The world appeared to stop breathing, stunned into a state of suspended disbelief, as Alicia's slap crackled loudly through the air. Marcus's hand went reflexively to his flushed cheek, his shocked eyes wide as though they were trying to absorb the unimaginable."Did you just..." Marcus's voice trailed off, hoarse with disbelief, his gaze locked on Alicia, searching for some semblance of reason in her furious eyes."Why do you always have to be so damn unreasonable?" Alicia's chest rose and fell with the effort of her sprint to confront Marcus, and her voice echoed throughout the room, every word full of pent-up frustration.When she heard the news, she left what she was doing and sprinted here without thinking twice. Marcus's voice rose to match Alicia's intensity as his own anger flared in response. With an accusatory tone, he shot back, "And why are you cheating on me with someone like him? If you want to cheat, find someone of your own caliber!!!"Alicia drew back, the surprise
As Jeff waited in front of the building, he couldn't shake off the feeling of exhaustion. It appears that haughtiness will never go away.Especially rich people. They consider their life to be superior to everyone else's and look down on others.Perhaps that is the case, but why are they so arrogant and include strangers in their unkempt affairs? His thoughts were interrupted when a car pulled up to the curb. With a quick glance, Jeff noticed the familiar sound of the engine, which suggested the unexpected arrival of someone. The window whirred down, revealing a pair of piercing eyes that Jeff had encountered before."Atlas?" Jeff whispered to himself, his tone slightly surprised.Atlas greeted him with a smirk. "Young Master Jeff, it is been a long time. Or should I say, renowned Jeff after your groundbreaking performance today?"Jeff chuckled, a touch of arrogance creeping into his voice. "Well, I did deserve all the recognition," he said, furrowing his brows."You are still prou
Atlas returned to the Grador's estate the next morning, looking more disheveled than the village rat. His clothes were crumpled and his hair was disheveled, showing signs of a turbulent night. He awoke to discover that he was in a different room and that a crumpled piece of paper was stuck to his forehead as a sobering reminder of how he had spent his last night. Upon entering, he encountered his younger brother, Robert, a year his junior but twice as haughty. With a smug demeanor that made him seem like a second skin, Robert relaxed in a chair with his legs crossed. With a look of contempt, he looked directly at Atlas, his arrogance unwavering."Where have you been?" Robert asked, arrogance leaking from his voice.Atlas responded coldly and distantly, showing no sign of warmth. He shot back, bitter in his words, "It is none of your concern."But Robert was not so easily deterred. "It will be Father's concern when he inquires about your absence," he remarked, a smirk playing on his
Tension hung over the family members gathered in the Malfoy Mansion, swirling around them like a dense fog. Seated at the head of the table, Old Master Malfoy's severe expression revealed little about his inner thoughts. His furrowed brow drew worry lines. It appeared as though he had aged slightly in a brief amount of time.Sanya, on the other hand, had more fatigue as seen by her wrinkled face and dark circles under her eyes. It appeared as though the refined woman had vanished. Her beauty differs from what was know.David was standing by her side, offering her support through the recent events and acting as a silent shield for his wife.Arlina sat at the far end of the table, a physical distance between her and her husband, Duane. She was cold and untouchable. Although his invitation to this meeting had brought them together, it appeared to deepen rather than to heal the Family. Duane tried to be polite, but his words were drowned out by the reverberations of old grudges.The den
Dinner at a renowned family like the Carter Family was always so-so. With faces they are used to and with faces they don't want to see anymore, each member occupies a seat, waiting for the Patriarch of the family to arrive. Marcus sat at the far end of the table, his gaze fixed on his phone. He's finally going to compete against the nineteen-year-old boy tomorrow."Dang it" He murmured under his breath as he checked the internet with his disguise account.Marcus doesn't understand why they are comparing him with the boy who just came out of nowhere.Even though he outsmarted his colleagues in the qualifying stage, it doesn't mean he's at the same level as him.Now that a winner is selected from the four groups created for the qualifying stage, Marcus Carter is going to compete with Jeff Hemsworth while Marcus Cuomo will compete with Eric Bush.The winners will proceed to the final stage after that."You've been frowning too much dear. Don't worry about the March, you've always won. T
The team assigned to Jeff followed him to the venue of the World Software Competition this time, including Mr. Gary. Ever since Jeff exceeded their expectations in the qualifying stage, he has been so quiet and would not talk if not necessary.Although he hasn't apologized to Jeff, one could tell what was wrong with him. He looked shameful but wouldn't dare to act inferior to Jeff.Before, no one is allowed in the venue but a message was sent to Jeff that he could bring anyone to the Venue.As they got the venue, a lot of people were at the entrance, a lot of them, holding sign posts with Marcus Carter names on it.Professor Paul scrunched up his nose and faced Jeff. "Be careful in there, I think Marcus Carter is up to no good."Professor Paul understood why a young man like Marc became cunning and calculating. He didn't even hesitate to badmouth Jeff and asked bluntly that Professor Paul should be his Mentor.Growing up in a family where competition thrives must be exhausting."You
Marc looked over at Jeff, who seemed to be looking at him without any concern. He had expected the nineteen-year-old guy to appear flustered.This part can be a little challenging because they had only two hours to develop a software application that could translate between various languages.It will undergo testing after creation. The program that achieves the highest accuracy and number of translated languages will be declared the winner."This is a little tricky, isn't it?" Marc said, hoping to draw Jeff's attention to himself. The latter, however, had his attention fixed on the system he was using.Marc silently to himself, thinking that Jeff must believe he is just like the others he defeated in the qualifying round."I know you might be a little worried but don't be too concerned. It's just...""Talking doesn't tire you?" Jeff asked, his eyes still glued to the system, in a bored sort of way. "And it's not like I'm responding to you."Marc's brows knitted into a frown as he real
With Jeff's screen turning green, the room went silent, broken by the only sound coming from the computers' faint hum. Marc cast a sidelong glance at Jeff, his expression indiscernible, as though it revealed a hidden pleasure. "You can't be done, right?"It wasn't even a question. It was more like a fact that doesn't need to be checked."What do you think?" Jeff let down a low chuckle and pressed on the bell to signify that he was done. Marc was looking at the screen, trying to take in what had just happened when his eyes grew wide with disbelief.A mixture of surprise and suspicion characterized Professor Paul's observations of the scene in the meantime. He glanced at Mia, who seemed to share his concern. They both knew that something did not add up. Wasn't Jeff very worried before when his screen turned black?"He is done? How is that even possible?" Gary raised a brow, staring at Jeff on the screen. He saw the nineteen year old boy leaning against his chair, unbothered and unworr
Four Months LaterLater on, it was found that Victor Grador had established the orphanage specifically so he could use the girls for his dubious videos. Before Victor's arrest, Jeff had gone searching for the mistreated girls and had even promised them he would bring their nightmare to an end, which he accomplished with the aid of his brothers. Victor Grador was left unable to defend himself or fight back against the overwhelming amount of evidence. He was totally done for. Jeff went back to school, resuming his life as a genius student from the traditional medicine department. Atlas returned to his acting career, and Dave chose to assist their mother with her project and workshop. It was true when Jeff mentioned that the key to the Technical workshop has been with him since the very beginning. It was in the box that Edward's father, Emmanuel, had returned to him after learning about his mother. Victor Grador's exposure has left the Malfoy Family in a precarious situation, despit
*Some Hours Ago*Jeff made his way through the grand corridors of the Carter mansion. He was unaffected even by the servants' murmurs and the lavish surroundings. “He reminds me a little bit of Miss Rebecca!” “Yes, that is the boy from the news! Poor boy, his Father betrayed his mother.”“He's really Miss Rebecca Son. I overheard Young Master Marcus becoming enraged over it.”Ignoring their words, Jeff was led into a vast study, its walls lined with ancient books and portraits of stern-faced Old Master Carter. He scheduled a direct appointment with the man who had been bothering him with emails for the past week after the competition.At the far end of the room sat the Old Master of the Carter Family, his presence demanding respect. Jeff sensed the intentions in the air, despite his enigmatic expression. With an expressionless face, Jeff sat down in front of the Old Master. He knew this meeting would be a turning point. The Old Master’s assistant, a slender man with a perpetuall
*Some minutes earlier*“Sir, the articles concerning Miss Rebecca Carter… I tracked down the individual. She is Jeff's friend, and I discovered she is Melissa's sister,” said the voice on the other end.Victor's brow furrowed, anger, curiosity, and confusion flashing across his face. “Who is Melissa?” he demanded.With a note of nervousness in his voice, the caller answered, “The girl we used for the Professor's video.” Victor's frown deepened. “Isn't she dead?”After a moment of hesitation, the caller said, “Sir, I believe something is wrong. These are not just random occurrences. Jeff knows everything.”Victor's grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white. Implications whizzed through his mind. How could Jeff have known? And what did he know exactly? .“Send me more details,” Victor ordered, his voice cold and controlled.The caller swallowed audibly. “Yes, Sir. I'll get right on it.”After hanging up the phone, Victor stood for a while, gazing at his reflection in the
In front of the large TV screen, the woman slowly wiped her tears as she stared at the boy who was being applauded on TV. The only source of light in the room was the light rays coming from the television screen. The woman shook beneath her garments, tears streaming down her face, even though she was covered in a cloth. “Are you shedding tears?” As she heard the voice, she wiped the tears off her face, her eyes turning cold like she was not the one crying some seconds ago. She got up to go into the other room after unwrapping herself from the blanket. “You remain as stubborn as a mule, even after years have passed. When will you come to the realization that there is no going back? I have already triumphed.” The man who had just arrived spoke coldly, his voice full of mockery and sarcasm. The woman stopped in her tracks, her trembling hands beside her. “Don't be too sure of yourself.” “Just tell me everything and hand over everything. I will let them go!” The man said, w
With a sardonic smile curling up on his lips, Marcus said, "Looks like our little Jeff stole someone else's model." Marcus observed something both familiar and different about Jeff's model before they even began to demonstrate their abilities after creating it. It looked too familiar that it struck up a memory. The model does not belong to Jeff at all. The game's rules state that cheating will result in elimination from the competition. Because Marcus was not sure, he informed one of his people who were also working in the software organization. The individual informed his other team as soon as he received the notification, and an investigation was carried out while the model was being tested. Following the match, in which Jeff emerged victorious, it was disclosed that Jeff had been excluded for engaging in dishonesty and utilizing an unlicensed model. "Anyone caught cheating would lose their chance to continue playing the game, per the rules. Jeff Hemsworth is found guilty of
The Crowd in the stadium roared and cheered in unison as it was the last day of the competition between Marcus Cuomo,the second Hacker on the rank list and the rookie from All Stars University, Jeff Hemsworth.Reporters were all waiting outside the contestants way for Jeff. After the news about Rebecca Carter being the ex-fiancee of Duane Malfoy went viral, Jeff who was previously confirmed as the son of Duane received a lot of attention.They want to know if this young genius was really a Carter descendant.As Jeff was guided into the game room, his eyes landed on Professor Paul who looked sterner and angrier. However, Jeff's gaze only lasted for a few seconds before he made his way to the room. Since the publications' release, Professor Paul had been phoning Jeff's number nonstop, but Jeff had purposefully declined the calls in order to spend more time with Dave looking into the orphanage. Dave and Atlas had indeed been living in the orphanage when they were kids and more serious,
As he completed the last procedures of his cooperation with the Grador's Group, Duane sat in his modern office, the light from his computer screen softly illuminating his features. With a smile on his face, his fingers moved fluidly over the keyboard. This was it, the result of months of arduous labor and compromise. "Sir, something seems to be happening." When his assistant's voice broke through his reverie, Duane looked up and met his wide, terrified assistant's gaze. He could not quite pinpoint the source of the tension he felt in the air.Since Victor Grador gave his approval for their partnership, their stocks have been steadily rising, and happily, there has been no discussion about Jeff becoming the Malfoy Group heir.Even though Jeff was the driving force behind the collaboration, Duane continued to think that Jeff would not have given a damn about the Malfoy Group if he had not been forced.Since Jeff was not present to compare him to, he has been extremely happy these las
Jeff could see Dave talking to one girl, who was laughing like a little child, from a distance. Even from that distance, Dave drew attention, and he even wore something that covered most of his head. Jeff wondered why anyone would be interested in that stupid boy.“You are here” Dave let out a low laugh upon seeing Jeff, he turned to the girl and said. “Nice meeting you Lisa, see you soon.” “You too.” As Lisa turned to leave, the smile on Dave's face faltered completely, like it was never there.“Girls” he mumbled under his breath. He had literally entertained the girl to avoid suspicion from others because he was dressed as someone who was about to rob a bank.“I didn't know you could talk to girls, you look bitter” Jeff made a comment, a smile tugging his lips. “I wonder what that girl sees in you.” “I wonder what Jamie saw in you” Dave laughed it off. “Elias was literally in love with her, and she chose you!”At the mention of Elias, Jeff let out a small laugh.He had not hear
"Why did you go to his house alone?! You should have informed any one of us before leaving!" A loud, enraged voice resounded throughout the room as Professor Paul spoke.Jeff, standing before his uncle, faced his fury. "I needed to verify something," he said casually, maintaining his composure in spite of the tense situation.Had he not visited the Grador's Mansion today, he would not have been aware of somethings. To be honest, Jeff did not intend to go alone, but after Atlas's remarks, he was left with no other option.Professor Paul's frustration simmered as he continued, "You're starting to act on your own, Jeff. This isn't safe."Apart from Jeff, there are still a lot of people who are victims of Victor's shady act. Including Professor Paul himself. He had stepped down from the Dean Position after Victor found out he was going to ruin all he had built for years.If anything, Paul knew how devious that man could be. The man who made him left his workplace disguised as retiring. Vi