Page 51 of Claws and Controllers

Ellie nodded, determination replacing her earlier anxiety. “Let’s do it.”

As she booted up her computer and navigated through development logs, Ellie couldn’t help but reflect on the strange turn her life had taken. A week ago, she’d seen Zy as nothingmore than a business rival. Now, he was by her side, helping her unravel a mystery that threatened everything she’d worked for.

“Okay,” she said, pulling up the relevant files. “Let’s start with the AI customization features. That’s where you noticed the similarities, right?”

Zy leaned in, his presence reassuring as they delved into the code. As they worked, Ellie found herself impressed by his technical knowledge. It shouldn’t have surprised her—he was the CEO of a major gaming company, after all—but seeing him dissect complex code with ease added a new layer to her growing admiration.

Hours passed as they combed through logs and code snippets. Ellie’s eyes burned from staring at the screen, but she refused to give up. They were close to something; she could feel it.

“Wait,” Zy said suddenly, pointing to a section of code. “That sequence there—it’s almost an exact match for one of our proprietary algorithms.”

Ellie’s heart raced as she checked the timestamp and user information associated with that piece of code. “It was uploaded three months ago by... oh no.”

“What is it?” Zy asked, concern evident in his voice.

Ellie turned to him, her expression a mix of anger and betrayal. “It’s one of my newer employees. A programmer I hired about six months ago. He came highly recommended with an impressive portfolio.”

Zy’s jaw tightened. “Do you think he could have connections to someone at Ashford Entertainment?”

“I don’t know,” Ellie admitted. “But I intend to find out.”

As they continued their investigation, uncovering more instances of copied code, Ellie’s emotions warred within her. The violation of trust cut deep, but having Zy beside her, offering unwavering support, soothed the sting.

Finally, as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the room, they sat back, exhausted but armed with concrete evidence.

“What now?” Ellie asked, running a hand through her hair.

Zy considered for a moment. “We’ll handle this together,” he promised, his lips brushing her forehead. “No one messes with my mate and gets away with it.”

The possessive note in his voice sent a thrill through Ellie. She looked up at him, seeing the fierce protectiveness in his eyes, and felt overwhelmed by the depth of her feelings for him.

“I love you, Zy,” she said softly, the words slipping out naturally.

Zy’s eyes widened for a moment before a brilliant smile spread across his face. “I love you too, Ellie.”

He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her with a passion that left her breathless. When they parted, Ellie felt a renewed sense of strength and determination.

“Whatever happens next,” she said, “I can handle it with you. As a team.”

Zy nodded, his forehead resting against hers. “Always, my love. Always.”

As Ellie closed her laptop, ready to take on whatever came next, she knew that in Zy, she had found not just a mate, but a true partner in every sense of the word.

TWENTY-ONE

Zy paced the length of his penthouse living room, his tiger restless beneath his skin. The morning sun cast long shadows across the polished hardwood floors, but he barely noticed the play of light and dark. His mind raced with the implications of what he and Ellie had discovered the night before.

He paused at the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the New York skyline without really seeing it. The city bustled below, oblivious to the storm brewing in the world of tech and gaming. With a frustrated growl, Zy pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Adonis,” he said as soon as the call connected. “I need you at the penthouse.”

“On my way,” Adonis replied, his tone shifting immediately to business mode. “What’s the situation?”

“I’ll brief you when you get here. It’s about the code theft.”

Zy ended the call and resumed his pacing. His mind flashed back to Ellie’s face when he’d told her about the stolen code in her game. The shock, the hurt, the anger – all emotions he wished he could shield her from. But they were in this together now, for better or worse.

A soft knock at the bedroom door interrupted his thoughts. Ellie emerged, wrapped in one of his silk robes, her red hair tousled from sleep. Despite the gravity of the situation, Zy couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked.

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