Chapter 5 Multiple Skills
Ten minutes later.
At the top floor of the Caldwell Corporation.
The heavy double oak doors of the CEO's office burst open with a forceful push!
They slammed against the buffers with a dull thud, startling Edward at the secretary's desk so badly he nearly jumped out of his chair.
The crisis had just been averted, and Henry was rubbing his throbbing temples when he looked up at the sound. His pupils contracted sharply as he recognized the visitor.
"Mr. Caldwell, you've been looking for me all over Virensia. Aren't you worried people might get the wrong idea?" Sophia sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, fiddling with her phone without looking up. The eerie gray light from the screen cast shadows across her face.
But Henry didn't feel threatened by her presence. Instead, the coldness in his eyes instantly melted away, his lips curling into a slight smile. "Wrong idea about what? That I'm abducting a minor?"
Sophia finally looked up at him, her eyes spelling out "boredom."
They were both intelligent people, so they continued the conversation with an unspoken understanding.
"John Caldwell was your father's name?" she asked.
Henry nodded in confirmation, with a hint of hesitation and bewilderment. "Yes, though he's passed away. Miss Bennett, what does today's incident have to do with my father?"
Sophia let out a derisive laugh. "Someone hacked into the Caldwell Corporation's marketing department today for no apparent reason. Don't you wonder why?"
She added, "Hmph, just as I suspected. The mighty head of the Caldwell Family is nothing but a figurehead—all show, no substance."
She stared at Henry for a couple of seconds before suddenly breaking into an almost mischievous smile.
Seeing this, Henry's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
This girl was... so audacious it made him want to crush her, yet so composed it made him want to conquer her.
But Sophia's words had plunged Henry into deep thought. The file his father had left behind was indeed company classified information, but despite being the CEO, he'd never had access to it all these years.
Could it be that his father's classified file was actually a self-destruct switch for the Caldwell Corporation? Were all these sudden hackers targeting that file, just as Sophia suggested?
But why would his father leave a time bomb for his own son?
A wave of fear and the chill of betrayal by his closest kin gripped Henry instantly. Yet he maintained his composure as he looked at Sophia, his eyes regaining that unfathomable calmness. He was about to speak when she cut him off again.
"The firewall's been restored. No need to thank me, but I have a condition." Sophia walked directly to the desk and showed Henry a screenshot on her phone that read "Breach Successful."
They were standing close enough that Sophia could smell the faint cedar scent mixed with a hint of coffee bitterness that seemed to envelop her.
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the desk before looking at Sophia with amused eyes. "I'm sorry, Miss Bennett, but this matter must end here. If you're willing, I'll compensate you generously. If you're trying to investigate my father through this, then please leave the Caldwell Corporation. While I trust you enough, I'm a businessman first and foremost, and a Caldwell."
Sophia showed no emotional reaction to his words. "Mr. Caldwell, you're overthinking. I have no interest in hearing about your father. You have two options: One, I helped you, and in exchange, I need to know all the secrets behind this file—why the Caldwell Family possesses it and what it really is. Two, I disappear with it right now, along with your last chance."
Feeling threatened, Henry's eyes darkened as he suddenly grabbed Sophia's wrist, his voice dropping. "Sophia, aren't you being a bit too brazen? I've trusted you and prepared a substantial payment. And now, you're threatening me?"
Though intrigued by Sophia, Henry had only one thought at that moment—to protect the Caldwell Corporation at all costs.
Sophia remained emotionally detached, seemingly unaffected. "Tell me what this 'Black Ice Project' mentioned in the file is. And who's the target of the so-called 'cleanup directive'?"
"Mr. Caldwell, I'm not interested in threatening you. But you must tell me! Why is my father's name in the associated index?!" This was a rare display of emotional loss of control from Sophia.
If she hadn't coincidentally helped the Caldwell Corporation thwart the enemy attack today, she would never have discovered that her father was somehow connected to the Caldwell Corporation.
"This is something I must know!"
Hearing this, Henry was somewhat shocked. How was this matter related to Sophia's father?
"My father never mentioned any index. It could be from some early collaborative project they were involved in? I need time to investigate."
"You don't have time," Sophia interrupted, frowning impatiently. "My conditions remain unchanged. Starting today, we share information and proceed simultaneously. Now, immediately authorize me to access the deep logs of the Caldwell Corporation's main database to trace the creation and modification records of this file. Don't try any tricks—my patience is as limited as the security period of the file on your computer, counting by the second."
Henry's expression turned serious; he knew Sophia wasn't bluffing.
If unknown hackers could breach the Caldwell Corporation's marketing department once, they could do it again, and again... The classified file was the only key to resolving the crisis completely, but also the biggest threat hanging over him.
After studying Sophia intently for a moment, Henry finally reached into his suit's inner pocket and pulled out a tiny encrypted USB drive.
"Highest temporary authorization, effective for three hours," he said rapidly. "My computer access password is 0503."
For the next fifteen minutes, Sophia sat in Henry's office chair, her fingers flying over the keyboard as data streams scrolled continuously on the screen. Henry leaned against the desk, coffee in hand, his gaze fixed on her.
Without looking up, she spoke coldly, "Are you staring at me because you're afraid I'll hack into your core data while I'm at it?"
Henry chuckled softly, placing the coffee cup beside her hand. The cup base made a gentle sound as it touched the desk.
"Haven't you done enough hacking already?" His tone was relaxed, with a hint of indulgence. "Save your energy and focus on finding what you need."
Sophia glanced at him without responding and continued browsing the files on screen. Suddenly, her finger stopped at a particular spot, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Collateralized debt obligations?" she murmured, her tone slightly puzzled.
Henry stiffened, his gaze instantly sharpening. "How do you know about those?"
Sophia didn't answer, just quickly scrolled through more pages and scanned the data.
"The leverage is too high," she remarked flatly. "With this structure, if the market fluctuates, the entire financial chain will collapse."
Henry stared at her, a flash of surprise in his eyes that quickly turned to admiration.
He leaned forward, his arms braced on either side of her chair, his voice low. "Sophia, who exactly are you? A hacker who also studies financial models? And knows such obscure national languages?"