20. "Unmasking the Irritating Pest: The Hunt for the Hacker and Mastermind"

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Lucien rubbed his temples in frustration as he scanned the report handed to him by the Butler James. The names of the families written on the document painted a dark and sinister picture of Novus city, a place that appeared bright and colorful on the surface.

Gomez, Baker, and Bailey families were the top dogs when it came to their direct involvement with the Shadow Syndicate. These rising families might not have much influence in the city yet, but they were making waves in the deep waters of Novus.

But it was the next three names that troubled Lucien even more. Montgomery, Parker, and Hayes families might have shown only limited connections with the syndicate, but Lucien knew better than to trust such a shallow report. These families might have even deeper ties than the ones explicitly mentioned in the document.

However, it was the two most prestigious families that worried Lucien the most. The Carmichael and Santiago families had no direct connection with the Shadow Syndicate, but their indirect links were cause enough for concern. These families were not any less influential than the Sterling family, and the mere mention of their names was enough to send a chill down Lucien's spine.

As Lucien mulled over the implications of this report, his headache only seemed to intensify. The thought of the public finding out about the nefarious deeds of these families made him feel sick to his stomach. Novus city might have looked like a paradise on the surface, but the report in front of him revealed the darker, grittier side of this supposed utopia.

As Lucien perused the report, his mind traveled back to the days before his long hibernation. He had seen his fair share of terrible situations, but even he was taken aback by the revelation of the families involved in the seedy underbelly of Novus city.

He couldn't help but think back to the few star people he had encountered during his solitary existence. They had managed to capture his attention despite his disinterest in the world around him.

"Looks like it's not going to be an easy task to deal with," Lucien muttered to himself, lost in thought as he considered his options. It was clear that he needed to prepare himself thoroughly before he could even think about taking on the families involved in the Shadow Syndicate.

Lucien knew that any action he took would undoubtedly draw a reaction from those he intended to target. He weighed his options carefully, considering the potential consequences of each move.

Finally, after much contemplation, Lucien made a decision. He would take on these families one by one, but not before making sure that he had all the necessary preparations in place.

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Vivienne had been feeling on edge for over a week now, thanks to an irritating hacker who seemed to relish in poking and prodding at her buttons. No matter what she did, the pest always found a new way to disrupt her work and keep her from making any progress on her projects. It was all starting to pile up, and Vivienne didn't know what to do.

As she sat at the breakfast table, her maid Simran couldn't help but notice the dark clouds hanging over her mistress's head. "Ms. Vivienne, are you facing some kind of difficulty? Your mood seems down," she asked, her voice full of concern.

Vivienne tried to brush it off, shaking her head and insisting that it was nothing. But Simran wasn't so easily fooled. "Are you really fine? Because why am I seeing dark clouds on your head," she teased, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Vivienne shot her a glare, not finding the situation particularly amusing. "I don't have any dark clouds," she grumbled, but Simran wasn't convinced.

"I'm just worried that you might get ill if you keep this up," Simran said, her tone softening. "Even Master Sterling has noticed that something's off. He hasn't said anything, but he might ask you himself if you keep showing this distress face."

Vivienne knew that Simran was right. She had been neglecting her health, and it was starting to show. The stress of dealing with the hacker had been weighing on her, and she hadn't been taking care of herself the way she should have. It was time to face the problem head-on before it got any worse.

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On the hand,

Andrew Lee had been monitoring the Delacare Company closely since the very beginning of the hacker problem. He had noticed the issue early on, but he knew that he needed to find the root cause before he could take action. His expertise in cybersecurity and his keen attention to detail allowed him to pick up on things that others might have missed.

One of Andrew's subordinates approached him with a report, detailing the difficulties they were facing in trying to track down the hacker's location. "Sir, we can't seem to get the hacker's location. He changes it too quickly, and we're unable to process his IP address or his location before he goes offline," the subordinate reported.

Andrew remained calm and collected, knowing that their chance would come. "No need to fret. I'm sure he'll soon show his face, and that's when we'll catch him red-handed. But we also need to find the person responsible for this whole mess," Andrew replied, confident in his plan.

He was convinced that the hacker was working for someone else, possibly a rival company or even someone with a personal vendetta against Vivienne or the Delacare Company. Andrew had seen the signs of a professional at work, and he knew that someone like that wouldn't be doing this for fun or on a whim.

Andrew also noticed the sluggishness of Delacare's response to the attacks. He knew that with a little push, they might give up defending themselves, leaving the door wide open for the hacker and the mastermind to raid their system.

"Clap...Clap...!"

Andrew made a clapping noise to get everyone's attention. "No dilly-dallying, guys. Make sure you're sharp on your tasks, as I don't want to miss the chance to catch that rat hidden behind its hole."

Andrew had already taken steps to secure the Delacare server, working in secret with the company under the guise of cooperation. He had also gotten permission from his boss, Lucien Sterling, to use this unconventional tactic.

As he sat at his computer, Andrew kept a watchful eye on the Delacare local server, waiting for any sign of activity from the hacker or their mastermind.

He knew that they were getting sluggish and that one push could make them give up and open the door wide for the hacker to raid their system. But Andrew was determined not to let that happen. He clapped his hands to get his team's attention and issued strict instructions to ensure that they were all on top of their game.

For Andrew, it was only a matter of time before the rat hidden behind its hole would be caught, and he was ready to pounce when the opportunity presented itself.

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