Chapter 4

Much to Yvonne's surprise, she was wrong. Michael, who stood at the door and had been about to leave, was stunned. He looked up at Yolanda and trembled as he exclaimed, "No! She's absolutely right. What she said is true!" Michael hurried back into the study and stopped in front of the image of the painting. His lips quivered as he said, "This is only a replica. She's right about that. Who else in this world but Jess Harrington could create such astounding artwork? "It's a shame that she retired from the artistic world two years ago and only left behind three priceless art pieces. But… How did you come to know of the great Ms. Harrington?" Yvonne was rendered speechless by this. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Even Diana couldn't help looking at Yolanda in bewilderment. Yolanda gave Michael a deadpan look before she turned toward the door. She opened it and disappeared around the corner as she answered, "Because I'm her." The words echoed through the room. She said she was Jess Harrington! Diana and the others scoffed at this. "You're out of your mind. I thought you brushed up on your knowledge after you were invited to the art exhibition, but you're just delusional! How dare you claim yourself to be a renowned artist? "I'd be happy enough if you were half as brilliant as Yvonne and stopped with that delinquent nonsense that would land you in the juvenile detention center. But unfortunately, you've proven yourself to be nothing more than an embarrassment!" It was true that Yolanda had not been half as brilliant as Yvonne in the past, but she was different now. If Yolanda chose to be her brilliant self, she would be peerless. … After leaving the study, Yolanda returned to her room and turned on the computer. All she had to do now was purge the poison from her system, regain her strength, and return to the Hoffmans in Creybia. She typed away on her keyboard with her chubby fingers flying over the keys as she typed out a long series of codes. The computer screen flashed as the page refreshed and redirected. Several beeps and pop-ups appeared. "Hacking the bank system… Please key in the password… Decoding… Please key in the relevant code." Another beep later, the encryption had been decoded. "Decoding successful. Please key in the name of the cardholder," informed the pop-up. Yolanda typed a name that ended with "Hoffman." A second later, the computer declared via pop-up, "Decoding successful!" Yolanda leaned into her seat and stared at the transaction amount on the screen. Her lips curled as she muttered, "Sorry, Rowan." She drew a line at stealing from the bank, but with her accounts frozen by Nydia, she had no choice but to borrow money from her brother. Meanwhile, in a skyscraper in Cryebia, four young men in their 20s were lounging on a fancy couch. The one leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window wore a white blouse, and he had the top two buttons loosened to reveal his sculpted chest. His slender fingers wrapped around his phone as he scrolled through it. There was a playful smile tugging on his lips as he said coldly, "Isaac's right. If Nydia hadn't gone on the mission in Yulie's stead, Yulie would have died in that plane crash. "So I've decided that the four of us will stay by her side. Anyone who so much as lays a finger on her will be annihilated along with their families." When the four brothers had rushed to the site of the plane crash, Yulia's body had just been recovered from the ruins. After several tests and verifications done by the coroner, it was confirmed that the victim had not been Yulia, but Nydia, the adoptive daughter of the Hoffman family. "Rowan's right." The young man in the suit leaning against the wall slowly looked up and added, "She was lucky to survive this time, but she might not be so lucky the next time. Countless people in this world are hoping she'd perish. "But… For some reason, I keep feeling like Yulia isn't quite herself today. She seemed different than usual when she came home, don't you think?" The other young men deep in thought and wallowing in guilt looked up at their stern-looking brother in the black suit. "I have to agree with you, Caleb. She seemed different to me, too. But her looks and behavior are exactly like Yulia's. "Even her strength and her recollection of past details align with Yulia's experiences. You don't suppose you're traumatized by the false alarm, are you, Caleb?" "No," the young man in the suit replied. He narrowed his eyes, and his gaze shone pensively as he said, "It's just a feeling. I can't help but feel like I'd stake my life to protect her when I see her. Perhaps she's just imposing in a way that makes one grovel at her feet." Still, despite the identical traits she shared with Yulia, be it her voice, looks, lifestyle habits, capabilities, or memories, Caleb Hoffman couldn't help feeling as if his sister had changed somehow. A long silence ensued, but it was broken suddenly by a lively chime. It was a message notification, and the chime came from Rowan's phone. He glanced down at the screen, and his eyes widened in disbelief like he had just read something he couldn't comprehend. "What the hell? How is this even possible?" His surprised cry caused the other three to look at him in confusion. Rowan stared at the message for a long while before he finally looked up. He was still bewildered when he said, "A million dollars has been debited from my international bank account just a minute ago!" "It's just a million dollars, so what's the big—wait, did you just say a million dollars? Caleb, are you behind this?" "No," Caleb replied, "If I were, he'd lost at least a billion." "Then who could have done it?" Who indeed? Who else could have hacked into Rowan's account and stolen a million dollars from him? It wasn't so much a matter of money as it was security. After all, the bank they ran had an anti-breaching system curated by the best hacker in the world. And yet, Rowan had been robbed right under their noses! "The only person who can go past our bank's security system is… That means… Yulia! It was Yulie! She's the only one who has the skills to break into the system." The four brothers exchanged baffled looks. Their gazes darkened as Rowan pulled out his phone and tracked the IP address and location. He was stumped to learn that the person who stole his money did not hail from Cryebia, but Riverdale. "The hacking didn't happen in Creybia. Does that mean Yulia is in the clear?" Caleb, who usually kept a level head, was suddenly anxious. If Yulia wasn't behind this, who could it be? Why did they only steal a million dollars? Caleb looked at the others as his brows furrowed. He said, "Rowan, go to Riverdale and track down the person who hacked our bank system at all costs!" Be it friend or foe, and regardless of their purpose, the Hoffman brothers were determined to hunt down the troublemaker. While Rowan was on his way to Riverdale, the newly rich Yolanda left the Henderson residence and made her way to the biggest hospital in Riverdale. She did not miss the public's judgmental looks as she walked down the street. Some of them even recognized her as the young lady whose kleptomaniac tendencies had landed her three years in the juvenile detention center. Someone hissed in disgust while others commented outright, "Ugh, her face is repulsive." Even the nurses at the hospital avoided Yolanda as they sneered, "Gosh, she looks like the stuff of nightmares!" Yolanda ignored the hateful words cast upon her. She was about to leave after picking up her prescription when she suddenly heard someone screaming, "Doctor! I need a doctor over here! Please, help us!"