Page 99 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

“That’s where it gets even messier. The email was routed through three proxy servers before landing in your inbox. But I found a partial match—it’s tied to the same offshore server Reyes uses for his operations.”

Reyes. Of course, it’s him. He’s been lurking in the shadows of this mess from the start.

“Keep digging,” I say, my voice sharp. “And Adrian—double the security on every system we have. If Reyes has a way in, I want it shut down.”

“Already on it,” he replies before the line goes dead.

I set the phone down and lean back in my chair, staring at the city skyline. The answers are out there, but every step forward feels like sinking into quicksand.

Eva’s words replay in my mind.“How could you not see it?”

I don’t know how to explain to her what it’s like, running something like Kane Enterprises. The constant flood of information, the decisions that pile up until they blur together. I’ve learned to trust my instincts, to prioritize what feels most urgent.

But this wasn’t just a missed email. This was deliberate. And the fact that it’s driving a wedge between Eva and me makes it feel like I’ve already lost.

I push away from the desk and move to the guest room. The door is still shut, and for a moment, I hesitate. What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if this is the beginning of the end?

No. I can’t let that happen.

I knock softly. “Eva. Can we talk?”

There’s silence on the other side, and my chest tightens. Then, finally, I hear her footsteps. The door cracks open, and her face appears, shadowed and wary.

“What is it?” she asks, her voice cool.

“Please,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “I need you to hear me out.”

She studies me for a long moment before stepping aside and opening the door fully. I step inside, the small space feeling even smaller with the tension between us.

She crosses her arms, leaning against the edge of the bed. “I’m listening.”

I take a deep breath, the words heavy on my tongue. “I didn’t see that email, Eva. And not because I ignored it or dismissed it. Someone planted it, routed it through proxies to make it look legitimate. This wasn’t an oversight—it was a setup.”

Her brows furrow, doubt flickering across her face. “A setup? By who?”

“Reyes,” I say firmly. “Adrian traced the metadata back to one of his offshore servers. He’s been pulling the strings from the start, and now he’s trying to turn us against each other.”

She looks away, her arms tightening across her chest. “And what about Conrad? He was your CTO, Dominic. He worked under you. How did he get away with so much without you noticing?”

The question stings, but it’s fair. “Because I trusted him,” I admit. “I trusted him to do his job while I focused on the bigger picture. And he used that trust to gut my company from the inside.”

Her eyes snap back to mine, a spark of anger igniting. “Trust is a funny thing, isn’t it?”

My chest tightens. “Eva—”

“No,” she says, cutting me off. “You’re right. Trust is the foundation of everything. But when it’s shaken, when it cracks, how do you rebuild it?”

Her words aren’t just about Conrad. They’re about us.

“I don’t know,” I say honestly, my voice soft. “But I want to try. Tell me how to fix this.”

She exhales sharply, her posture softening just slightly. “I don’t have all the answers, Dominic. But I can’t keep feeling like an outsider in this fight. If we’re going to move forward, I need to be in the room with you, not watching from the sidelines.”

“You are in the room,” I say, stepping closer. “You’ve been by my side every step of the way. And I know I’ve failed you by not being transparent, but that ends now. No more secrets. No more walls.”

Her gaze holds mine, searching for something—truth, maybe, or the promise of something better. Finally, she nods. “Okay. But don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I won’t,” I say, and I mean it.

---