SWNOVELXO Chapter 244: Hard Proof
On their way to the Steele Complex, Darren's mind swam with hundreds and hundreds of thoughts. Most of it was about his newest recruitment; Ileana Popescu.
'This is my chance to test her,' he thought, his eyes flicking to the Romanian coder seated at the other end of the vehicle, her dark hair pulled tight, her green eyes focused on the road ahead.
They had stopped at the Golden Hay Hotel branch to pick her up. Now, she was going to the Steele Complex for the first time.
'The system gave me basics on her, but I need to know what she's really capable of —her darknet instincts, her supposed crypto skills.'
He summoned her Personal Insight Protocol once more and a soft ding signaled its activation.
A holographic interface appeared in his peripheral vision with data streaming like a digital dossier.
┏Personal Insight Protocol is complete┛
┏Information on subject is as follows┛
┏Full Name: Ileana Popescu
Age: 22
Occupation: Cryptographic Engineer, Formerly Lotus Triad Asset; Current Steele Enterprises Analyst
Education: None Formal; Self-Taught in Cryptography, Blockchain Systems, and Darknet Operations
Achievements: Co-developed Untraceable Wallet Systems for Lotus Triad (2009-2011), Architect of Dark Pool Nodes for Anonymous Transactions, Key Contributor to Skinner's 1.2M BTC Heist
Net Worth: Negligible; Assets Frozen or Controlled by Triad Until 2011
Personality: Reserved, Analytical, Resilient, Guarded
Motivation: Freedom from Triad Influence, Proving Her Worth, Seeking Stability
Traits: Brilliant Under Pressure, Secretive, Fiercely Independent
Address: Temporary Residence, Golden Hayes Hotel, Los Alverez, CA
Known Aliases: ShadowBloom (SilkyChain, 2009-2011)┛
Darren's jaw tightened, the data confirming her talent but offering little depth beyond what he'd pried from her in the Bentley.
'At least Kara's digging deeper,' he thought as they neared the company building.
He'd tasked Kara with cutting through the darknet's encrypted layers, hunting for traces of Ileana's past—aliases, deals, enemies—that his System's basic protocol couldn't touch.
It was frustrating that the system was lowering his access to dark web information, but at least, there was an upcoming reward that would unlock deeper intelligence.
Once they arrived at the building, Kara, who was resting by the door, straightened and flashed the big black Bentley a smile.
Darren stepped out of the car and walked straight to her.
"Got something for you, boss," she said, her voice a mix of excitement and unease.
"Those are words I always love to hear you say, Kara."
"So I ran Ileana's name through every darknet haunt I know— SilkyChain, ShadowGrid, even some defunct Romanian servers. Got a hit, but… there's something troubling."
Darren crossed to her, his expression calm but his pulse ticking up. He took the laptop, and his eyes carefully scanned the data—aliases tied to Ileana, transactions linked to her ShadowBloom handle, and then his eyes widened briefly when he caught something.
"You see it too?" Kara asked.
Darren glanced at Ileana— she came down from the vehicle unaware, and then at Brooklyn, who'd insisted on joining them, her blonde hair catching the light as she pushed it away from her face.
"What is it?" Brooklyn asked as she got closer.
Darren didn't answer. He merely handed Kara the laptop and spoke with a clipped. "Keep this quiet. For now, I need your help with something."
"Oh my!" Kara smiled with excitement. "Twice in a row. I must be a lucky girl to always be of help to you, boss."
Brooklyn rolled her eyes.
Darren looked at the two women before continuing. "Brooklyn's being blackmailed."
"Oh. Look who's a big girl now."
Brooklyn made a face.
"It's by some darknet relay drop, urging her to leak my Bitcoin holdings. I need you to trace the source. Crack it. Burn through their encryption."
Kara's brows arched high, a spark of mischief cutting through the tension. "Sounds like a big deal, Baker," she said, walking down to meet them. "You always bring fireworks. Blackmail now? What next, hostage standoffs?"
Brooklyn handed over her phone. "It's encrypted, multi-relay. I ran it through two suites. Nothing cracked." She appeared anxious. "Whoever sent it isn't some basement brat. This is clean. Professional."
Kara whistled, accepting the phone and immediately hooking it up to a diagnostic scanner she pulled from her satchel. "Give me a bit. If it's wrapped like a Russian doll, I'll play archaeologist. Might take a few hours to get through all the pretty layers."
They began walking up toward the building, the glass doors sliding open as a gust of conditioned air brushed past them. Inside, a security guard nodded as they passed, and they veered toward the elevators. Darren turned his attention toward Ileana, eyes narrowing as he spoke with probing intent.
"So that's the girl, huh?" Kara asked him with a soft tone.
"Yeah," Darren replied.
"She's pretty," she said. "You always did know how to pick them."
A frown appeared on Darren's face as he glanced at Ileana once again. This time, she met his gaze.
"Ileana," he said, "you built systems for the Triad when you worked under Skinner. Their encryption — anything about it rings a bell? Can you recognize the pattern?"
Ileana nodded softly. "If it's them, I'll see it," she said quietly, her Romanian accent adding weight to her calm tone. "They use rotating XOR-based ciphers. One-way algorithms layered over decentralized node signals. But I'll need access to your custom decryption suite to run a signature match."
They stepped into the elevator, the doors closing with a whisper. Darren nodded, jaw tightening. He hadn't forgotten the information about Ileana Kara had discovered but right now, he needed her mind. "Kara, grant her full access. Watch it closely, but don't throttle her pace."
Kara shot him a side glance as the elevator climbed. "You're trusting the ghost code queen? Ballsy." Still, she nodded once. "Fine. But I'm watching the traffic logs like a hawk."
Brooklyn shifted beside him, arms crossed tight against her body, her guarded expression flicking between him and Ileana. "You're really giving her full access?" she asked, voice low. "You sure that's smart?"
"Smarter than letting the Triad keep us in the dark," Darren said coolly. "You're safer here anyway. If they're tracking you, this tower's our bunker."
Brooklyn exhaled, the steel behind her eyes softening just a fraction. "So what? You're putting me on lockdown now?" Her smirk tried to mask her fear. "Thought you trusted me, Steele."
Darren's grin was brief but genuine, easing the air. "Trust you? Always, Baker. But that doesn't mean I'll let you roam while psychos with cameras are out for blood. Stick close. We'll handle this together."
She rolled her eyes, but her tension cracked. "Fine. But you owe me dinner. And none of that delivery trash. I'm talking Pétrus."
Kara chuckled as the elevator doors parted on the conference level. "Flirt later, war now," she quipped. "Your blackmail chain's already dropping breadcrumbs. First node's Eastern European — somewhere in Romania. I'm getting that lovely Triad aftertaste."
Ileana froze mid-step. Her face drained of color for a brief second before she composed herself, eyes returning to the floor-length screen embedded in the hallway wall. "Could be them," she murmured, almost to herself, and resumed typing on the portable terminal she'd strapped to her wrist.
Darren didn't miss her reaction. His instincts flared, gears clicking. Romania. Ileana. Brooklyn. This wasn't random. The Triad wasn't done. He could feel it.
And with FinCEN tightening regulations and threatening to label decentralized Bitcoin nodes as money service businesses, the noose was closing in from both shadows and suits.
"Keep digging," he said firmly as they entered the meeting room. "Confirm it's the Triad. I want hard proof."