Archie and Benny meticulously compared Aubree to their mother, Roxanne. They concluded that Aubree was far inferior. "Daddy actually abandoned Mommy for that woman? How blind of him!" Archie exclaimed. After a moment of silent disdain for their father, Archie remembered their earlier restaurant conversation. Leaning close to Roxanne, he asked, "Mommy, what did you mean when you said that woman sabotaged you? Did she pick on you?"

Roxanne, wanting to shield her sons, casually replied, "It's nothing. Just a work issue, resolved now."

But Archie's determined voice cut through her denial. "She did pick on you! What happened? Tell us!" His small face was serious, his frown adult-like. Benny added, "Didn't we promise no secrets, Mommy? You can't lie to us!"

Roxanne's brows furrowed in exasperation. She'd forgotten how exceptionally intelligent her sons were. Facing their insistent gazes, she confessed that Aubree had conspired with Horington's medicinal herb suppliers to boycott their research institute.

Hearing this, Archie and Benny's anger flared. "That woman is simply too evil!" they cried.

"Everything's fine now," Roxanne reassured them, "Don't do anything rash."

Archie and Benny nodded submissively, though their inner fury raged. Once home, while Roxanne bathed, they snuck into the study. Archie whispered to Benny, who's eyes lit up. He quickly hacked into Pearson Group's system. By the time Roxanne finished her bath, the boys were innocently tucked into bed, their bright eyes pleading for a bedtime story.

The next morning, Aubree awoke to a ringing phone. Already irritated from a late night fueled by Lucian's meeting with Roxanne, she answered impatiently, "What is it?"

Charles' frantic voice crackled through the phone. "Ms. Pearson, get to the office! There's a huge system problem!"

Aubree jolted awake. After a quick wash, she rushed to the office, only to find the entire system down. Employees stood around with worried expressions, the tech department frantically working. The virus's origin was unknown, and every solution failed. The employees lowered their heads, seeming to hide something, while the tech team wore grim faces.

"What's going on? What good are you if you can't fix this?" Aubree demanded, striding to the computers. Her face flushed crimson when she saw the screen: two cartoon characters, one brutally beating the other. The beaten character bore Aubree's name and the words "evil woman" on its shirt. A speech bubble next to the attacker declared, "Let's pummel the evil woman!" The virus was clearly a targeted attack.