Page 13 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

The message on my phone echoes in my mind:

“Walk away, or the next message won’t be so polite.”

For a brief moment, I consider Kara’s advice. Let the story go. Walk away. Save myself.

But then I think about Caldwell’s warnings, the cracks in Kane Enterprises, the shadowy network of enemies working to bring it all down.

This isn’t just about me. It’s about the truth.

And I’m not backing down.

4

_________

Dominic

The boardroom hums with a tension that sets my teeth on edge. Around the table, my senior executives sit stiff and silent, their polished expressions betraying little. But the way their eyes dart, the way they shift in their seats like schoolchildren awaiting discipline—it disgusts me. Cowards.

I clear my throat, the sound slicing through the silence like a scalpel. “Let’s address the elephant in the room,” I say, my voice cold, deliberate. “Another leak. Another loss. And yet, none of you seem particularly eager to explain how this keeps happening.”

The room holds its breath. My gaze locks on Richard Maddox, my CFO. He flinches under the weight of it, his jaw tightening as he finally speaks.

“With all due respect, Dominic, our internal security teams are working around the clock,” he begins, his tone clipped, defensive. “This isn’t a simple breach. Whoever’s behind this ishighly coordinated and operating at a level beyond what most corporations deal with.”

“And yet, here we are,” I reply, leaning back in my chair, my voice sharp with disdain. “Months into this debacle, with no progress and no accountability. Are you suggesting that a handful of hackers are more resourceful than the people I pay millions to protect my company?”

Richard shifts uncomfortably, his hands fidgeting on the polished surface of the table. Beside him, Elaine Norwood, my head of operations, steps in to shield him.

“Dominic,” she says cautiously, “I think it’s time we consider the possibility of an insider threat.”

Her words hang heavy in the room, sharper for being said aloud. The thought has been circling my mind for weeks, but hearing it voiced is like driving a knife deeper into an open wound. An insider would explain the precision of the attacks, the access to sensitive data. But it would also mean that someone here—someone I’ve trusted—is working against me.

“An insider threat,” I repeat, keeping my tone even as my gaze sweeps the table, lingering on each face just long enough to make them squirm. “Do you have someone in mind, Elaine?”

Her eyes flicker to Richard for a fraction of a second before darting down to the table. “Not specifically,” she hedges, her voice careful. “But it’s not unreasonable to assume the breaches are coming from someone with high-level access.”

A non-answer. It grates, but I keep my composure. “Let’s assume you’re right. What’s your solution?”

Elaine hesitates, glancing at Richard for backup. When none comes, she finally offers, “We could bring in an external security consultant. Someone unbiased who can investigate without ties to the company.”

I shake my head, my voice slicing through the air. “And risk exposing even more of our internal workings to outsiders? That’s not a solution—it’s an invitation for disaster.”

Richard bristles, frustration bleeding into his tone. “Then what do you suggest, Dominic? Because at this rate, we’re hemorrhaging resources and credibility. Investors are asking questions, and they won’t settle for more platitudes.”

Silence stretches across the room, long enough to make them sweat. I hold Richard’s gaze, then Elaine’s, then each of the others. Their frustration is palpable, but I don’t care. I didn’t build Kane Enterprises by indulging weakness.

“If any of you doubt my ability to handle this, feel free to step down,” I say, my voice cutting and unwavering. “Until then, I expect every one of you to do your jobs. That means finding the leak and fixing it. No excuses.”

Richard’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t respond. Elaine nods stiffly, her shoulders tense. The rest remain silent, avoiding my gaze. Good. I don’t need their approval—I need results.

After the meeting, I retreat to my office. The tension from the boardroom lingers like smoke, bitter and suffocating. The possibility of an insider betrayal isn’t just plausible—it’s likely. But figuring out who it is will mean digging into the lives of people I rely on to keep this company running. And thedeeper I dig, the more I risk fracturing the foundation of Kane Enterprises.

My thoughts drift to Eva Stone. The journalist. The wildcard.

Her questions at the gala were too precise, her knowledge of the sabotage too detailed. Someone fed her those details—someone close. And then there’s Caldwell, the former employee she interviewed. The timing of her investigation feels too much like a calculated move to be coincidence.

I pull up the file Adrian compiled on her. Divorcee. Freelance journalist. Reputation for tackling stories no one else dares to touch, even when it means stepping on powerful toes. She’s relentless, I’ll give her that. But persistence can be dangerous, especially when it drags her into waters she doesn’t understand.

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