IronRose held a different significance for him.
It was a brilliant color in his youth.
IronRose always had endless topics to discuss with him, and she would accompany him through every night of despair.
He would also share every moment of happiness with her.
At that time, he didn't have feelings for her; he just regarded her as a friend.
When she stood him up, that friendship was buried deep in his heart, and as he grew older, it became a regret.
When Tiffany said she was IronRose, he was indeed surprised, although this surprise had nothing to do with love.
But it still made him jubilant.
He wanted to preserve the beauty of that brilliant youth forever, without deception.
With this in mind, Dominic tentatively asked: [One last question, when did you get into the hacking industry?]
Alessia was slightly startled, feeling that Eagle's question was purely out of curiosity about his opponent.
She had lost her memory, so if she had to say when she got into hacking, it would be after going abroad, for the sake of finding Grandpa and Christopher more conveniently.
So, she typed a few words: [Four years ago.]
He was overly cautious, overthinking.
Dominic's eyes twitched. He couldn't quite describe what he was feeling, so he replied: [Okay, how should I contact you next time?]
[You can find M.]
After sending this message, Dominic's computer screen flashed and returned to its initial state.
Dominic understood that his conversation with Cobra had been completely cut off.
Resting his head against the chair, his slender fingers massaged his temples, and he called Tiffany.
"Dom." Tiffany almost picked up immediately, eagerly saying, "Why are you calling so late? Don't say anything, let me guess. Did you find Dr. Athena's whereabouts?"
"Sort of!" Dominic said indifferently.
"Ah, Dom, I knew you were the best. If you wanted to join a hacker organization, you'd definitely rank in the top five." Tiffany was excited, completely unaware that Dominic was actually ranked first.
Dominic furrowed his brow. Compared to Tiffany's excitement, he seemed extremely indifferent. "Alright, listen to me first."
"What's up?" Tiffany felt strange and finally regained some composure.
Dominic told Tiffany the situation truthfully.
"According to Dr. Athena, it's a bit troublesome, but I think it's acceptable. After all, it's an academic discussion. When Dr. Athena writes down her opinions, it shouldn't be much different from a face-to-face conversation."
On the other end of the phone, Tiffany's smile gradually faded, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
How could this be considered not much different? This was a world of difference.
She just wanted to use Dominic to find Dr. Athena's whereabouts, and she would handle everything next.
Who allowed him to talk to Dr. Athena's friend? Who allowed him to agree to Dr. Athena's conditions?
Tiffany felt a fire burning inside her, a feeling of being stuck in a difficult situation.
But she couldn't let Dominic see any hint of her emotions. She could only resign herself to her fate and digest her emotions alone.
Otherwise, if Dominic found out, he would definitely misunderstand her as a liar.
Dominic's voice came through the phone again, "Organize the questions properly and send them to me when they're ready."
Tiffany tightened her grip on her phone, gritted her teeth, and replied without any abnormality in her voice, "Okay, I'll organize them right away."
"Okay, then you get busy. I'll hang up." Dominic said.
"Goodnight." Tiffany suppressed her emotions. After the call ended, she threw her phone onto the table.
"Argh!" She stomped her foot in frustration for a while, then regained her composure.
Looking at herself in the mirror with a smile, showing her standard eight teeth, she muttered to herself.
"Tiffany, don't panic. You're the best. You won't let anyone see you as a joke, you won't disappoint your elders, and you'll find another way to deal with Dr. Athena."
Tiffany took a deep breath, relaxed her facial expression, and made up her mind.
M notified her that she would be able to participate in the second hacking test soon, and then she would be able to see Cobra and Eagle. She could ask Cobra and Eagle for help finding Dr. Athena.
Money can make the devil turn millstones. When the time comes, she'll offer more money. As fellow members of the same hacking organization, Cobra and Eagle will surely not refuse her request.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and Bianca's body hadn't suffered any serious injuries, so she was discharged from the hospital the next morning.
Jessie had already been transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular ward. During this time, Alessia visited once, with Harrison and Margaret present.
Harrison was still relatively friendly to her, but Margaret seemed to want to eat her alive.
Alessia knew that it was probably because of Nolan that a feud had formed between Harrison and Margaret, and it might never be resolved in this lifetime.
She wasn't an oblivious person. Seeing that Jessie was fine, she decisively left the ward.
For the convenience of the laboratory work, Alessia still lived in Forest Hill.
However, it only took one night for Riley to return to his original gentle and elegant demeanor, as calm as if Bianca's pregnancy had never happened.
Whether Bianca decided to keep the child or not was none of his concern.
Unfortunately, all of this was a facade.
By the end of the workday, as night fell, Riley would hide in his home and drink himself into oblivion.
Alessia looked at the table full of empty liquor bottles and Riley lying unconscious on the sofa, shaking her head helplessly.
There was nothing she could do to help, so she just helped him back to his room.
By the next morning, the hungover Riley had returned to normal, soberly entering the laboratory and then smiling as he returned home.
As night fell once again, he took out the liquor from the cabinet and sat on the sofa.
Seeing Alessia about to go upstairs, he raised the highball glass in his hand.
"Wanna join me for a drink?"
Alessia remembered that M had informed her earlier that she would be with Eagle tonight for the second assessment for the new member of the organization, so she shook her head and refused.
"You should drink less. I have things to attend to."
"Alright, I'll drink alone. Just one more glass!" Riley downed half of the glass in one gulp.
Alessia frowned, thinking she should deal with her tasks first, and then went upstairs.
Entering her room, she turned on the computer and quickly accessed the chat room specially created by the hacker organization.
As soon as her ID appeared, it immediately caused a stir in the chat room.
[Wow, is that the legendary Cobra?]
[Cobra finally appeared! I've been waiting for this moment.]
[The thing I look forward to the most is the annual recruitment of our organization because there's a chance to see Cobra.]
Alessia looked at the enthusiastic welcome from several familiar IDs in the chat room and greeted them back.
[Thank you all for your concern. I may not show up, but I'm always here.]
This sentence again led to various interpretations, either worshipful or teasing.
[Ah, I knew Cobra wouldn't abandon us. Although Cobra doesn't appear, her heart is still with us.]
[Too scary, so Cobra has been monitoring us all along. I haven't said anything bad about Cobra, scared me.]
Seeing these playful comments, Alessia's smile deepened.
At that moment, a familiar yet unfamiliar ID appeared.
TiffByte: [Senior Cobra, I'm a new recruit of the organization. Please go easy on me in the assessment later.] Followed by a mischievous emoticon.
It was Tiffany!
Alessia had known that Tiffany was among the new recruits. Although she had some minor conflicts with Tiffany, she was definitely not someone who would bend the rules for personal gain. Everything had to be done according to the rules.
Alessia: [Good luck later.]
[Okay, thank you, Senior Cobra. Senior Cobra is indeed as gentle as the rumors say.] Followed by a cute emoticon.
Alessia furrowed her brows. Gentle? Wasn't the rumor that she and Eagle were the formidable duo?
Tiffany's flattery was quite something. It made Alessia wonder what expression she would have if she knew the person she was flattering was someone she disliked.
Alessia playfully thought about it but didn't dwell on it. The hacker organization was a place that valued strength, after all.
As long as Tiffany passed the test, the organization would keep her. Otherwise, she would have to leave.
Alessia peeled a lollipop and put it in her mouth, waiting for the test time to come and for the other organization assessor, Eagle, to appear.
Just as she was halfway through her lollipop, she heard the sound of a car outside.
Dominic was back!
Since she had moved back to Forest Hill, Dominic had also returned to living there.
These past two days, it seemed like Dominic was busy with company matters. Although they lived in the same neighborhood, they hadn't met since yesterday until tonight.
Hearing the car pull into the opposite yard, Alessia frowned, unable to help but complain in her heart.
This was Dominic's attitude in pursuing someone. After declaring his intentions, he just left them hanging.
Fortunately, she didn't take it seriously; otherwise, the young girl might have felt disappointed.
Thinking about it, Alessia crushed the lollipop in her mouth, spat out the remaining stick into the trash can, and then heard footsteps outside the door, getting closer and closer.
As the footsteps approached, she became more and more nervous until the knock on the door finally came, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Whatever Dominic said, she'd just ignore him.
***