The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253 The Hund For Haven

Chapter 253 The Hunt For Raven

At the headquarters of the Thole Group, in the CEO’s office, Hovard listened to fustirs report

After Dustin finished, Howard asked, “Have you managed to get touch with Raven jetr

“Not yet, Dustin replied, his head bowed

Howard’s frown deepened, his tone sharp. “What have you been doing all these daysr

Dustin had been busy trying to suppress those scandalous photos of himself that had leaked online, but he didn’t dare mention it. Instead, he reported what had happened that day

“I managed to get in touch with Raven’s assistant, Van. Things were going smoothly at first, but then Hannah showed u and totally threw off our negotiation.

“She said our offer was too low and wanted to compare it to what Zenith Systems Group was offering, clearly trying to jack up the price,” Dustin explained.

“Why was she there?” Howard asked, his face darkening.

“Van claimed Hannah was her assistant, but I think Hannal’s really working for Uncle Barnaby, trying to get close to Van and fish for info on Raven,” Dustin guessed,

After all, whoever landed Raven first was the one who got all the glory.

The family head cared only about results, not process. Having been sent to the Brynlock branch for over two years, Barnatay was definitely itching to prove himself and get back to HQ.

“Then what are you waiting for? Are you just going to let them sign Raven first? Howard urged

Barnaby’s presence alone had already tightened the screws on their side of the family. With Hannah now in the mix, the pressure was ratcheted up to another level.

There was no chance they would let either of them stay in the picture, especially Hannah. If she ever brought up the old scandal, it would mean game over for their side of the family.

“Yes, I’ll head to Brynlock later. Word is, Raven’s showing up at Zenith Systems Group’s third anniversary bash tonight. go straight to the party and talk to her face-to-face,” Dustin replied.

“I’m coming with you. We have to lock down Raven tonight, no matter what,” Howard said

Howard told his secretary to dig up the invitation from Xenith Systems Group. He hadn’t planned on going before, but now that Raven was going to be there, he had no choice. He had to seal the deal before Xenith Systems Group made their play

Given how Xenith Systems Group was always at odds with the Thole Group, if they caught wind that the Thole Group was after Raven, they’d definitely try to snatch her first. Howard had to go in person and get her signed

And while he was on Xenith Systems Group’s turf, he could scope out a few more famous hackers for himself. No way Xenith Systems Group could have signed every single one of the top hundred hackers.

That evening in Brynlock, Dorian and his two sons were all dressed to the nines in sharp suits as they headed to Xenith Systems Group for the third anniversary party. Since Xenith Systems Group had invested in the Scott family’s company, they’d gotten an invite.

Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace, with cops everywhere directing cars and even a few military police units on patrol. The whole city felt like it was on high alert.

“What’s up with today? Is some big shot or government official checking out Brynlock or something?” Dorian asked,

curious.

Arthur was scrolling through the news on his phone and explained, “Security’s even crazier at the train station, airport, and customs than it is here.

“Apparently, tons of people are here because Xenith Systems Group invited the world’s top hundred hackers to their third anniversary party.

“These hackers are like legends online, nobody ever sees them in person, but Xenith Systems Group actually managed to get them all together.

“Everyone from tourists to tech company bigw records for international arrivals these past co

Successfully unlocked!

impse. Brynlock Airport’s been smashing

“Actually, it’s all about Raven. She’s the real reason everyone’s here, Lucian chimed in

He passed them his tablet, showing the latest updates from the hacker forum.

“It’s not just tourists and hackers, there’s even a delegation from Veridian Space Agency and Interpol in town.

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Chapter 253 The Hunt For Raven

“Rumor has it Veridia sent in elite special forces disguised as tourists, but they got caught at customs. They refused to leave, so the Defense Ministry had to send in troops to force then out, Lucian said.

“But they didn’t go far. Now they’re stationed right at the Veridia border checkpoint, on standby in case Raven tries to slip away,” he added.

“And our Defense Ministry isn’t taking this lightly either. They’ve got soldiers guarding the borders and even posted a whole. unit at Xenith Systems Group to protect Raven and make sure nobody tries to snatch her, Lucian continued

“Damn, just how powerful is this Raven?” Dorian couldn’t help but ask, wide-eyed.

He didn’t know much about hackers, but seeing the whole city basically on lockdown for one person, yeah, Raven had to be a major player.

“From what I’ve heard, he’s one of the best out there. Interpol’s after him because he hacked into Veridia’s satellites, Arthur explained, since he worked in tech and had the inside scoop.

“But the real kicker is that Raven’s Shadow’s apprentice. Back in the day, Shadow single-handedly blocked Veridia’s attack on our defense system, then flipped the script and crashed their own system for a whole week.

“That move made Shadow a legend in the hacker world. Veridia was totally humiliated, and they even tried to recruit Shadow for themselves, but obviously, that didn’t work,” Lucian said, his tone serious.

“Veridia claims Raven hacked their satellites, but rumor has it he actually patched up a bug they were totally clueless about.

“The whole ‘arrest’ thing is just a cover, they want to snatch him for themselves, just like they tried with Shadow back in the day. No way our Defense Ministry’s gonna let them pull that off, he declared.

Lucian was hyped. He’d come all this way just to see Raven in action. Someone so badass? He had to witness it for himself, and if he got lucky, maybe he could even ask to be his mentee.

Maybe if Raven saw how adorable Lucian was, he’d be charmed into taking Lucian on as an apprentice.

Lucian wanted to get some cheat codes for real life, too!

Then he could really flex on Hannah and Barnaby, rubbing it right in their faces.

“Whoa, you actually know a lot about this!” Arthur said, surprised as he looked at Lucian.

Lucian grinned, full of swagger. “You bet! One day, I’m gonna be the best hacker on the planet!”

By the time their car finally crawled up to Xenith Systems Group the sky had already gone dark.

The front of the building was jam-packed with people hoping to catch some action, with soldiers standing guard and security keeping order. Tons of influencers and media crews were there too, livestreaming the whole scene for their followers.

Online, the top trending topic everywhere was “Waiting for Raver at Xenith Systems Group’s Third Anniversary Party.” Some streaming platforms even had their servers go down from the insane flood of viewers.

That got a ton of people outside the tech world scratching their heads, wondering, ‘What’s all the fuss about this Raven, anyway?’

Then they checked out the livestream!

Everyone was hyped!

In the livestreams of several famous influencers, the hosts were streaming live from the front doors of Xenith Systems Group, freaking out over all the big names showing up.

“Guys, listen up! The bounty on Raven just exploded on the hacker forum, Veridia bumped it from a hundred grand to a million bucks! If you spot Raven, that money’s yours! Veridia is going all out to catch her, one host shouted.

“And get this, Eirengard’s Space Agency just dropped a ten-million-dollar bounty, asking everyone around the globe to help hunt down Raven. Looks like Eirengard’s trying to get in on the action and steal Raven from Veridia!” another host exclaimed.

“No wonder Brynlock’s traffic is a total mess today, even our own Space Agency’s deputy director showed up! And wait, isn’ t that a Scepter House license plate? Are they here to snatch Raven too?” a third host said, his voice full of speculation

“And look, Howard Thole himself just rolled up! And all the big spots from the top chip companies are here too!” another host added, his excitement palpable.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was going crazy

[Stop talking and zoom in on the entrance! If I spot Raven through the stream, does the bounty count for me too?]

[Man, I’m dying to know who Raven actually is!]

[No kidding, that’s 10 million dollars!]

[This is wild, everyone’s out here looking for Raven!]

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