Chapter 7 Being Cyberbullied

• Leonard had been observing Hendrik intently throughout the entire ordeal, scrutinizing every shift in his expression. Only when he felt certain that he had successfully gained his trust did his anxious heart begin to relax slightly.
• How could he possibly reveal to this man that he was actually an elite hacker, recognized internationally for his prowess? It wasn't merely about retrieving some trivial data. Even coding an entire system from scratch would be a trivial task for him.
• “Forget it, if you end up messing up the system, I'd have to spend a fortune fixing it. In the end, I'd be the one losing out,” Hendrik said, pondering the possible consequences.
• Facing such a perceptive and endearing child, Hendrik felt the initial urge to lash out at Jovienne start to wane somewhat.
• The child's expression suddenly hardened, giving off a chill. “Could it be that in addition to being cunning and deceitful, you also like to judge a book by its cover?” he accused, still harboring resentment for being dragged here against his will.
• Hendrik, taken aback, couldn't help but marvel at how mature the youngster seemed for his age. “If you really can recover the data, I'll release her. But if you fail, not only will I detain her, but you'll also have to stay,” he declared, setting the terms.
• This arrangement seemed grossly unfair.
• Unfortunately, Leonard realized he had no other viable option at the moment. “All right!” he finally conceded after a few moments of hesitation, his voice tense as he gritted his teeth.
• Hendrik hadn't expected such readiness to agree. A hint of amusement played at the corners of his mouth. “Are you sure about this?”
• “Yes! But you have to promise me one thing first,” the youngster negotiated further.
• “Speak.”
• “Before I recover the data, you can't harm my mommy,” Leonard demanded, his tone firm.
• “Of course,” Hendrik replied nonchalantly, though internally he felt it was a minor concession; after all, he had only intended to keep her confined, not physically harm her.
• As dawn broke, Jovienne found herself alone in her heavily guarded hotel room, the weight of solitude pressing down on her as the first light filtered through the curtains. Unaware of her son's whereabouts and Cameron's safety, her anxiety was palpable.
• The doorbell suddenly rang.
• Startled, Jovienne rushed to the door, flinging it open with a mix of hope and desperation, half-expecting Hendrik to be standing there, perhaps having had a change of heart. Instead, she was greeted by a server delivering breakfast.
• “Hello, may I ask where Mr. Xenakis is?” she asked quickly, seizing the moment to gather information while disregarding the tray of food.
• “Mrs. Xenakis, Mr. Xenakis returned to Sparaville this morning,” the server informed her, using a term of address that Jovienne found distastefully formal.
• How peculiar it was that Hendrik, who harbored such disdain for her, would instruct his staff to refer to her with such a term.
• Could it be that despite the years, there had been no progression in his relationship with Rochelle? The likelihood seems almost nil.
• Jovienne, not daring to dwell on the implications, pressed on, “Did he mention when he might return?”
• “We're not certain, Mrs. Xenakis. However, before he left, he made it quite clear that if you attempt to leave this place of your own accord, you might never see your child again,” a bodyguard stated.
• How cunning! He hasn't changed at all!
• The use of her son as a bargaining chip was both sly and malicious—a tactic that was classic Hendrik, unchanged by time or circumstance. The thought of such a distinguished man resorting to threats involving a child was ludicrous.
• Isn't he concerned about the potential ridicule if such actions became public knowledge?
• “You know where the child is, don't you?” Jovienne pressed, her eyes sharp and probing.
• The bodyguard simply shook his head, indicating that the information was above his pay grade and strictly confidential.
• D*mn it!
• Frustrated, Jovienne shut the door quietly and retreated to her room. She considered the bathroom window as a potential escape route, but quickly dismissed it—the drop from the fifteenth floor was not to be taken lightly. Desperate for another option, she pondered her next move, her thoughts racing.
• “I wonder if Leonard is being looked after, if he slept well. Where could that despicable Hendrik have taken him!” she mused aloud, tears streaming down her face as she sat overwhelmed on the edge of her bed.
• Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the hotel entrance, quickly spreading through the corridors and culminating in a cacophony of alarms that echoed throughout the building.
• Jovienne cautiously opened her door, half-expecting to see a fire or some other disaster. Instead, she found the bodyguard who had been stationed outside her door hopping about in apparent distress, as if under attack by an unseen adversary.
• As other guests emerged from their rooms, the hallway descended into chaos.
• Seizing this unexpected opportunity amidst the confusion, Jovienne saw her chance. She slipped out, darting down the fire escape as fast as her legs could carry her, not once looking back, her heart pounding with the thrill of escape.
• As she disappeared into the bustle of the escaping crowd, captured by the hotel's surveillance cameras, her son, unbeknownst to her, was watching her escape.
• When leaving the hotel, Leonard had overheard a crucial conversation between Hendrik and Zachary and, realizing both he and his mother were trapped in the same hotel, had taken dramatic steps to ensure their safety. With the help of his teammates, he had managed to smuggle a drone containing a bag of wasps into the hotel, causing the commotion that facilitated Jovienne's escape.
• Thus, even though Leonard was currently seated in a car on his way to Sparaville, as long as he had a computer within reach, he remained an unstoppable force.
• Unbeknownst to Hendrik, all of these developments were unfolding. He remained in the dark about the true extent of the situation until a message from one of his subordinates reached him, shattering his assumption that the recent events were merely coincidental.
• Rather than delve into individual investigations, his team had merely organized a broad search for Jovienne's whereabouts to ensure she couldn't escape Lumonburg. Although she was still under his control, she at least retained some semblance of freedom.
• The young boy closed his laptop and peered out of the car window, reflecting on the whirlwind of events that had transpired in just a single night. He longed for his mother and felt the weight of his actions, knowing that to protect her, he had to bear this burden himself for now.
• “Mr. Xenakis! There's trouble!” Zachary's urgent voice broke through the calm, his phone call catching Hendrik off guard as the car trundled along.
• Hendrik's brow furrowed, his concern evident. He made a deliberate effort to shield the conversation from the young boy, donning his headphones before continuing the dialogue.
• “Speak!”
• “Someone has leaked your intimate photos with Ms. Rochelle Schumer from years ago online!” Zachary relayed with a tone of urgency. “Furthermore, they've unearthed records that you were already married prior to your recent public appearances, and now there's a torrent of online criticism labeling you... a sc*mbag. What should we do...”
• “Do you really need to bring this sort of matter to my attention?” Hendrik responded, his irritation clear, as he contemplated the boldness of the media outlets risking their fate by exposing such information.
• For Hendrik, matters concerning the Xenakis Group were of paramount importance; romantic scandals were trivial by comparison.
• Zachary, sensing the gravity of the situation, added from the other end of the line, “In the past, no media outlet dared to disclose such information. But now, it seems the entire industry is involved, every outlet is broadcasting it!”
• “According to their statements, all these media outlets are claiming that their websites were hit by a malicious cyberattack, which led to the leaks,” he explained.
• Hendrik's frustration boiled over into a headache. “What's the use of having a team of internet experts if they can't even manage this?”
• “Mr. Xenakis...”
• Investing in an online security team was not a mistake; rather, the hacker responsible for this audacious breach was extraordinarily proficient.
• And at this very moment, the hacker was calmly observing the chaos he had instigated.
• How dare he mess with my mommy! I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!