CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 392 MEETING

Jace froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth. Jay nearly choked on air. Bella’s eyes widened, and under the table she hurriedly grabbed Leo’s arm as if silently saying Don’t bully him, he might faint.

Jace recovered first. He casually raised his brows and leaned back in his chair. "That depends on how long you want me to stay here," he replied smoothly, not even a little ashamed.

Bella pinched the skin of Leo’s forearm under the table. Leo didn’t react. Not even a flinch.

"You can stay," Leo said, calm as ever, "but you’ll need to work too."

Bella blinked, looking between Leo and Jace with growing confusion.

Then Leo lifted his gaze fully and continued, "You should join my hacking team. What do you say?"

Jace nearly dropped his spoon. His expression was priceless, a mix of surprise and disbelief and something like being flattered. Bella’s mouth parted slowly, warmth blooming in her chest. And Jay... Jay looked as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head.

"Bro... YOU knew Jace is a hacker?" Jay asked, stunned.

Leo’s lips curved into that familiar, dangerous half-smile. "Hmm."

Jay stared at him, speechless. But then his expression shifted slowly. A smug, mischievous grin crawled across his face.

Because in Jay’s mind, he was thinking:

Looks like bro thinks only Jace is a hacker. But I know Bella Bell’s secret. Hehehe... I know something YOU don’t know...

He sat back proudly, arms crossed, trying to look mysterious, as though he was holding the biggest secret in the universe.

Meanwhile, Bella sipped her soup quietly, not realizing Jay was acting like a cartoon villain beside her.

Leo caught Jay’s new expression and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Jace, on the other hand, nearly dropped his fork from laughing.

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Later Leo gathered everyone for the meeting in the room on the second floor.

The meeting room was simple but neat, with a wide rectangular table in the center and four chairs placed around it. A large monitor was mounted on the wall opposite the door, glowing faintly as Leo switched it on.

Bella sat beside Leo on a mesh chair, her fingers resting tensely on her lap. She already knew what he was planning to do, and her heart fluttered nervously at the thought, a soft rush of anticipation warming her chest.

Unaware of the reason for the meeting, Jay slouched in his chair looking half-asleep and half-annoyed, while Jace looked relaxed as always. As the screen lit up fully, it displayed Leo’s father with a stern expression, his mother leaning close with worry, and Nonna adjusting her glasses as if trying to see every pixel clearly.

Jay immediately groaned and threw his head back dramatically. "Bro... what kind of meeting is this? If this is not life and death, I’m walking out. My bed is calling me."

Leo didn’t respond to the drama. His hand brushed Bella’s arm gently under the table, grounding her before he spoke in a calm, measured voice.

"Mom, Dad..." he began, glancing at the faces on the monitor before shifting his eyes to Jay. "There’s something you all need to know."

Bella looked up at him with a nervous little frown, her fingers tightening in her lap. Jay, who had been slumping in his chair expecting something boring, slowly lifted his head and froze the moment he saw the seriousness on Leo’s face.

Leo took a slow breath, steadying himself. "That hacker we’ve been trying to find... the one who protected our systems from the beginning... the one who helped us every time..."

Everyone unconsciously leaned forward.

"It was Bella."

Silence dropped into the room like someone had unplugged the entire world.

Jay’s eyes widened into perfect circles. He looked at Bella... then Leo... then Bella again, mouth opening and closing like a shocked goldfish. He knew Bella was a hacker, yes, but he didn’t know Bella was THAT hacker. And suddenly everything made sense. Those two mysterious times someone stepped in to protect them... it was Bella Bell all along.

Bella felt her heart skip a beat. She hugged her hands together nervously, cheeks warming as everyone stared at her like she had grown wings.

"She... she is the hacker?" Leo’s father asked slowly, genuinely stunned. His mother brought a hand to her chest and whispered softly, "Bella, sweetheart... you?"

Nonna squinted harder at the screen. "Hack? What hack? Who hacked what? Is something broken? Should I bring oil?"

Jay slapped his forehead. "Nonna... please..."

Leo exhaled quietly and wrapped his fingers around Bella’s hand, gently lifting it slightly as if presenting her to them.

"Yes," he said, his voice steady and full of pride. "She’s the one. Bella is the hacker who has been helping us all along."

Bella’s throat tightened. The way he said her name, calm and certain and proud, made her chest feel warm and full.

Jay looked like he had witnessed an alien walking into the room. "B-Bella Bell... YOU were THAT hacker? THAT hacker? The ghost hacker? The code beast? The legend? The one who saved our company system that day? THAT WAS YOU?"

Bella nodded small and shy, almost apologetic.

Jay placed a dramatic hand over his chest. "I need water. Someone bring me water. No, juice. No, oxygen. Actually bring everything."

Leo shot him a cold look, and Jay froze instantly.

"And," Leo continued, turning back to the screen with authority, "Bella has been working with me ever since I discovered her identity. She disguised herself as a man to avoid drawing attention from our enemies. I didn’t want her caught up in danger."

His father nodded slowly, genuinely impressed. His mother blinked twice, her expression melting into quiet pride.

"That is... surprising and unexpected," she said softly. "But I am proud of you, Bella."

Bella lowered her gaze shyly, her heart swelling at the unexpected praise from Lina, someone she loved and respected so deeply that even a few gentle words felt precious.

Leo still wasn’t finished.

He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips lifting as though he had been waiting for this moment.

"And not only that," he said with rising pride, "she is ranked at the top in Hackerverse. One of the most respected and popular hackers in the entire community."

Jay’s jaw dropped so dramatically he nearly hit the table. His eyes bounced between Bella and Leo as if he were watching history unfold.

Nonna, meanwhile, finally stopped typing on her phone. Her face brightened as if she had solved a mystery.

"Oh! So hacker means very smart girl!" she declared proudly. "Very good, Bella. You are lucky charm of our family."