Joshua said , " Take the post down . " " Fine , I'll take it down . " Roy backed down fast . He still wanted to keep his tongue intact , but fe honestly thought Shermaine didn't measure up to Wendelyn . He thought , Joshua just hasn't been around enough women . That's why he's so easily blinded . Just wait - one day he's gonna see things for what they really are . Roy told someone to bring him his laptop . Once he had it , it only took a couple of clicks before the post was deleted . That was when Henry slammed down his cards . " Royal flush . Quit worrying about Joshua . Back when he was out making a name for himself , you were still a cringey teen gamer glued to your screen . " Roy thought , ' Cringey teen ? I don't buy that . I'm ranked third the Global Hacker Leaderboard under the codename King , and the top jungler in the world . ' Back in the day , I led Stormbound to a world championship and had fangirls lining up for miles - hotter than any pop star . And this sly bastard Henry has the nerve to call me a cringey gamer ? ' Henry then revealed a straight flush and dragged the pot toward himself . " I win . Pay up ." Roy was speechless . He thought , ' Damn it , he's really sly as a fox . He waited till I wasn't focused on the game , then trapped me . He had just lost enough money to buy a house . Rolling his eyes in frustration , he was about to go another round when he got a call from Bruno , his friend from Basterel University's computer science department . " Roy , there's this hacker's firewall I can't get through . Got time to take a look ? " Bruno asked . Bruno's skills were top - tier in the country . Roy figured that if even Bruno couldn't crack it , then the other person must be seriously badass . Roy perked up instantly . " Send it over . " Bruno said , " Okay . Roy , if you manage to break through this hacker's firewall , could one of our students . Total jerk move . " you also check out who he is ? He hacked the phone and laptop of x Henry saw him grab his laptop and plop down somewhere else , and just knew the poker game was officially over . So he just sat next to Joshua and joined him for a drink . Roy said , " Sure . " At that moment , Shermaine had just gotten home . She sat in front of her computer , planning to check how many replies that post had racked up by now , but when she clicked the link , it gave her a 404 page . ' It got deleted ? ' Shermaine thought , raising an eyebrow . ' Did I allow it to be deleted ? ' Her fingers danced swiftly across the keyboard , and after a few taps , the post was back to how it was . Then the firewall flashed red . Shermaine thought , ' They've already tried to get in a few times today and they're still not giving up ? ' A moment later , the system showed the firewall was close to being breached , Shermaine realized someone else had taken over the attack . She typed out a few more commands , tossing a counterattack their way while she was at it . Roy was watching the screen , seeing the firewall almost give way . But then it suddenly bounced back , even stronger than before . " Well , well , looks like 1/4 Chapter 25 We've got a real pro , he said . He thought , ' Too bad for you , though . The one you're up against is King , ranked third on the Global Hacker traderboard Untact number areas suddenly show up , everybody else is just cannon fodder ! Roy shot back a message : [ Bro , upgrading your firewall won't help . I'm taking it down no matter what 1 Shermaine replied : [ Oh , really ? ] However , half an hour later , Roy was so pissed he nearly slammed his laptop . His screen was swarming with flashing pig heads It was a virus . At some point , Shermaine had slipped through his defense and planted it there . Shermaine : [ Nice try , little punk . You've still got a long way to go . ] Roy rarely ever lost this badly . The top two on the Global Hacker Leaderboard couldn't pull it off , but this hacker who called him a little punk just did . Truth be told , rankings didn't mean everything . The world was huge , and there were plenty of experts out there , Roy was intrigued and texted : [ Mind telling me your handle ? ] Shermaine : [ The Queen you'll never beat . ] Roy : [ You're a girl ? ] But Shermaine didn't reply after that . Then , Henry asked , " Well , well , Mr. Big - shot Hacker . You lost ? " Roy said , " Yeah . " Henry blinked . He hadn't actually expected Roy to be defeated . Knowing how insanely good Roy's computer skills were , Henry questioned , " Who's that good ? " Roy remarked , " No clue . Not someone on the leaderboard . And she's a girl . " His eyes lit up . " I'm definitely gonna find out who she is . " " Then what ? " Henry asked . Roy gave a wicked smirk . " I'm very interested in the woman who beat me . " Henry thought , ' Better not get your ass handed to you . ' He laughed and teased , " Good luck with that . " When Bruno found out that not even Roy had managed to crack the hacker's firewall or trace her IP , he was completely floored . Bruno had been feeling pretty defeated , but now he was kind of relieved . He now realized it wasn't that he was trash - it was just that the hacker was on a whole different level . What Bruno couldn't wrap his head around , though , was why such a skilled hacker would specifically target Erin . Nearby , Joshua drained his champagne in one gulp , then stood up and slung his expensive suit jacket over his arm . " It's getting late . I'm heading out . " Shermaine shut her laptop just as a call came in . It was from Troy Cox , wanting to talk about the house construction . As a builder , there were still a few things he didn't fully understand , especially since the house Shermaine wanted to build was a high - te … . one . So , he figured it'd be best to check in with her first . Chapter 25 After Shermaine answered a few of his questions , Trisy said , " Alright , got it . I'll go over it with the crew " Shermaine remarked . " Once I'm not that busy , F'll try to make a trip back . " Troy replied , " I know you're doing this for the village , but don't wear yourself out ? "I won't " Shermaine never let herself get too exhausted . She always kept a balance between work and rest . " Oh , Sheary , one more thing do you mind helping me with something else ? " Troy asked . " It's about my daughter Lily . She didn't get into college in bet senior year , and after she graduated high school , she went to Basterel to work . " But lately , she hasn't been answering calls or texts . Could you help me find her and see how she's doing ? " " Troy , send me her number , I'll go find her tomorrow when I have time , " Shermaine said . By the time Joshua got home at ten o'clock in the evening , Shermaine had already showered and gone to bed . The next morning , a little after seven , Shermaine headed out . She didn't stay to have breakfast with Joshua . When she arrived at school , she was greeted by the senior year director , Mason Moe . Mason was pretty cold toward her and handed her a test paper . " Shermaine , do these questions ." Shermaine glanced at it . " I don't feel like it . " Mason thought , ' This transfer student not only has no academic records , but now it's clear she's just as hard to discipline as her mother said . " " Just put me wherever , " Shermaine said . So Mason did exactly that . He randomly placed her in Class 9 - the worst class in senior year . The homeroom teacher for Class 9 , Isabel Vaughn , was actually pretty welcoming toward Shermaine . She brought Shermaine into the classroom and introduced her to the class . " This is Shermaine Shue , our new transfer student . Starting today , she's one of us in Class 9. Let's give her a warm welcome . " The students all started clapping . They all stared at her with curiosity , and everyone was thinking , ' This transfer student is so pretty . She looks like a supermodel . ' Isabel said , " Shermaine , go ahead and say hi to your classmates . " Shermaine kept it short and to the point . " Nice to meet you guys . I'm Shermaine . " She was seated in the third - to - last row by the window . Her deskmate was a girl who clearly loved checking herself out in the mirror . The girl greeted her enthusiastically , " Hi , I'm Summer Crawford . " " Hi . " Shermaine gave her a light smile . Summer said , " You're really pretty . " 214 Chapter 25 Shermaine chuckled , " So are you . " Summer lit up , thinking , ' Who doesn't love being called pretty by someone that good - looking ? ' She really liked Shermaine . After Isabel left , the math teacher started the lesson . But during class , hardly anyone was actually listening or taking notes . Most students were either playing games or flipping through magazines . There wasn't even a hint of senior year pressure in the air . The math teacher didn't care either and just kept talking through the material . The class flew by . Then came the fifteen - minute break . Summer stood up . " Shermaine , come on . I'll show you around Brightwater Academy's beautiful scenery ." Shermaine nodded . " Okay. " Summer took her straight to the athletic field . It turned out that the so - called beautiful scenery was actually the boys running across the track . Summer asked , " So , what do you think , Shermaine ? The boys at Brightwater Academy are pretty good - looking , right ? " Shermaine commented , " They're alright . " Right then , a mocking voice came from behind . " Well , well , if it isn't the Jean family's heiress . " A