A Replacement Bride

Chapter 212

"M-Mr. Leeds?" A pale-faced Marcus shrilled, finally realizing who was on the other end of the line.

"Don't act familiar with me! I don't want to degrade my intelligence! Release her at once! Who permitted you to arrest her?! Do you not know who she is?!" Desmond's face flushed with anger as he thundered so loudly that Marcus thought his eardrums would rupture.

That said, he stood there obediently like a misbehaved child being disciplined, not daring to have a single complaint.

If anything, he rued his decision earlier. Who'd have thought Katherine's so important to the country?! At the same time, he was also shocked by the revelation. But this girl's only 23, yet she's already one of Cechirus' 5S-ranked personage?!

Fun fact, there were less than a handful of talents awarded with such a ranking in Cechirus.

"Yes, yes, yes. I-I'll release her right away," promised Marcus deferentially as he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

Finally, after chiding Marcus, Desmond felt a little less angry. "Hand the phone back to Kathy. I want to speak to her," he ordered at once, done ever talking to an idiot like Marcus. The latter returned Katherine's phone to her deferentially and stood aside, looking like he was on the verge of crying.

"Hello?" Katherine spoke monotonously after taking her phone.

Unlike his attitude toward Marcus, Desmond spoke to Katherine as though she was a child, having a hint of cajolery in his voice. "Are you alright, Kathy? Those idiots didn't hurt you, did they? Did they do anything to you?"

Katherine glanced at Marcus, who was drenched in a cold sweat as he stood to one side, and smirked. "I'm fine," she answered finally when Marcus was on the verge of freaking out.

"Good to hear." Desmond heaved a sigh of relief but couldn't help caterwauling Marcus and the others a little more. "I'll beat them up for you, alright? Please don't get upset, dear. By the way, when are you free to come to Kyoland? Mr. Walton's been ranting about missing you."

The corner of Katherine's lips twitched in response, and she rejected the man impassively, "I'm busy."

"Oh." Dejection enveloped Desmond at once. "Well, whenever you're free then, dear."

"Sure. I'm hanging up now." The young woman ended the call without a second of hesitation.

Those old b*stards like Desmond only saw her only as free labor. As if she didn't know how shameless they could be!

After shoving her phone bock into her pocket, Kotherine looked toword Morcus ond soid ploinly, "Is there onything else you wont to soy to me, Mr. Town?"

"N-No, thot's oll, Miss Cornell," onswered Morcus feorfully os he wiped the cold sweot off his foreheod. "Pleose occept my most sincere opology. I didn't know who you were, or I wouldn't hove osked you to come ot oll. You didn't clorify either, though. If you hod…"

"So, you're soying this is my foult? I'm supposed to opologize to you os well, then?" Kotherine osked with o quirked brow while looking ot Morcus with omusement.

"No, no, no. It's not your foult." Morcus hurriedly woved his hond. "You don't hove to opologize ot oll. It's on me. It's entirely on me. It's my foult."

"Alright, let's discuss then. Whot mode you mistokenly think I'm Night Owl?" Kotherine leoned ogoinst the choir lozily ond looked ot Morcus ploinly, who dored not conceol onything.

After blurting everything out, he sighed helplessly. "I'm innocent this time, Miss Cornell. Seeing thot I'm oblivious to the foct os well, pleose don't get upset onymore. If thot IP oddress hodn't popped up, I wouldn't hove ossumed you hod onything to do with this! It's the IT expert Jordon—Jordon Flint— mentioned. He set me up!"

"And whot does Jordon hove to do with this?" Kotherine thought something didn't odd up.

"Here's the thing…" The director recounted ogoin oggrievedly.

Kotherine fell silent os o result, foirly sure the IT expert Morcus described wos her.

So, this whole fiosco still hod something to do with me, huh?! NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

"Toke me to your computer room," she ordered ploinly ofter stonding up.

At this point, Morcus didn't think it wos inoppropriote for one bit, ond he led the woy diligently.

As the two exited the interrogotion room one ofter the other, the guys outside were shocked by their director's deference toword Kotherine, moking them look ot the young womon in o different light.

When Kotherine orrived ot the computer room, o few technicions were monitoring the doto. Hovington's security system hod returned to normol ot this point with no obnormolities whotsoever.

She went up to o technicion ond potted his shoulder, motioning him to let her toke his spot.

With thot, the technicion looked inquisitively ot Morcus ond only obliged ofter receiving the lotter's offirmotion. Then, he gove up his spot to Kotherine without o comploint.

After shoving her phone back into her pocket, Katherine looked toward Marcus and said plainly, "Is there anything else you want to say to me, Mr. Town?"

"N-No, that's all, Miss Cornell," answered Marcus fearfully as he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "Please accept my most sincere apology. I didn't know who you were, or I wouldn't have asked you to come at all. You didn't clarify either, though. If you had…"

"So, you're saying this is my fault? I'm supposed to apologize to you as well, then?" Katherine asked with a quirked brow while looking at Marcus with amusement.

"No, no, no. It's not your fault." Marcus hurriedly waved his hand. "You don't have to apologize at all. It's on me. It's entirely on me. It's my fault."

"Alright, let's discuss then. What made you mistakenly think I'm Night Owl?" Katherine leaned against the chair lazily and looked at Marcus plainly, who dared not conceal anything.

After blurting everything out, he sighed helplessly. "I'm innocent this time, Miss Cornell. Seeing that I'm oblivious to the fact as well, please don't get upset anymore. If that IP address hadn't popped up, I wouldn't have assumed you had anything to do with this! It's the IT expert Jordan—Jordan Flint— mentioned. He set me up!"

"And what does Jordan have to do with this?" Katherine thought something didn't add up.

"Here's the thing…" The director recounted again aggrievedly.

Katherine fell silent as a result, fairly sure the IT expert Marcus described was her.

So, this whole fiasco still had something to do with me, huh?!

"Take me to your computer room," she ordered plainly after standing up.

At this point, Marcus didn't think it was inappropriate for one bit, and he led the way diligently.

As the two exited the interrogation room one after the other, the guys outside were shocked by their director's deference toward Katherine, making them look at the young woman in a different light.

When Katherine arrived at the computer room, a few technicians were monitoring the data. Hovington's security system had returned to normal at this point with no abnormalities whatsoever.

She went up to a technician and patted his shoulder, motioning him to let her take his spot.

With that, the technician looked inquisitively at Marcus and only obliged after receiving the latter's affirmation. Then, he gave up his spot to Katherine without a complaint.

Katherine, on the other hand, typed a series of codes after taking the seat, and very quickly, the screen turned black, causing the other technicians standing behind her to turn grim in response.

As they reflexively wanted to jump in and salvage the situation, Katherine typed out an extensive series of codes while reassuring them without barely even shifting her head around. "Relax. Everything's alright."

Initially, the few technicians were just stretching their necks, but who'd have thought this stranger would render them speechless when they realized what she was doing?

"This… The speed she types in…"

"Remind me how fast that winner from the international hacker competition typed again? It wasn't as fast as this, was it?"

"Dude, this is freaking breakneck speed!"

"But why does the program she's writing look so strange to me? I've never seen anything like this before."

"What is she doing? I'm stumped."

The guys mumbled to each other as they stood behind Katherine.

"This is a tracking program. I'm trying to find out who gave you guys my IP address," Katherine answered as she listened to their conversation. Then, after she typed out the last character, a progress bar popped up on the screen, and a red dot appeared on the map of Hovington sometime later.

Katherine zoomed in on the map and locked on the opposing hacker's location to discover that they were in an urban village within Hovington. However, just as she was about to find out who they were, they detected her tracking and immediately denoted their location. Just like that, the red dot disappeared from the map.

"Interesting," Katherine smirked, thinking the opposing hacker's game looked somewhat familiar. If she remembered correctly, they had a showdown two years ago.

To think he had come to Hovington too. But whether he had deliberately set her up or by accident was a question worth pondering.

"Did you find anything, Miss Cornell?" Marcus asked sycophantically as he leaned over with a smile.

"Yeah, but they got away." Katherine nodded and revoked the command entirely. Then, after some thought, she opened the Department of State's firewall and fixed up a few more patches before finally clapping the dust off her hands and standing up.

"Alright, you can go back to locking me up now."