Chapter 1237:

Jesse, as always, stayed in his corner, flipping calmly through a thick book. Not a sound.

Nina, after finishing her homework, picked up her pencil and started sketching.

Totally locked in. Not even the rustle of paper.

Which left one person incredibly bored. Alan.

He glanced at Nina, who was completely in the zone, then shifted his eyes to Jesse. Jesse wasn’t even doing homework anymore—just reading for fun. Alan scooted over and sat beside him, whispering, “Hey. Jesse, come on, let’s chat.”

“I’m reading,” Jesse replied without looking up.

“You can read anytime.”

Wait—did he seriously just say that?

Was this really how a grown man was trying to persuade a bookish kid? Alan leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. “Aren’t you even a little curious about your parents’ story? You know, before you were born?”

That made Jesse pause mid-page. His eyes narrowed slightly, thoughts turning.

He had tried to dig into their past before. And found almost nothing.

Not until later did he learn that his mom used to be a legendary hacker. Alan grinned, seeing the hesitation. He went full bait mode. “Tell you what—if you agree to play with me, I’ll spill everything. Ask whatever you want, I won’t hold back.”

Tempting, sure, but Jesse still shook his head. “No thanks.”

Alan blinked. “You’re not even curious?”

“I am.”

“Then why not let me tell you?!”

Alan couldn’t wrap his head around it. Wasn’t this the kind of juicy story any kid would jump at? But Jesse just looked at him, calm as ever.

“Because if you tell me, I have to play with you. If I really want to know, I can just ask my grandparents or Aunt Ethel.”

Alan opened his mouth, but no words came out.

𝕸𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖚𝖕𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖌𝖆𝖑𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖘.𝖈𝖔𝖒

Jesse was right—Alan had no comeback.

“Also,” Jesse added, “Aunt Greta and Aunt Riley probably know more about my parents than you do.”

“Excuse me?” Alan scoffed. “No way. I watched your mom grow up, okay? I know everything she did as a kid!”

“Alright then,” Jesse shut his book and looked straight at him. “When did she start learning to hack?”

Alan’s confidence faltered. “Dunno.”

“How did she meet my dad?” Jesse asked again.

Still nothing. He had no idea.

Jesse didn’t say anything else—just stared at him. That look said it all. He really thought he knew more than Greta and Riley?

Alan crossed his arms and doubled down. “Ask me about her childhood. I definitely know that part.”

“Okay,” Jesse said, completely straight-faced. “What did Mom say when she saw Aunt Ethel being born?”

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