Page 1 of Claiming My Cocky Boss

One

Liam

“You’re insane, man!”

Derek raised his beer bottle and took a long swig, the familiar scent of hops filling the air between us. He gestured toward me with the bottle, his brows knitting together as he leaned forward. "Seriously, going undercover in your own damn company? There’s gotta be an easier way for a billionaire to deal with this shit than hiding out here in your cabin."

I leaned back in my chair on the porch, gazing at the calm, still surface of the lake in front of us. The peace of the scene felt worlds away from the chaos I was dealing with. "Yeah, I could hire a private investigator," I replied, my voice edged with frustration. "I could sit in my fancy penthouse, sip some overpriced whiskey, and wait for a report to roll in." I paused, the thought making me even more restless. "But that sounds boring as hell, and I’m too paranoid for that."

Derek snorted and shook his head. "You're such a control freak," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "You can’t even trust someone else to catch the bastard. Buthonestly? I don’t blame you. I’d be paranoid as hell too if someone were pulling that kind of shit on me."

His words struck a nerve, and I could feel my annoyance flare up. "Damn right I’m a control freak," I shot back. "Someone is messing with my money, my company, and I’m not about to leave it in anyone else’s hands. I want to be the one who catches them red-handed, and I can’t do that from my Dallas office."

Derek raised his hands in mock surrender, the grin on his face widening. "Alright, alright. I get it. You’ve got your hands all over this thing. But you’ve been running yourself ragged. You can’t do it all. Maybe trust someone for once. You’re not Superman."

I let out a slow breath, trying to shake off the irritation. He wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t let anyone else handle this. "It’s not about trusting someone else," I said, my voice lowering. "Edgewater’s mine. Built it from the ground up. Whoever’s doing this—they think they’re smarter than me. They think I won’t notice or figure it out. But they’re wrong."

Derek studied me for a second, taking another sip from his beer before speaking. "I get it. It’s personal. But you’re going to burn out if you keep trying to do everything by yourself. You might catch the guy, but at what cost? Maybe you just need to get laid, man.”

I huffed out a laugh, but the tension in my shoulders didn’t ease. "A jog—get laid, huh? That’s your big advice?"

"Yeah, why not? You’ve got that marathon coming up in Dallas, right? Might as well kill two birds with one stone. And I don’t see any woman hanging around. You need to get out of your head for a while."

I looked over at him, letting the idea roll around in my mind. He wasn’t wrong. There were definitely no women in my life, and I had the marathon on the horizon, with training having taken a backseat to this mess at the company. A jog wouldn’tsolve my problems, but it might help clear my head. "Alright, fine. A jog it is. But if I pull something, I’m blaming you."

Derek grinned and lifted his bottle. "Deal."

I shook Derek’s hand as he stepped off the porch, his grin still in place. “Don’t kill yourself on that run, man,” he said, tossing his empty beer bottle into the trash. He made his way to his sports car, the engine roaring to life as he slid into the driver’s seat.

Before he could pull away, I leaned against the window, knocking lightly. “Hey, be careful driving out of here. The small-town cops are relentless. They’d love nothing more than to slap you with a DUI, even if you’ve only had one beer.”

Derek gave me a look, half-amused, half-annoyed. “Come on, man. I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m not stupid enough to risk it.”

I raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced. “You know how these backroads are. They’re always looking for an excuse, and with your car? You’re a flashing red target.”

He waved me off, chuckling. “Relax, I’m stopping at the diner before heading back to Dallas. Gonna grab some food and wait it out. Besides, I doubt anyone around here can catch me if I wanted to outrun them.”

“Diner food won’t save your ass if they’re sitting there, waiting to pounce.”

Derek just grinned. “Then I guess they’ll have to catch me first.”

I shook my head, stepping back as he revved the engine again, the roar filling the quiet evening air. “Drive safe, man.”

“I always do,” he called out, throwing me a wave as he pulled away. The tires kicked up gravel as his car sped down the dirt road, the engine’s growl fading into the distance.

On one hand, I was grateful for his friendship. The guy always showed up when I needed him, no questions asked. But on the other hand, he had just tossed away his empty beer bottlelike he didn’t have a care in the world while I was drowning under the weight of Edgewater Securities, trying to keep my legacy afloat.

The sudden silence only made the pressure on my chest more noticeable, as if the burden I’d been carrying around had settled in deeper. I stood there for a second, watching the dirt road, half wishing I could be as carefree as Derek.

But I wasn’t built like that. My mind never let me switch off, not when I had so much at stake.

I turned back toward the cabin, pushed open the door, and stepped inside. The place was lonely and still, with the light dimming as the sun began to set over the lake. The familiar scent of cedar and the cool breeze drifting through the open windows made it feel like a sanctuary. However, even in this peaceful place, I couldn’t shake the pressure on my shoulders.

Edgewater Securities wasn’t just a cybersecurity company—it was mine. Built from the ground up with late nights and more sacrifices than I cared to count. I’d poured everything into it—blood, sweat, and enough stress to last a lifetime. Hell, I’d given up the idea of a normal life to make sure Edgewater succeeded.

And for what? Now, someone thought they could skim money off the top like I wouldn’t notice. Like I wouldn’t care.

But I noticed. I always noticed, and I’ll always care. That was the problem.

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