Chapter 24:

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Allison ended the call and leaned back in her seat, finally finishing up the loose ends at the villa. As her hand cradled her head, preparing for a brief rest, her phone screen lit up with a new message.

She unlocked the phone and saw it was from Emanuel Welsh.

“Allison, how am I supposed to survive without you? When are you coming back to Athton to visit me?” A crying cat emoji followed, completing his dramatic plea. A smile spread across Allison’s face.

Keanu was always serious and stoic, while Emanuel had the energy of someone half his age. He was constantly keeping up with the latest fads and trends. Whatever the young crowd adored, Emanuel embraced without hesitation.

Before Allison could even think of a response, her phone began vibrating wildly as Emanuel called her directly.

“Allison! Have you abandoned this poor old man, rotting away in a lonely, quiet town? It’s been three years, and you always dodge my invitations with your ‘busy, busy, busy’ excuses. I’ve been wasting away! You don’t even know how many people take advantage of me now that you’re not around to keep them in check!”

Allison instinctively pulled the phone away from her ear, letting Emanuel’s rant reach its dramatic crescendo before returning it to her ear.

As for people taking advantage of him? Emanuel, who had built a reputation for outwitting even the most cunning, was hardly the one being outwitted. If anyone was running circles around others, it was him.

But for all his grumbling, Emanuel was like a mischievous child—he thrived on banter and attention.

“Come on, Emanuel, who’s daring enough to mess with you? Don’t they know you’ve got a legion of students and apprentices scattered across the globe? They’d be petrified, imagining someone coming after them with a sculpting knife!”

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Emanuel huffed, more irritated than truly upset. “You’re missing the point! I’m getting older. Back in my day, I could work nonstop for days. Now, my hands are stiff, and every pot, every sculpture—it all feels like I’m repeating myself. No thrill, no spark. Just the same thing over and over!”

Art wasn’t just about talent; it was about inspiration. And that spark could be dulled by the grind of life. Still, Allison knew Emanuel well enough to sense that this wasn’t the root of his restlessness.

He quickly moved on.

“Also, there’s this guy. He won’t leave me alone, keeps showing up like a stray cat I can’t shake. I swear I’ve tried everything to get rid of him!”

Allison raised an eyebrow. If Emanuel hadn’t kicked the man out yet, he was probably enjoying the company, even if he’d never admit it.

Now that she no longer had to deal with the household chores for Colton, and it had been a while since she’d seen Emanuel, Allison glanced at her phone and quickly did some math.

“Alright, I’ll come visit you on Saturday.”

Emanuel’s mood shifted instantly. “Really? Don’t tease me, Allison. You’ve stood me up before!”

“I’ll be there. No backing out.”

After a few more reassurances, she ended the call.

As she made her way back home, her thoughts began to swirl. While Rebecca had been more than generous by offering her a place to stay, Allison knew she couldn’t depend on her forever. Rebecca had enough to deal with in her own life, and Allison’s prolonged stay would only add to that burden.

The money Colton had given her—the four million and the villa—was a mere drop in the ocean when it came to her real needs. It barely covered the costs of maintaining the hacker network she’d built.

Her true wealth, the funds and properties scattered across Vrining, were all tied up and frozen since she had walked away from that life. She had been ready to leave it all behind when she married Colton, to settle into a simpler life. But life rarely played out the way anyone planned!

Now, she needed to unlock those frozen assets.

When Allison finally arrived at Rebecca’s, she made her way to the private room that had been set aside for her.

Locking the door behind her, she moved swiftly to the bookshelf and pressed a hidden button. Four concealed screens emerged from the walls, casting a soft blue glow across the space.

With practiced precision, Allison navigated to a hidden website, initiating a series of commands to regain access to her backup account. Her fingers moved rapidly, inputting passwords and executing lines of code. The screens filled with streams of data, the code flowing seamlessly as she unlocked hidden reserves.

IDs were changed, identities verified, secured pages accessed. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

In that dimly lit room, bathed in the cold glow of the screens, Allison’s face mirrored the same chill. Her expression was focused, detached, and emotionless.

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