Salvatore flinched. "We’re running double firewalls, but it won’t last more than a few hours. If we—"
"Find where they’re getting in," Leonardo snapped. He stepped forward, one hand braced on the table, eyes dark. "They can’t disappear into the dark web without leaving a trail. There’s always a trail."
"Boss—" Salvatore hesitated. "With all due respect, we need an outside specialist. Our people are good, but this is sothing else. Maybe we—"
"No outsiders!" Leonardo barked. His palm hit the desk, the sound cracking across the tense room. "You want to invite more snakes inside?"
Silence fell. Jay entered the office just then, carrying two cups of strong black coffee. He pushed one towards Leonardo. "Bro, drink this. You’ve been standing here for three hours straight."
Leonardo didn’t even look at the cup. His eyes were fixed on the screens. "How many layers left?"
Nathan, who’d just slipped in, answered quickly, "Three. But the third layer is thin, boss. They’re targeting the finance channel. If that goes, the bank connections—"
"Shut them down temporarily." Leonardo said. "Sever the connection if you have to. Lock everything until we trace the leak. Did we check for a mole?"
Nathan nodded grimly. "I’m already running a double check. But Boss... if they get past us..."
Leonardo’s eyes narrowed. He pulled his phone out and tapped the screen — his other hand flexed into a tight fist. "If they get past us, we burn everything they steal and salt the earth they stand on."
Jay, trying to lighten the tension, managed a tired grin. "Bro, I think you’re the only one who’d rather burn a billion than let Pablo get a dollar."
Leonardo’s eyes flicked to him. "I don’t care about a billion. I care about the Moretti na. And anyone who touches what’s mine..."
His words hung in the air like a threat, cold enough to send shivers down even Jay’s spine.
**
Bella sat on the edge of her bed, hugging her plushies one by one. She kept glancing at the clock on her wall — it was already past seven in the evening. The house was far too quiet.
Her stomach turned with worry. Where is everyone? She held her phone tight, hesitated for a second, then tapped Jay Jay’s number.
It rang once. Twice. Three tis.
Finally, Jay’s tired but warm voice answered, "Hey, Bella Bell? You okay?"
"Jay Jay?" Bella’s soft voice cracked slightly. "Is everything okay? Why haven’t you all co ho? Did you eat? Is mom okay? You didn’t even send ssage..." Her words ca out in a flurry, her worry spilling through.
Jay let out a rough sigh. She could hear the echo of voices and clicking keyboards behind him. "Bella... Not good. The company is under a massive cyberattack. So powerful hacker’s crawling through our firewalls like a damn snake. Bro is losing his mind. Dad’s been on calls for hours. Even Mom is here, yelling at the IT guys to drink water and not pass out."
Bella’s eyes widened, her lashes fluttering. "A hacker...? But... but that’s..." She paused, blinking rapidly. "So it’s really serious?"
"Very serious." Jay’s voice dropped lower, heavier. "We’re trying, Bell. But we might not co ho tonight. I’m sorry. Please don’t wait up, okay? Lock your doors, alright? And eat sothing."
Bella forced a soft hum in her throat. "Alright, Jay Jay. Take care of yourself. Don’t stress too much, okay?"
Jay chuckled weakly on the other side. "Only you would say that when we’re about to go bankrupt, Bell. You’re too sweet. Love ya, bella bell. I’ll call you later."
"Bye bye, Jay Jay..." Bella whispered and tapped the call off.
The mont the call ended, the warmth in her eyes drained like soone had pulled the plug. Her long lashes lifted, and her pupils seed to swallow the soft brown irises — leaving behind a cold, glassy blackness that looked like they could pierce straight through steel.
Outside her door, a young maid carrying fresh towels froze mid-step when she glimpsed Bella’s face through the slight crack. The sweet, gentle girl who always thanked her for every little thing now looked like a shadow in pajamas — her jaw tight, her gaze locked on the floor.
Bella turned her head slightly. The maid flinched. The innocence was gone, replaced by sothing far too sharp for her soft features.
She stood up. Her movents were graceful but too precise, like a dancer with a hidden blade. She didn’t even glance at the maid as she spoke, her voice oddly calm but sending chills down the poor girl’s spine. "Close the door when you leave."
"Yes... yes, Ma’am..." The maid scurried away, shutting the door with a soft click.
Bella sat down at her desk. The bunny plushie toppled over, its button eyes staring at her. She brushed it aside gently. "Wait for , Berry. Be good."
She opened her laptop. The soft light reflected off her eyes, making them look like cold gems. With a few rapid taps on her keys, she logged into Hackerverse.
A new private chat popped up imdiately:
@SyntaxQueen: You online?
@Bellatrix_019: Need to gather everyone. Now.
@SyntaxQueen: Ooh? What’s the job?
@Bellatrix_019: Soone attacking my family.
SyntaxQueen’s reply ca instantly.
@SyntaxQueen: Hah! Who’s the unlucky cockroach?
Bella’s lips curved into a sharp, dangerous smile — one that would terrify anyone who thought she was just a soft girl in sundresses.
@Bellatrix_019: A fool.
She opened a shared server link and typed quickly, her fingers flying over the keys. One by one, her little hacker family’s icons lit up in the corner. She spoke into her mic, her voice low but clear, almost purring like a cat that slled blood.
"Hi, everyone. Ready your toys. We’re going hunting tonight."
No one asked who. No one asked why. In the hacker world, they knew Bellatrix_019 didn’t speak unless it mattered and when her sweet voice turned sharp like that, every single one of them knew not to waste ti.
One by one, her people spoke up.
@SyntaxQueen: Got it, Bell. I’m locking down backdoors first.
@ZeroVoid: Routing all dummy nodes through world. They won’t even see coming.
@F4angs: I’ll drag out their firewall. They’ll think it’s one of ours.
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