletely at ease as she went back to her game as if nothing had happened.


    Meanwhile, in therge conference room, the atmosphere was anything but calm. Ashton had just dropped a bombshell on everyone.


    “Mr. Wade, are you serious? A legendary hacker actually helped us block that virus attack?” one of the executives asked.


    “Who was it? We’ve got some elite hackers here, and none of us could crack it. How could someone else be that good?” another added.


    It made sense that they were so stunned. The Wade Group was packed with talent.


    They might not be the best in all of Dasmieca, but they definitely had the most top experts. For someone to act even faster than these people was almost unthinkable.


    The fact that the Wade Group had suffered a cyberattack from an unknown hacker was simply inconceivable.


    The people responsible for theirwork security were among the top hackers in all of Dasmieca.


    For someone to breach their defenses right in front of these experts, it was no wonder that Ashton was so angry.


    Thepany had so many elite hackers on the payroll, yet before they could evene up with a solution, an outsider had already stepped in and wiped out the virus,


    This wasn’t helping. It was a p in the face


    Everyone’s expressions wereplicated. This incident had hurt their self–esteem.


    Meanwhile, Briar had no clue about the tense atmosphere in the conference room.


    Chapter 110.


    She was curled up in the office, ying games and chatting with Alexia, who had just returned to <b>Qathana</b>.


    When Alexia heard that Briar had actually brought out her “retired” identity as the legendary international hacker Bree, Alexa nearby he


    out.


    Alexia’s voice was full of panic. “What did you just say? You actually got involved? You need to be carefull


    “Do you have any idea how much info about Bree could go for in Dasmieca?”


    Alexia waspletely stunned by Briar’s crazy stunt.


    She thought, ‘Wasn’t she supposed to be retired?


    ‘She just jumped in like that? Not even a hint or a warning?


    ‘If someone locked onto her unique signal, she’d have the whole city after her.‘


    Being a hacker in their world was just like being a mercenary–living on the edge, with their neck always on the line, never knowing <b>when </b><b>it </b>might all go south.


    That was exactly why she and Alex never dared to take a direct flight from Dasmieca to Qathana.


    “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Briar said, though she wasn’t as confident as she sounded.


    Alexia snorted. “You’d better. You’re all alone in Dasmieca. If something happens, we’re too far away to help you.”


    Briar knew she was risking exposing herself, so she didn’t argue with Alexia any further. “I know.”


    Alexia nagged, “Sweetie, you need to remember that there’s a 24 million dor bounty on your head as Bree right now internationally. It’s twenty–four million, Briar!”


    Briar was at a loss for words.


    Alexia kept going. “Do you even have that much cash in Dasmieca right now?”


    Briar remained silent.


    Briar clutched her chest dramatically, feeling the sting from Alexia’s words. “Alright, I’ll keep my cover safe. Stop nagging already.”


    Alexia finally let up and switched topics. “By the way, your neighbor is so ridiculously handsome it should be illegal.


    “Honestly, I’d even go weak when seeing him. But seriously, be careful. That guy is not someone we can just mess with.”


    Briar arched an eyebrow. “I know, I’ll be careful.”


    Two hourster, Ashton came back from the meeting. The moment he walked in, he saw Briar sprawled on the couch<b>, </b>watching a horror


    movie.


    Theputer was sting with blood–curdling screams. “You beast, prepare to die!”


    Ashton felt speechless.


    Briar heard the door and quickly turned down the volume. “Ashton, you’re back!”


    Ashton strolled in, looking unfazed. “Got bored waiting?”


    ‘So bored you’re watching horror flicks in the office? That’s one quirky way to pass the time, Ashton thought.


    Briar shrugged, “It’s alright.”


    Ashton suddenly asked, “Two hours ago, ourpany got hit by a cyberattack.


    “But before I could even do anything, someone else had already beefed up our security.


    Briar, want to know who it was?”


    Briar lounged on the couch, tilting her head as she met Ashton’s eyes, a hint of curiosity in herzy voice. “Who was it?”


    “The legendary international hacker Bree,” Ashton replied, his tone <i>so </i>casual and unthreatening, it almost made her forget to be on guard<b>. </b>


    Briar blinked. “Bree? Never heard of them. Are they famous or something?”


    Ashton leaned down and picked up theptop from Briar’sp. “Yeah, they’re pretty famous. And worth a fortune.


    “If I spread the word that Bree is in Dasmieca, l’could pocket 24 million dors in just half an hour.”


    Briar caught a whiff of the faint, warm scent of ebony from Ashton. It was unique andforting, just like his voice, which waspletely non–threatening.


    But when he mentioned “24 million dors,” her heart still skipped a beat.


    If she hadn’t already checked Ashton’s office for bugs, she’d almost think this guy had somehow overheard her conversation with Alexia.


    “So, are you really going to sell that info?” Briar asked.


    “Depends,” Ashton replied, setting theptop on the coffee table and casually pulling Briar up.


    He added, “It’s about time for lunch. Come on, let’s eat. When we get back, you can get some rest.”


    Ashton hadn’t forgotten that Briar hadn’t slept well <i>the </i>night before.


    Briar just went along as Ashton took her hand and led her out of the office. “So, where are we eating? Are we going to the cafeteria?”


    “No, I have my own dining room. It’s right next door,” Ashton said.