Chapter 276
It had only been three days. Was Binary Oracle really that good?
He finally understood why Juniper looked down on Cybernetic Shadows. They really were second-rate. Shanley needed to get his house in order, or they’d get crushed by Binary Oracle again at this year’s hacker competition.
Jimmie quickly entered his password and paid the fee. He wondered if Binary Oracle had found his older or younger brother… It had been so long, he couldn’t remember his place in the birth order. His brothers probably didn’t remember either. In that case, he would just be the eldest brother. The eldest brother had more authority.
A man’s status in the world is what he makes it!
Right, he should tell Juniper the news first. After the payment went through, Jimmie eagerly texted her: [Juniper, I found your other brother, my younger brother.]
Juniper blinked, pondering his message. Well, now someone should suggest the two of them have a fight to decide who gets to be the oldest.
Juniper replied: [I’m at the racing association. Come here in ten minutes.]
Meanwhile, Shanley, having finished his work, was striding out of the office.
“I heard the racing association is closed today. Right now, it’s just Ms. Payne and Melvin inside,” Flint reported, jogging to keep up. “They’ve been in there for almost an hour, and all the security cameras are off, so… we don’t know what’s happening.”
Flint’s heart pounded in his chest. This felt exactly like a scene from a movie where someone was about to catch a cheating spouse. How exciting!
An hour? Shanley pulled out his phone to call Juniper, but it went straight to voicemail.
Of course it did. At that moment, Juniper had switched cards and was messaging Melvin and Jimmie under her Binary Oracle identity.
Voicemail? The news made Shanley’s face even darker, and he broke into a near
run.
“Quick, keep up!” Felton urged Flint, sensing the urgency.
“Our boss looks like he’s about to kill someone,” Flint shuddered, the hair on his arms standing on end. “We’ve done our fair share of dirty work, but this is the first time we’ve been on a cheater hunt.”
It was, he had to admit, a novel experience.
…
Ten minutes passed.
Let
Melvin and Jimmie received emails from Binary Oracle simultaneously. They opened them hearts pounding, and scrolled straight to the end.
Melvin’s report: [Sister: Juniper Payne. Brother: Jimmie Tate.] With attached files.
Jimmie’s report: [Brother: Melvin Steele.] With attached files.
“Melvin?”
Jimmie was stunned when he read the name. He knew of the man-a big shot in the racing world who had inth recently returned to the country with his team. Didn’t Juniper just say she was at the racing association? Melvin was probably there too. Had they already recognized each other? “Pause the shoot,” Jimmie said, grabbing his jacket and striding out the door.
Melvin had also received his email. He stared at the conclusion, then looked at the girl in front of him in diskelief, bis lips trembling, Juniper was really his sister. His intuition had been right all along.
“CRASH!”
Melvin shot to his feet, knocking over several plates. His eyes were red as he stared at her. “You
“Yeah, it’s me,” Juniper said calmly, a slow smile spreading across her face. “What a coincidence, bro.”
Bro? Had she known all along?
“My sister Melvin’s mind was a mess. His eyes welled up as he stepped forward, opening his arms to embrace her.
“།”
Before he could say anything, a man’s voice, colder than ice, roared from behind him.
“Let go of Juniper!”
Melvin and Juniper both turned to see Shanley, his face a mask of fury, storming towards them.
“You have a death wish, touching her?”
With that, Shanley swung his fist, landing a heavy blow right on Melvin’s face.
Both Melvin and Juniper were taken aback.
Jimmie, arriving at the doorway, was stricken with the same shock.