?Chapter 1039:


    Elena immediately sensed thework breakdown might be Lydia’s doing. Her expression darkened. Apparently, Evelyn had ignored her warning and provoked Lydia anyway.


    A quick note went out from Elena in the group chat. “Pass this along—nobody’s taking this job.”


    Cyn responded almost instantly, “Wait, EL, did something happen between you and the Morgan Group?”


    SecondBest, silent until now, finally chimed in, “Want me to make things worse for them?”


    Elena replied, “Just do as I said—everyone ignores the Morgan Group job.”


    A private message from Avo appeared next. “EL, are you familiar with whoever hacked them?”


    Elena saw no reason to keep secrets. “Yes.”


    By now, Avo had already pieced together that Lydia was the mastermind behind the Morgan Group hack. Realizing Lydia was safe, he let his worries fade away.


    Soon after, Pantheon’s system gged the Morgan Group, adding them to the infamous cklist. No Pantheon hacker would ever touch their requests.


    Back at the Morgan Group, Evelyn remained convinced EL would take the job, still trying to calm her father’s nerves. “Dad, just rx. Fifty million is too tempting for anyone, even EL. Give it another minute—EL will say yes.”


    This was theirst shot, and Jerry had no choice but to cling to his daughter’s optimism. Within the employees, however, hope was in short supply. Rumors had always said EL cared little for money. Even an astronomical sum wouldn’t sway EL.


    Phones buzzed in the background. Suddenly, one staff member’s eyes went wide. “Are you seeing this? Ourpany has been cklisted by Pantheon!”


    Brows furrowed, Evelyn shot the staff member a look. “Pantheon? And what’s so bad about their cklist?”


    A deep sigh followed. “Pantheon is the top hacker organization worldwide, and EL is part of it. If the Morgan Group is cklisted, no Pantheon hacker will ever take a job connected with ourpany.”


    Confusion turned to rm as Jerry asked, “How did ite to this?”


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    A shake of the head was all the reaction. “We must’ve seriously angered Pantheon. Things aren’t looking good…”


    “Who cares?” Evelyn scoffed, waving off the concerns. “If Pantheon won’t help, there are plenty of hackers left in the world. Someone will take the job.”


    Fear drained the color from the staff member’s face. “It’s never that simple. Pantheon has most of the elite hackers across the globe, and anyone who isn’t part of Pantheon is too afraid to go against Pantheon. Being on Pantheon’s cklist is career suicide. No one will step up…”


    The staff member had already started thinking about quitting. He understood there was a line between holding down a job and risking everything he’d built. He was low on thedder, and picking a fight with Pantheon’s heavyweights wasn’t something he could afford.


    Skeptical, Evelyn doubled the offer, raising the bounty to a hundred million, hoping greed would prevail somewhere. But nothing changed. Thirty minutes dragged by, and no hacker would bite. Even her old ssmate had blocked her out of self-preservation.


    Throughout it all, the Morgan Group’swork remained offline, locked out for three agonizing hours until Lydia finally relented. By then, both their finances and reputation had taken a devastating blow.


    Jerry’s steps faltered, and he nearly lost his bnce.


    Without a second thought, Evelyn rushed over, guiding Jerry gently to the sofa before passing him the oxygen tank. “Dad, are you alright?”


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