Chapter 51:
As Sean's black car faded into the distance, Norah turned around and headed home, a heavy sigh trapped in her
chest, screaming for escape. She quickly grabbed her phone, her fingers flying as she fired off messages to
Derek.
“Derek, you wanted to split without hard feelings, yet here you are plotting behind my back! Do you think I will
not notice just because | don’t say anything? | couldn’t care less whether you're aware, but pass this message to
Madeline. If she crosses the line again, she’ll haveto answer to!”
“As for the divorce, if you choose to stay quiet, your choice. See you in court!”
Norah was messaging as she walked, and by the tshe entered the living room, she had already sent out
three messages. She tossed her phone onto the sofa and pulled her hair back with a band.
Feeling down, Norah craved something tasty to eat. She opened the refrigerator to take stock. Inside were plenty
of ingredients she had picked up recently, sparking thoughts on what she could cook.
Norah was too engrossed in the kitchen to notice her phone lighting up with notifications on the sofa.
Derek, frowning deeply, gripped his phone. Despite the recent barrage of messages, she vanished after his reply.
No matter how many messages he sent, she didn’t respond. As he typed, his frustration mounted, infusing his
messages with anger.
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“Derek, Kathy's already left. What's the situation with Miss Wilson?” Madeline, dressed in a delicate white lace
dress, approached Derek with elegance. She glanced at his phone and noticed the unreturned messages from
Norah. Madeline was baffled.
Norah was known for her relentless messaging. “What made her go silent this time?”
“She bombardedwith bizarre messages and then went silent after my response. | think Norah is playing
games,” Derek said, unable to mask his irritation. “She even dragged your ninto this, warning against
crossing her path again. As if she has any right!”
Madeline's heart skipped a beat as she tentatively asked, “Does Miss Wilson still harbor resentment toward me?
Whenever | see Miss Wilson, she’s openly hostile and always has a terrible attitude toward me. It’s one thing to
be used to her disdain, but now she’s trying to tarnish my image with you, Derek.”
Derek brushed aside his doubts, comforting Madeline. “Norah tends to get jealous and start arguments. But
she’s no match for you, Madeline. | see you for who you are, and gossip can’t change my affection for you. My
heart belongs only to you.”
He softly stroked Madeline's back, adding, “Our relationship is built on trust. Let's not let unfounded issues
weaken it.”
Madeline shifted the conversation, casting her gaze downwards. “Finalizing the divorce with Miss Wilson sooner
rather than later would be wise. My parents are asking about when our two families can meet. They'll be upset if
they learn you haven't completed the formalities.”
“I promise to handle it as quickly as | can. Just givea little time.” Derek embraced Madeline closer, as though
she was his entire universe. Madeline was his cherished one.
Eating alone, Norah prepared two dishes and a soup, finally checking her messages. Derek's messages read,
“What's going on? Can we get together to talk over the divorce details?”
“Hey! Where have you gone? Weren't you just here? Are you ignoring me?”
“Fine! Norah, you've outdone yourself!”
Reading Derek’s messages, Norah couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. At last, Derek was experiencing
the sting of being ignored in a message exchange! She edited the messages while eating.
Her reply read, “We can meet to discuss, but | don’t want to repeat what happened in the cafe last time. Set up a
time.”
Norah savored a bite of the delicious dish and narrowed her eyes, acknowledging her cooking skills hadn't
diminished. Reflecting on what Sean had said during the journey back home, she sent another message saying,
“Watch Madeline closely. Don’t let her pull any moves behind the scenes. I'm letting the Oceanic Treat Cafe
incident slide for now, but if she tries anything similar, I'll hit back just as hard.”
Concerned Derek might misunderstand her, Norah took the tto search for a video and forwarded the link.
Sean had tipped Norah off that a video from the Oceanic Treat Cafe incident was circulating.
The footage, showing Madeline's feigned innocence against Norah's calm demeanor, painted Norah as the
villain. The comments were unanimously harsh, accusing Norah of manipulation and dishonesty.
Norah was uncertain about the number of sponsored commenters active in the comment section. However, the
video's rising popularity was undeniable, as evidenced by Sean's attention to it. As Norah enjoyed her soup, she
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmresolved to address this matter later.
Madeline shouldn't think she could overlook this simply because the mastermind remained unidentified. No,
Norah was set on compiling evidence.
Derek’s response cquickly, with messages arriving shortly after: “Pick the tand place.” “This isn't about
Madeline. The cafe was crowded. Why point fingers at her?”
Norah couldn't help but scoff at Derek's blind devotion. No matter Madeline's actions, Derek seemed ready to
defend her at every turn. She had to concede that Derek’s adoration for Madeline was unmatched. Norah chose
Friday for their meeting. Finalizing their divorce earlier seemed like the logical step.
After her meal and cleanup, Norah positioned herself at her desktop computer in the bedroom. This wasn’t the
sleek, portable kind favored by her age, but a stationary setup with a separate monitor and CPU. The 24-inch
display cast a soft glow.
Norah drew the keyboard closer and dove into coding. Code streamed out behind the cursor unceasingly. Norah's
fingers flew across the keyboard, their movement a blur.
Launching the program, Norah couldn’t suppress a grin as Derek’s nappeared in the corner of her display.
Accessing the site hosting the controversial video, Norah set to work with a smirk. She navigated from the video
uploader’s IP address to those commenting, and the screen filled with data. With a keen eye, she sifted through
the information.
The uploader’s IP address pinpointed Derek's villa as the exact location, and a significant portion of the
comments cfrom paid posters, all echoing the ssentiments from matching IPs.
Following the trail of these commenters led Norah to their collective chat. She breached their server and
uncovered dialogues between Madeline and the group owner, capturing every exchange.