Joshua said, "Take the post down."

"Fine, I’ll take it down." Roy backed down fast. He still wanted to keep his tongue intact, but he honestly thought Shermaine didn’t measure up to Wendelyn. He thought, ‘Joshua just hasn’t been around enough women. That’s why he’s so easily blinded. Just wait—one day he’s gonna see things for what they really are.’

Roy told someone to bring him his laptop. Once he had it, it only took a couple of clicks before the post was deleted.

That was when Henry slammed down his cards. "Royal flush. Quit worrying about Joshua. Back when he was out making a name for himself, you were still a cringey teen gamer glued to your screen."

Roy thought, ‘Cringey teen? I don’t buy that. I’m ranked third on the Global Hacker Leaderboard under the codename King, and the top jungler in the world. Back in the day, I led Stormbound to a world championship and had fangirls lining up for miles—hotter than any pop star. And this sly bastard Henry has the nerve to call me a cringey gamer?’

Henry then revealed a straight flush and dragged the pot toward himself. "I win. Pay up."

Roy was speechless. He thought, ‘Damn it, he’s really sly as a fox. He waited till I wasn’t focused on the game, then trapped me.’ He had just lost enough money to buy a house. Rolling his eyes in frustration, he was about to go another round when he got a call from Bruno, his friend from Basterel University’s computer science department.

"Roy, there’s this hacker’s firewall I can’t get through. Got time to take a look?" Bruno asked.

Bruno’s skills were top-tier in the country. Roy figured that if even Bruno couldn’t crack it, then the other person must be seriously badass. Roy perked up instantly. "Send it over."

Bruno said, "Okay. Roy, if you manage to break through this hacker’s firewall, could you also check out who he is? He hacked the phone and laptop of one of our students. Total jerk move."

Henry saw him grab his laptop and plop down somewhere else, and just knew the poker game was officially over. So he just sat next to Joshua and joined him for a drink.

Roy said, "Sure."

The Hacker Showdown

At that moment, Shermaine had just gotten home. She sat in front of her computer, planning to check how many replies that post had racked up by now, but when she clicked the link, it gave her a 404 page.

‘It got deleted?’ Shermaine thought, raising an eyebrow. ‘Did I allow it to be deleted?’

Her fingers danced swiftly across the keyboard, and after a few taps, the post was back to how it was. Then the firewall flashed red. Shermaine thought, ‘They’ve already tried to get in a few times today and they’re still not giving up?’

A moment later, the system showed the firewall was close to being breached. Shermaine realized someone else had taken over the attack. She typed out a few more commands, tossing a counterattack their way while she was at it.

Roy was watching the screen, seeing the firewall almost give way. But then it suddenly bounced back, even stronger than before. "Well, well, looks like we’ve got a real pro," he said.

He thought, ‘Too bad for you, though. The one you’re up against is King, ranked third on the Global Hacker Leaderboard. Until number one or number two show up, everybody else is just cannon fodder!’

Roy shot back a message: "Bro, upgrading your firewall won’t help. I’m taking it down no matter what."

Shermaine replied: "Oh, really?"

However, half an hour later, Roy was so pissed he nearly slammed his laptop. His screen was swarming with flashing pig heads. It was a virus. At some point, Shermaine had slipped through his defense and planted it there.

Shermaine: "Nice try, little punk. You’ve still got a long way to go."

Roy rarely ever lost this badly. The top two on the Global Hacker Leaderboard couldn’t pull it off, but this hacker who called him a little punk just did. Truth be told, rankings didn’t mean everything. The world was huge, and there were plenty of experts out there.

Roy was intrigued and texted: "Mind telling me your handle?"

Shermaine: "The Queen you’ll never beat."

Roy: "You’re a girl?"

But Shermaine didn’t reply after that.

Then, Henry asked, "Well, well, Mr. Big-shot Hacker. You lost?"

Roy said, "Yeah."

Henry blinked. He hadn’t actually expected Roy to be defeated. Knowing how insanely good Roy’s computer skills were, Henry questioned, "Who’s that good?"

Roy remarked, "No clue. Not someone on the leaderboard. And she’s a girl." His eyes lit up. "I’m definitely gonna find out who she is."

"Then what?" Henry asked.

Roy gave a wicked smirk. "I’m very interested in the woman who beat me."

Henry thought, ‘Better not get your ass handed to you.’ He laughed and teased, "Good luck with that."

Unanswered Questions and New Beginnings

When Bruno found out that not even Roy had managed to crack the hacker’s firewall or trace her IP, he was completely floored. Bruno had been feeling pretty defeated, but now he was kind of relieved. He now realized it wasn’t that he was trash—it was just that the hacker was on a whole different level. What Bruno couldn’t wrap his head around, though, was why such a skilled hacker would specifically target Erin.

Nearby, Joshua drained his champagne in one gulp, then stood up and slung his expensive suit jacket over his arm. "It’s getting late. I’m heading out."

Shermaine shut her laptop just as a call came in. It was from Troy Cox, wanting to talk about the house construction. As a builder, there were still a few things he didn’t fully understand, especially since the house Shermaine wanted to build was a high-tech one. So, he figured it’d be best to check in with her first.

After Shermaine answered a few of his questions, Troy said, "Alright, got it. I’ll go over it with the crew."

Shermaine remarked, "Once I’m not that busy, I’ll try to make a trip back."

Troy replied, "I know you’re doing this for the village, but don’t wear yourself out."

"I won’t," Shermaine never let herself get too exhausted. She always kept a balance between work and rest.

"Oh, Sheary, one more thing, do you mind helping me with something else?" Troy asked. "It’s about my daughter Lily. She didn’t get into college in her senior year, and after she graduated high school, she went to Basterel to work. But lately, she hasn’t been answering calls or texts. Could you help me find her and see how she’s doing?"

"Troy, send me her number, I’ll go find her tomorrow when I have time," Shermaine said.

First Day of School

By the time Joshua got home at ten o’clock in the evening, Shermaine had already showered and gone to bed. The next morning, a little after seven, Shermaine headed out. She didn’t stay to have breakfast with Joshua.

When she arrived at school, she was greeted by the senior year director, Mason Moe. Mason was pretty cold toward her and handed her a test paper. "Shermaine, do these questions."

Shermaine glanced at it. "I don’t feel like it."

Mason thought, ‘This transfer student not only has no academic records, but now it’s clear she’s just as hard to discipline as her mother said. A student like this only brings down our college admission rate.’ Still, he didn’t have much of a choice. Ruth had donated a hefty sum to the school, and her adopted daughter, Wendelyn, had gotten into Basterel University with the third-highest score in her year. Mason wondered, ‘Why is Shermaine so different from Wendelyn? What a disappointment.’

He frowned. "Our school places students in classes based on their grades. If you don’t take the test, I can’t place you."

"Just put me wherever," Shermaine said.

So Mason did exactly that. He randomly placed her in Class 9—the worst class in senior year. The homeroom teacher for Class 9, Isabel Vaughn, was actually pretty welcoming toward Shermaine. She brought Shermaine into the classroom and introduced her to the class. "This is Shermaine Shue, our new transfer student. Starting today, she’s one of us in Class 9. Let’s give her a warm welcome."

The students all started clapping. They all stared at her with curiosity, and everyone was thinking, ‘This transfer student is so pretty. She looks like a supermodel.’

Isabel said, "Shermaine, go ahead and say hi to your classmates."

Shermaine kept it short and to the point. "Nice to meet you guys. I’m Shermaine."

She was seated in the third-to-last row by the window. Her deskmate was a girl who clearly loved checking herself out in the mirror. The girl greeted her enthusiastically, "Hi, I’m Summer Crawford."

"Hi." Shermaine gave her a light smile.

Summer said, "You’re really pretty."

Shermaine chuckled, "So are you."

Summer lit up, thinking, ‘Who doesn’t love being called pretty by someone that good-looking?’ She really liked Shermaine.

After Isabel left, the math teacher started the lesson. But during class, hardly anyone was actually listening or taking notes. Most students were either playing games or flipping through magazines. There wasn’t even a hint of senior year pressure in the air. The math teacher didn’t care either and just kept talking through the material.

The class flew by. Then came the fifteen-minute break. Summer stood up. "Shermaine, come on. I’ll show you around Brightwater Academy’s beautiful scenery."

Shermaine nodded. "Okay."

Summer took her straight to the athletic field. It turned out that the so- called beautiful scenery was actually the boys running across the track. Summer asked, "So, what do you think, Shermaine? The boys at Brightwater Academy are pretty good-looking, right?"

Shermaine commented, "They’re alright."

Right then, a mocking voice came from behind. "Well, well, if it isn’t the Jean family’s heiress."