hapter 156 Code and Conflict-1
Chapter 156: Code and Conflict-1
Ashcroft blinked twice, exhaling sharply through his nose as he set the phone on the table. The
movement was stiff, deliberate-like a soldier surrendering his sword. “Here,” he muttered,
avoiding Maya’s eyes.
Maya hid her smile behind a sip of water before taking the phone. “Hey,” she said softly, voice cutting through the chaos like sunlight after a storm.
Claim
On screen, Harper was still fuming, but her tone softened when she spotted Maya. “Sorry about that,” she sighed, brushing hair off her face. “Anyway-this is Kenji.”
The young man straightened, bowing politely toward the camera. “Good evening, Ms. Maya. Mr. Blackwood.” His tone was calm, respectful. “It’s an honor to meet you. Good evening, everyone.”
Maya smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Kenji.”
Damien nodded, amused but composed. “Likewise.”
Jaime leaned closer, eyes bright. “Hey! I’m Jaime!”
Kenji grinned, his energy instantly lighter. “Hi, Jaime! Harper’s told me about you. I think we’re going to be great friends.”
Harper rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “Kenji’s also a tech nerd,” she said, nudging him. “He’s twenty-one but acts fifteen on a good day. Jaime won’t be bored here-they’ll get along way t
oo well.”
That was all it took.
Jaime’s eyes practically glowed. “Wait-tech nerd? As in software or systems?”
Kenji’s grin widened. “Both. I do network security and Al diagnostics mostly, but lately I’ve been working on adaptive threat detection algorithms.”
Jaime straightened instantly, words tumbling out before he could stop himself. “No way! You mean like predictive breach mapping? I read a paper on that last month-where the system self-learns potential entry points based on behavioral data.”
Kenji blinked, surprised-and impressed. “You read that?”
Jaime flushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, uh, I don’t have the equipment to actually test it. But Damien gave me a laptop-” he glanced shyly at Damien, who only lifted his glass in quiet acknowledgment, “-with a few coding environments preloaded. I’ve been running small simulations. Just… nothing advanced yet.”
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Chapter 156 Code and Conflict-1
Clam
Kenji’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve been writing simulations on a personal laptop? That’s insane! What language?”
“Mostly Python,” Jaime admitted sheepishly. “It’s slower, I know, but it’s what I could handle without
frying the poor thing. I tried running a dummy firewall script with some basic machine-learning
integration, but it nearly melted my CPU.”
Kenji let out a bark of laughter. “That’s the best kind of mistake! You learn faster when things
explode!”
Jaime grinned, instantly more at ease. “Yeah, I figured. Though I did have to promise Maya I
wouldn’t blow up the Wi-Fi again.”
At that, Maya groaned softly and covered her face. “He did. Twice.”
The rest of the table watched the exchange, a mix of amusement and admiration on their faces, as the siblings’ energy filled the room. Laughter rippled softly-Eleanor smiled fondly, Charles chuckled, and Jaime beamed with pride. Even Ashcroft’s scowl softened, though he refused to
meet the screen directly. Damien’s lips curved into a faint, approving smirk, eyes lingering on the
two young men-one full of curiosity, the other of experience.
Kenji nodded, eyes bright with interest. “Tell you what, Jaime-when you get here, I’ll show you my setup. You can run your code on a real rig. We’ll debug it together.”
Jaime’s face lit up, all hesitation gone. “Seriously? You’d let me?”
“Of course,” Kenji said easily. “You’ve got the brain. You just need the tools.”
Harper sighed, though affection softened her tone. “Great. Fantastic. My brother’s already
corrupting your brother.”
Maya chuckled, her gaze drifting toward Jaime. Pride flickered in her eyes as she watched him
light up, animated and confident in a way she hadn’t seen in a long time. Then she looked back at
the screen, a teasing smile curving her lips. “If corruption leads to innovation, I’ll allow it.”
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Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.