Chapter 25
Bradley’s expression turned serious as his graceful fingers danced across the keyboard–more like he was playing piano than typing. Behind the lenses of his gold–rimmed glasses, his eyes were locked onto the screen, sharp with focus.
Cameron waited patiently, curious to see what he’d find.
Bradley’s brows began to knit. The longer he worked, the deeper the crease between them grew.
“How’s it going. Brad?” Elijah asked, curiosity in his voice.
Bradley kept his gaze on the screen. “Whoever this is, they’re clever. The email’s fake. The bank account mumber is real, but it doesn’t belong to them.
“The thirty grand you wired was split up and bounced across thousands of transactions–washed through IPs all over the globe. This person is really sly. They covered their tracks way too well. There’s no way to trace them.”
Elijah looked visibly disappointed. “So you got nothing?”
Bradley shook his head. “Not nothing.
Elijah perked up. “Then what did you find?”
Bradley’s voice was calm. I traced the original IP. It came from somewhere in our school, which means this person could be someone on campus.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Though it might not be a student.”
“Not a student?” Elijah frowned. But after a moment, he nodded slowly and figured it did make sense.
Since Elijah had enrolled, no one had ever come close to matching his academic record–especially in math. And whoever cracked that question not only had serious math skills, but also hacking talent. If even Bradley couldn’t trace them, they had to be on another level,
Elijah thought. There’s no way someone that badass is just a student‘
Cameron’s lips curved into a faint smile as she listened to Bradley’s conclusion. Perfect,‘ she thought. He couldn’t trace me. That means I can keep making money off Elijah without worrying‘
Still, she didn’t plan to take too much–just enough to cover her living expenses. That said, she couldn’t help but be impressed. Bradley really was good. He actually managed to pin down her general location.
Bradley added, “Ell, the time gap’s too long–half an hour’s already passed. It makes tracking a lot harder. Next time they contact you. tell me right away. I’ll give it another shot.”
Elijah nodded. “Got it. I’ll go find a math problem and write it on the board right now.” He planned to wait for that person to reach out
With that, Elijah left just as fast as he came, practically a blur of focused energy.
Cameron watched him go, tapping a finger lightly against her forehead. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she thought, “He’s that desperate to figure out who I am? Not a chance!
Bradley shut the computer and looked up–only to catch Cameron smiling. He stared for a second too long before blinking it off, thinking. Damn, he’s got a great smile.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked, pushing up his gold–rimmed glasses
Cameron’s smile faded. “Was I smiling?”
“You were” Bradley said as he stood. “It was pretty sweet, too
That shut Cameron up for a second. She thought, ‘Sweet? Isn’t that what people say about girls? What am I not man enough for him!”
On her way back to class, Cameron was clutching her textbook when Heidi called.
Cameron was already fed up. Seriously? Do the whole family have to come at me one by one? Why not gang up and get it over with she thought
Twitte
1/2
Chapter 25
She declined the call without hesitation. But before she could take another step, Heidi called again. Cameron came to a halt under a tree and picked up.
“Cam, you finally answered, Heidi said gently, her voice laced with concert.
Cameron let out a cold, mocking laugh. If she hadn’t seen how her body had been left lying outside the hospital for three days and two nights with no one to claim it in her last life, she might’ve actually believed Heidi cared about her.
Her voice was icy. “What do you want?”
“Cam, are you mad at me?” Heidi asked.
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N
AD
