Danniel opened the door, hoping to find the food delivery she was expecting. However, the reality she faced made her heart race; standing before her was a young girl in a slightly wrinkled high school uniform, reflecting the busyness and challenges she likely encountered at the boarding school. With shoulder-length hair cascading down and rosy lips, the girl radiated charm despite her evident fatigue. She was his only sister, the one who had always been the center of Danniel's attention and affection, even though they were now separated by the distance imposed by her education at a girls' boarding school. This distance was not just physical but emotional as well, reminding Danniel of how she had always protected and supported her in every step of her journey. Seeing her at the threshold stirred a mix of longing and pride within her; longing for their moments together that were now interrupted, and pride in her courage to pursue her dreams despite the hardships she faced. The sight of his sister standing there served as a poignant reminder that although they were apart due to school and new routines, their bond remained strong and unshakeable, transcending time and distance.
"My Siss!" Grace shouted with exuberance, her mouth wide open as her longing overflowed like soda that had been shaken too much. Without giving Danniel a chance to respond, she charged at her like a red bull ready to fight in the arena, causing her to stumble back a few steps. Her tiny hands, which seemed delicate, actually possessed incredible strength, enough to leave her sister gasping for breath as if she were trying to catch her breath after running a marathon.
"Grace! I love you, but if you keep this up, aren't you going to eventually kill me?"
"I'm sorry,! I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed with a hopeful expression, as if she had just returned from a long expedition to another planet. Danniel could only laugh while ruffling her sister's enthusiastic hair.
"Hey, naughty girl, are you skipping school?" Danniel asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.
"No, my school is on break for a week. But I'm so bored... all my friends went back to their hometowns... I'm all alone in my dorm room..." Grace lamented dramatically, clutching her heart as if she were in a soap opera.
"Alright, you can stay over here. Just think of it as a short vacation," Danniel replied with a smirk. "But remember, no room service! You have to fend for yourself... unless you want to starve, of course!"
Hearing her sister's words, Danniel's heart ached; poor little Grace. But deep down, she was determined to ensure that Grace could go as far in her education as possible and secure a good job for a decent life—preferably one that didn't involve eating instant noodles every day.
"Grace, are you hungry?"
"Of course! I haven't eaten for two hours, hahaha!" Grace exclaimed, rubbing her stomach dramatically as if it were auditioning for a role in a cooking show.
"You and your appetite! At this rate, I might have to start charging you rent for all the food you eat!" Danniel teased.
Ding-dong...
Once again, the doorbell rang. Danniel rushed to open the door.
"Finally, my pizza has arrived!" she declared triumphantly.
She then turned to Grace and said, "Go grab some extra cold drinks from the fridge and some snacks from the table. And make it quick! I need fuel for my pizza-eating marathon!"
"Grace, come here... isn't eating pizza best enjoyed with a movie?" Danniel suggested.
"Wait a second! I really need to go... to the bathroom!" Grace exclaimed, dashing off like she was training for the Olympics.
As they exchanged playful banter and laughter, suddenly...
Riiing!
A phone call interrupted their lighthearted mood. Danniel glanced at her phone and quickly headed to her workspace.
"Grace... I have some urgent business... so can you be on your own for now?"
"Sure! Go save the world or something! Just don't forget to bring me back a superhero cape!" Grace replied cheekily.
---
"Hello, Danniel, this is Jake Woofer," came the voice on the other end.
"Hello," Danniel replied. "Is this about the emergency? Because if it is, I'm going to need more than just pizza to handle this!"
"We have an emergency in the cybersecurity system across the entire Plutonium country! It's very concerning... I've shared it and sent you the data address... This is a matter of national importance... so work hard! We're doing our best here too."
"What! Okay, I've seen it... but this is quite strange!"
"What seems to be the problem?"
"The IP address is located in Plutonium."
"Really? How could our data get leaked?"
"I'm thinking something else... Could this be a defector?"
"What do you mean?"
Danniel quickly organized her thoughts and discovered something shocking.
"I've taken care of it... The security for Plutonium has been reverified and changed to data that only certain people can access. Jake, I'm sending you something."
"What is it?"
Danniel hung up the phone with a sly smile. How could the perpetrator be so amateurish? At the central building, when Jake Woofer saw the suspect's profile, he was utterly shocked. Leon Woofer—his own son—had become the prime suspect in the hacking case against the state system.
"What is this? Leon!" Jake exclaimed dramatically. "I knew he was up to no good when he started wearing that hoodie all day!"
Jake immediately called his only son and rushed to his sports car with his aide following closely behind. On the way to Leon Woofer's apartment, he finally answered his father's call.
"Leon, you're really out of line!"
"What do you mean... ohhh that... Dad, I was just joking! Is your life filled with rigidity? Is that why you haven't remarried?" Leon replied sarcastically with a cheeky tone.
"This time I won't forgive you... you must face punishment! And no dessert until further notice!"
"Dad, what do you mean..."
The call disconnected just as Jake arrived in front of his son's apartment. He instructed his aides to apprehend his son—who was probably too busy playing video games to notice!
But this time, Leon was about to face a punishment that would be far more severe than he had ever anticipated, all because of his relentless mischief. His playful antics had crossed a line, and now the consequences loomed like a dark cloud overhead.
---
Meanwhile in the apartment, Danniel was still busy with her work. On the other side, Grace was lounging on the living room sofa when she spotted a MacBook and decided to play with it.
With her mischievous grin and curious nature, she thought to herself: "What trouble can I get into today?" As she opened it up and started clicking around like she was on a treasure hunt.