Page 5 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

“Were you followed?” he hisses.

I shake my head, but my stomach twists.

The knock comes again, louder this time. Caldwell grabs my arm, his grip firm. “You need to leave. Now.”

2

__________

Dominic

The sound of my footsteps echoes in the empty hallway as I head to my office, each step reverberating with the weight of the evening. My team knows better than to approach me when I’m in this mood. Even the night staff limit their greetings to quiet nods. I acknowledge none of them. My focus is locked on the events of the gala and, more specifically, on her.

Eva Stone.

Reckless. Bold. Disrespectful. And interesting.

It’s rare for anyone to catch me off guard, and I haven’t decided if her audacity was impressive or foolish. Probably both. Her question about the sabotage wasn’t unexpected—I’ve been dodging reporters for weeks—but her delivery lingered. She wielded confidence like a weapon, sharp and deliberate. Women like her don’t usually make it into my world. Most either fawn or flee.

I step into my office, the doors hissing shut behind me. The space is a sanctuary of glass and steel, perched on the top floor of the Kane Enterprises tower. The city sprawls below, its lights glittering like scattered stars across the darkness. Up here, I should feel untouchable. Tonight, though, the walls feel thinner than usual.

“Mr. Kane,” Adrian’s voice crackles from the desk speaker, pulling me from my thoughts. “The latest incident report is ready for review.”

“Send it up,” I reply, loosening my tie as I sink into the leather chair behind my desk.

The laptop screen springs to life beneath my fingertips, its cool glow casting sharp shadows across the room. My inbox is a battlefield—security updates, messages from the board demanding answers, and reports from my tech team struggling to keep up with the escalating attacks. Each breach feels personal, as though someone is deliberately targeting me—not just my company.

Tonight’s exchange with Eva did little to ease my frustration. Her questions were pointed, her tone sharp, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’s more than just another journalist chasing headlines. She’s digging for something deeper—something she shouldn’t be looking for.

The incident report pings onto my screen, and I scan the details with a practiced eye. Another leak. This time, it’s prototype designs for one of our flagship products—a piece of technology we haven’t even announced yet. The designs appeared on an obscure forum, accompanied by a taunting message:

“Kane’s secrets are no longer safe.”

I clench my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm. This isn’t just corporate espionage. It’s sabotage, calculated and relentless. Whoever is behind this doesn’t just want to hurt Kane Enterprises—they want to humiliate me.

The speaker buzzes again. “Adrian is here to see you,” my assistant says.

“Send him in.”

Adrian steps into the office, his expression grim. A former military intelligence officer, Adrian is unflappable, methodical, and sharp as a blade. If he looks worried, I know the situation warrants it.

“We’ve identified the source of the latest leak,” he says, placing a tablet on my desk. “It originated from one of our Tier-One servers at the Dallas data center. The breach occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m. local time.”

“How did they get in?” I ask, scrolling through the data.

“We’re still investigating, but it appears to be an external access point. The logs show a highly coordinated attack—advanced, precise. Whoever did this knew exactly where to strike.”

“An inside job?” My tone sharpens.

“It’s possible,” Adrian admits. “We’re running background checks on all employees with access to that server. But there’s something else you need to see.”

He taps the tablet, pulling up an intercepted message. The words flash across the screen, cold and deliberate:

“Your empire is crumbling, Kane. Time to watch it burn.”

The message hits harder than I expect, though I keep my expression neutral. This isn’t just another skilled hacker. This is someone brazen enough to taunt me, confident enough to think they can get away with it.

“Do we have any leads?” I ask.

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