Page 39 of Claws and Controllers

This kiss was different from every other one. Where those had been fueled by adrenaline and raw attraction, this was slower, deeper. Zy kissed her like he was mapping every contour of her mouth, committing it to memory. Ellie responded in kind, her hands fisting in the fabric of his shirt as she poured every ounce of her conflicted emotions into the kiss.

When they finally parted, both slightly breathless, Ellie couldn’t help but laugh. “Well,” she said, her voice husky. “I don’t think I’ll be forgetting that anytime soon.”

Zy’s answering chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Good. Though I’m more than happy to provide regular reminders.”

The sound of approaching voices in the hallway jolted them back to reality. They sprang apart, straightening clothes and smoothing hair.

“We should get back to the party,” Ellie said reluctantly. “Before people start to wonder where we’ve disappeared to.”

Zy nodded, though his eyes still smoldered with unspoken promises. “After you.”

As they rejoined the celebration, Ellie couldn’t quite suppress the giddy smile threatening to overtake her face. She caught Noa giving her a questioning look and shook her head slightly. There would be time for explanations later.

For now, she was content to bask in the glow of their achievements – both professional and personal. As she mingled with her team, laughing and sharing stories, Ellie’s gaze kept drifting to Zy. Each time their eyes met, a spark of electricity seemed to crackle between them.

It wouldn’t be easy, she knew. Balancing their growing feelings with the demands of their rival companies would be a constant challenge. But as she watched Zy charm her team with his dry wit and genuine interest in their work, Ellie couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope.

Whatever came next, they would face it together. And that, she decided, was worth any risk.

As the party began to wind down, Ellie found herself gravitating toward Zy once more. They stood side by side, watching as the last stragglers said their good-byes.

“So,” Zy said softly, his voice pitched low for her ears only. “What’s next for the illustrious Ellie Madden and her revolutionary game?”

Ellie grinned, a spark of excitement igniting in her chest. “Oh, you know. World domination, one pixel at a time. Think you can keep up, Ashford?”

Zy’s answering smile was equal parts challenge and promise. “Oh, I intend to do much more than keep up, Madden. I plan to be right there beside you every step of the way.”

As they shared a private smile, Ellie felt a warm glow of contentment spread through her. The road ahead would be fraught with challenges, both personal and professional. But for the first time in a long time, she found herself looking forward to the journey.

Because now, she wouldn’t be facing it alone.

SIXTEEN

Zy leaned back in his leather chair, his golden-flecked eyes fixed on Corbett’s animated face. His cousin’s usual carefree demeanor had given way to a furrowed brow and nervous energy that set Zy’s tiger on edge.

“I’m telling you, Zy, something’s up with Vince,” Corbett insisted, his hands gesticulating wildly. “He’s been disappearing for hours at a time, and when I try to help him with his workload, he shuts me down faster than a bouncer at a frat party.”

Zy’s jaw clenched, his mind racing. Vince had always been overly eager, jumping to climb the corporate ladder, but this behavior... it didn’t sit right. “How long has this been going on?”

Corbett ran a hand through his artfully tousled hair. “A couple of days, maybe? At first, I thought he was just stressed about the new project, but now... I don’t know, man. It’s weird.”

Zy nodded, his expression carefully neutral. “Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Corbett. I’ll look into it.”

As Corbett left, Zy’s fingers drummed an impatient rhythm on his desk. He hit the intercom button. “Adonis, my office. Now.”

Moments later, Adonis’s imposing figure filled the doorway. One look at Zy’s face, and he closed the door behind him, settling into the chair across from the desk.

“Vince?” Adonis asked, his deep voice low and serious.

Zy nodded. “Corbett’s noticed some odd behavior. Disappearing acts, secrecy, the works. Tell me you’ve got something concrete.”

Adonis sighed, rubbing a hand over his bald head. “I’ve been gathering evidence, but it’s tricky. If Vince did this, he knew what he was doing. He covered his tracks well. We’ve got some suspicious network activity but we can’t really pin that directly to him and the only way to know is to do a deep-dive search, which I have an independent team doing, so it’s not like I can move things along any faster. He’s got a few unexplained absences, but nothing that would hold up if he decided to fight back.”

A low growl rumbled in Zy’s chest, his tiger pushing against the surface. “We need to move on this, Adonis. If he’s the one who leaked our code?—”

“We need to be sure,” Adonis cut him off, his tone firm. “You go in half-cocked, accusing one of our top developers without ironclad proof? That’s a PR nightmare waiting to happen. Not to mention the legal shitstorm.”

Zy stood abruptly, pacing the length of his office. The New York skyline stretched out before him, a glittering reminder of all he had built, all that was at stake. “I can’t just sit back and do nothing while he potentially sabotages everything we’ve worked for.”

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