Chapter 85: Chapter 85 Bella and Scar
Scarlett’s heart was thumping like crazy.
She was finally here. In front of the room that belonged to the Bellatrix_019—the most famous hidden hacker of the hacker world. People had spent years trying to trace her, challenge her, or just beg her for help. Scarlett had been friends with her online for over a year, yet even she had never seen her in person. And now?
Now she was about to walk into her room like it was just a casual Tuesday.
Haha! Those arrogant jerks in the hackerverse would be so jealous if they knew. Scarlett smirked.
She was still thinking about how dramatic her reveal would sound in their group chat when she noticed something—
Zion was no longer beside her.
She turned around quickly. "Huh?"
He had vanished quietly, leaving her alone in the hallway.
"...Okay," she whispered to herself, brushing her fingers through her hair to calm her nerves.
Knock knock.
She knocked twice on the door and stepped back politely.
Then—
The door creaked open from the inside.
"You brought breakfas—" Isabella’s voice paused mid-sentence, and her eyes widened when she saw the stunning woman standing in front of her.
The girl outside was drop-dead gorgeous—long wavy hair, glowing tan skin, sharp eyes and an attitude that screamed "don’t mess with me." She looked like a runway model.
Scarlett, on the other hand, stared right back at her.
The girl in front of her was way too cute. Long soft brown hair, delicate cheeks, big eyes, and a gentle look that made her want to squish her like a plushie. This was the great Bellatrix_019?
She was adorable.
"Who are you?" Isabella asked, tilting her head shyly, completely confused. Was she one of Alexa’s friends? Or maybe someone Leonardo invited? She didn’t remember seeing her last night... though most of the night was a blur after that bitter glass of ’water.’
Scarlett’s shoulders slumped a little. "You don’t remember?" she asked, sounding genuinely hurt.
"Umm??" Isabella blinked again. "Did we meet yesterday?" she asked nervously. "Sorry... I had a headache and I don’t remember much after I... um..."
Scarlett’s lips curved into a grin.
"I’m SyntaxQueen."
There was a pause.
Isabella’s eyes widened so big they could’ve popped out of her face.
"QUEENIE!!!" she squealed suddenly, eyes sparkling as if a thousand stars lit up inside them.
She lunged forward, throwing her arms around Scarlett’s waist and hugging her tight.
Scarlett let out a soft ’oof!’ as the small girl buried her face into her, hugging like she’d found her favorite teddy bear. She melted instantly.
"Aww..." Scarlett smiled and hugged her back tightly, pressing her cheek against Bella’s hair. "You’re even cuter in real life."
"You too!! I thought you would look like some scary hacker boss but you’re soooo pretty!" Bella giggled, pulling back just a little.
Both girls looked at each other, grinning like kids at a sleepover.
Finally... her only girl friend was here.
"Come inside," Isabella said, stepping aside with a shy smile.
Scarlett walked in and tried not to say it out loud but wow, this room was really nice. Ocean view, polished floors, a calming breeze floating in from the huge glass windows. Still, her eyes quickly moved back to the adorable girl in the lavender dress standing next to her.
Though Scarlett was distracted for a second.
Because... was it normal for someone to be this soft? When Bella hugged her earlier, it felt like hugging a marshmallow wrapped in sunlight. And now that Bella stood close again, slightly looking away, Scarlett may have wanted to poke her cheek.
Bad Scarlett. Focus.
"Great room," she said instead, walking toward the window like she wasn’t mentally panicking.
"Yes, it is," Isabella replied softly and then turned back with a slight smile, brushing her hair behind her ear.
Scarlett grinned. "So? Revenge time?"
"Huh? Revenge?" Bella blinked like a confused baby deer.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "You know, those people who bullied—"
Knock knock!
"Oh! Sorry," Isabella quickly turned and walked to the door.
It opened, and a maid entered with a polite bow, carrying a tray with two neatly arranged breakfast plates—toast, fruit, a soft croissant, and fresh juice.
"Breakfast, ma’am," the maid said, placing it gently on the table.
"Thank you," Bella said softly with a small nod and smile as the maid gently left the room.
Then she turned to Scarlett and asked shyly, "Let’s eat together?"
Scarlett’s grin softened. "Of course," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting beside her.
They sat together on the couch, the ocean view glowing gently behind them, morning sunlight spilling over the floor. For a few seconds, there was a bit of silence between them. The kind of silence that happens when two people who’ve known each other for so long suddenly meet face to face for the first time. It was a little awkward... not in a bad way—just new.
Isabella quietly picked up a slice of toast while sneaking glances at Scarlett’s face, thinking She’s so pretty in real life... how can someone have such smooth skin and sharp eyes?
Scarlett noticed it but pretended not to. Instead, she broke the silence with a bright smile.
"So, real-life intro time?" she said, setting down her glass. "I’m Scarlett Yu. Twenty-three. Caffeine addict. And possibly allergic to boring people. Also," she leaned a bit closer, lowering her voice like sharing a top-secret file, "SyntaxQueen is just my cool online name. My friends call me Scarlett—or Scar, but that sounds too villainy, right?"
Isabella let out a tiny laugh, nodding. "Scarlett suits you. I’m... well, I’m just Bella. Not very hacker-like."
"Hey," Scarlett nudged her gently with her shoulder. "You’re Bellatrix_019. You once crashed a bank’s security layer in under five minutes just to expose corruption. That’s, like, elite. You’re soft and deadly. I love that."
Bella looked down at her plate, her cheeks pink from the compliment. "I only did that because the manager was cheating poor people..."
"Exactly," Scarlett said, raising a toast like a wine glass. "To righteous hackers in cute dresses!"
Bella giggled, finally feeling herself relax. Scarlett smiled seeing her open up more, and then continued talking like they’d always been together.