Meanwhile, Back on the Balcony
Damon's gaze lingered on Lisa's retreating figure, his mind piecing together the puzzle she had just presented him with.
She knew about the hacking attempt.
She had whispered it to him with such confidence—not guessing, not speculating… she knew.
That was dangerous.
And Damon Zichen didn't like uncontrollable variables.
As soon as Lisa disappeared into the crowd, Caleb pulled out his phone.
"Lock down the servers," he ordered sharply. "Track the location of the hacker. No mistakes."
He barely had to wait thirty seconds before the reply came through.
"Sir," a deep voice on the other end reported. "We've caught the hacker. He was working remotely from a secure hideout, but our men intercepted the signal and extracted him. He's being held at our underground facility now."
Damon didn't react outwardly, but Daniel let out a low chuckle. "Fast work. Now the question is… what do we do with him?"
Caleb turned to Damon. "Your orders, sir?"
Damon finally took his eyes off the ballroom, his expression cold, calculating.
"Interrogate him," he said smoothly. "Find out who hired him and how much damage was done. If he talks, we might let him live."
Caleb nodded and stepped away to handle the matter.
Daniel took another sip of whiskey, watching Damon closely. "And what about her?"
Damon's fingers drummed against the balcony railing. "Lisa Jing?"
Daniel smirked. "She knew about this before we did. That's not normal."
Damon let out a low hum. "No, it's not."
"Do you think she's involved?"
Damon considered it. If she was, then she was playing a very dangerous game. But his instincts told him otherwise. Lisa wasn't acting like a threat—she was acting like a player.
And he wanted to know what game she was playing.
He glanced at Caleb, who was still on the phone, giving precise orders about the hacker's containment. Then, his gaze flickered back to the ballroom, where Lisa was now chatting with an older woman—her posture relaxed, confident.
Damon smirked.
"Dig into her past," he ordered. "I want every detail about Lisa Jing."
"Everything".
Back in the Ballroom – Ava's Growing Panic
Ava watched Lisa from across the room, her nails digging into her palm.
Something was wrong.
Lisa was supposed to be humiliated by now. She was supposed to be making a fool of herself. Instead, she was gliding through the party as if she owned it.
And worse…
Damon Zichen had spoken to her.
That wasn't part of the plan.
Ava's hands clenched tighter. What was Lisa up to?
She needed to find out.
And if Lisa thought she could walk away unscathed tonight… she was dead wrong.