Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 148

Hackett wasted no time dialing Frank’s number after hanging up the phone. The phone rang for an eternity before a raspy voice answered, “Hackett, do I owe you something? Did I disturb your peace?”

Calling him every morning was driving him insane. Didn’t he realize that Frank ran a bar and kept late hours? He needed to find a way to teach this guy a lesson.

Hackett forcedly smiled as he replied, “Bro, I need your help. Name your price, and help me eliminate the trending topics.”

Still with his eyes closed, Frank kept the speaker on, sounding rather nonchalant, “Which celebrity is it this time? Isn’t it a common occurrence? Just ignore it.”

Hackett felt the urgency mounting, worried that with each passing minute, the photos of Ruby would be further circulated. “No, it’s more complicated this time. Please, do me a favor and take care of it. Name your price, and I’ll agree to it.”

Suddenly, Frank opened his eyes, curiosity gleaming in his gaze. He wanted to see what could make Hackett go to such lengths and offer any price to seek his assistance. “Don’t go back on your word now.”

The tone of Frank carried a clear sense of threat, leaving Hackett no choice but to pay a hefty price. Money couldn’t outweigh the safety and well–being of Ruby, who was undeniably adorable and innocent. Protecting her from any harm was his utmost priority.

With unwavering resolve, Hackett asserted, “No backing out. I urgently need your help, my friend. Take down the trending topics and use your technical expertise to track down those who downloaded the photos. I want them exposed and every single picture erased. Not a trace should remain.”

Frank hadn’t seen the trending topics yet, but he couldn’t help but speculate, “Did they capture compromising photos of

you

Hackett reminded himself to stay composed. He needed to maintain a respectful demeanor while seeking assistance, despite the overwhelming urgency he felt. “No, first take a look at the trending topics.”

“Alright. I’ll hang up now. Just remember to honor your promise once this is resolved.”

“I understand. I won’t go back on my word.” Hackett would have been more cautious in the past, constantly negotiating terms before agreeing to anything. But this time, he unconditionally accepted Frank’s help without any conditions being mentioned.

Frank opened his phone with a frustrated expression, taking a closer look at the pictures. Goodness gracious, it was none other than Trevon’s ex–wife’s daughter. How did she end up having such a blast with Hackett?

Examining the photos more closely, all traces of confusion vanished from Frank’s face, replaced by an irrepressible grin. Instead of immediately tending to Hackett’s requests, he saved all the photos from the trending topics to his phone’s gallery. Without delay, he got serious and turned on his computer, ready to take action. In no time, all traces of the trending topics. disappeared. Following that, several phones were hacked, including Natalie’s.

Inside the office, Natalie furrowed her brow as she stared at her mysteriously blacked–out phone screen. Had it been infected with a virus? She hadn’t watched any questionable videos, only anatomy lessons from reputable websites.

But within a few seconds, her phone’s brightness returned, alleviating her fears of a virus. She unlocked her phone one by one, checking each app. The money in her online banking app was still there, relieving her Next, she checked her notes and, finally, her photo gallery. To her dismay, the last saved photos of Hackett and Ruby were gone. Opening her chat records with Sherri on WhatsApp, she realized the missing photos.

the primary objective was the

it empty. There was no trace of the bustling scene that had unfolded earlier that morning. It seemed as if the trending topics had never even existed. Sherri must have enlisted the services of a highly skilled individual

realm of hacking or programming, but she was familiar with the concept through her cousin Ava Ava had a penchant for infiltrating others‘ computer systems, especially when Joseph provoked her. Joseph had been forced to fortify his devices with multiple layers of advanced security measures to protect himself from Ava’s relentless hacking

was not entirely reckless in her pursuits. She refrained from tampering with Joseph’s work computer, instead focusing on his

the sophistication of today’s cyber–attacker, it was clear that they were a highly skilled individual. If Ava were to discover their exploits, she would undoubtedly see it as a challenge and seize the opportunity to demonstrate her prowess. Natalie dialed Sherri’s number from her contacts, eager to share the news that all the information had been successfully deleted. However, she

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Chapter 148

heavily and rested her cheek against her hand. “Yeah, I talked to him. We exchanged some heated words. He knows

the revelation. When she saw

take Ruby away from you, aren’t

a solemn tone, “Yeah, I

to have a proper conversation with him, so how can you be sure he would try to take her away from you? Besides, it doesn’t seem like Hackett orchestrated the trending topics incident. After all, he would save hiring someone to take down the trending topics. He’s a real

that too. It’s disheartening that the people I least wanted to know about it now have all the information. There’s no point in keeping it from Juana any longer. I’m trying to figure out how to

It seemed like the right course of

humorously, “My daughter is stunning, and it feels like a waste of my genes

“Is that face a reflection of your

have a normal conversation without

was registered under her name to divert attention, now that Hackett knew

to add to her troubles. Instead, she decided to take

as the

saying

the trending topics being taken down Unsurprisingly, the call was promptly disconnected, and he was placed on her blocklist. A mechanical voice echoed through the line, leaving him to send her an SMS message instead. “My dear, it wasn’t me who orchestrated the trending topics, but I did invest a considerable sum to have them taken down. Can

Sherri’s number, and now he found himself in the same situation. He couldn’t afford for Trevon to find out

the table. Hackett’s plea to be removed

genuine concern. “Dr. Landor, is everything okay? Are you feeling unwell? Did someone upset

it’s nothing. Just had

grasp Dr. Landor’s sense of humor. However, seeing that

“It’s nothing. I’m just not fully awake yet. I stayed up late last night binge–watching a TV series.”

this

she had been longing for an engaging