Chapter 99


    "What?"


    Queenie abruptly sat up from the massage table when she read the reply on her phone. Her


    reaction startled the women undergoing spa treatments next to her.


    "What''s wrong, Queenie?" one of them asked.


    Queenie realized she had overreacted. She simply smiled and then casually reclined back.


    "It''s nothing. I''m simply discussing a coboration with a hacker called Raven."


    She pretended to be calm, but her inner turmoil went into overdrive when she learned that the price


    tag soared to two hundred times the original price.


    The asking price had exceeded six hundred million. Unexpectedly, Raven had jacked up the price


    by a hundred times in just a few days. Queenie couldn''t help but wonder if the hacker Raven


    thought money grew on trees.


    "Raven? The country''s top hacker? My son is always raving about him and thinks he''s amazing.


    With just a snap of his fingers, he''s made eight figures. It''s impressive to see you negotiating with


    him," another woman remarked.


    "My son is also obsessed with Raven. He''s been skipping his studies to learnputer hacking."


    "If you manage to recruit Raven, it''ll be like obtaining a guardian angel for the Gaskells. Who would


    dare mess with your family?"


    "At this rate, your family is headed to the top. Soon, you''ll be mentioned among the four influential


    families."


    "In the future, it won''t just be the four influential families anymore. It''ll be the five influential families."


    As they showered Queenie withpliments and attention, she felt a wave of contentment wash


    over her. It even soothed the effects of her earlier inner turmoil.


    Queenie aimed to elevate the Gaskells to the same level of prominence as the four influential


    families.


    So, she obtained Raven''s contact information from Amelia with the intention of recruiting him.


    Without hesitation, she drafted and sent out the message.


    …


    At Cavenridge, the Terranish teacher was in the middle of teaching a lesson in ss.


    Hera''s chin was resting on her hand. She was absentmindedly ying the new Candy Crush game


    that Katie had rmended.


    Then, a WhatsApp message popped up on her phone. It was from Piglet.


    "Raven, Mrs. Gaskell has agreed to the new price.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "However, she has one condition—she wants to meet you in person. This time, she appeared quite


    desperate and responded unusually fast."


    Hera narrowed her eyes and wondered if their desperation was genuine or if it masking their


    intentions. Nheless, she held the upper hand in the negotiation.


    "Alright. But the price won''t be the same as before," she replied.


    Piglet was taken aback.


    "You''re nning to increase the price again? Are you doing this on purpose?"


    Hera responded, "If she agrees, pass along my contact information."


    Piglet asked, "So, how much then? Three hundred times?"


    She texted back, "Depends on my mood."


    Piglet sent a flexed bicep emoticon andmented, "Your answer implies that you''re the one


    behind the Gaskells'' setup."


    …


    Back at the beauty salon, Queenie frowned as she read the message.


    The price was raised again. She felt the situation was an endless cycle of demands.


    Considering the Gaskells'' ambition and observing her friends'' admiring nces, Queenie surmised


    that news of the Gaskells'' interest in coborating with Raven must have already spread through


    gossip.


    If the Gaskells couldn''t close the deal with Raven, their reputation would take a hit, and their


    company''s systems might copse.