Page 55 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

It’s about survival.

16

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Dominic

The whistleblower’s files glow on my screen, each line of text driving the knife deeper. Kane Enterprises was supposed to be untouchable—a fortress. Yet here it is: proof of my blind spots. Conrad, the man I trusted with the keys to my kingdom, built the backdoor that made us vulnerable.

My jaw tightens, fists curling at my sides. “Conrad, you bastard,” I mutter.

“Dominic?” Eva’s voice cuts through the storm in my head. She’s standing in the doorway, hesitant yet unwavering. Her expression demands answers.

I motion for her to approach. She steps in without hesitation. “What is it?” she asks.

I turn the laptop toward her. “Take a look.”

Her eyes widen as she reads, her face shifting from disbelief to fury. “This backdoor,” she begins, her voice taut, “isn’t just a vulnerability. It gives Mercer—or anyone with access—control over Kane Enterprises. Your accounts, your trade secrets, even your infrastructure. They could dismantle everything.”

Her words strike harder than I expect, but I force myself to remain composed. “And Conrad built it.”

Her gaze sharpens. “When?”

“Years ago,” I bite out. “When he was CTO. This isn’t something you throw together overnight. He must’ve started the moment I trusted him to lead the tech division.”

Her brow furrows as she crosses her arms, processing. “And you didn’t notice?”

The implication stings. “If I had, do you think we’d be in this mess now?”

Her lips press into a thin line, but she doesn’t relent. “I’m not blaming you, Dominic. I’m trying to understand how someone so close to you pulled this off. Didn’t you have safeguards?”

Her question grates, though I know she’s not wrong. “Conrad was brilliant,” I say tightly. “Brilliant enough to make himself indispensable. He earned my trust. He earned everyone’s trust.”

Her frustration flickers to the surface. “Maybe that’s the problem. Your loyalty blinds you, Dominic. That’s how they screwed you over.”

Her words cut deeper than I want to admit. My voice drops, low and cold. “Be careful, Eva. You’re walking a fine line.”

She steps closer, her chin tilting defiantly. “What line is that? The one where I tell you the truth you don’t want to hear? Someone you trusted betrayed you, and your refusal to question them made it possible.”

The air between us crackles, the tension sharp enough to shatter. I want to lash out, to defend myself, but the truth stares back at me from the screen.

I rake a hand through my hair and turn toward the window, the glittering city below suddenly hollow. “What do you want me to say?”

Her tone softens. “I want you to stop shutting me out. You don’t have to fix this alone. If we’re going to stop Mercer—and whoever else is behind this—we need to do it together.”

Her words hit like a jolt. Together. It’s foreign, but the conviction in her eyes leaves no room for argument.

“Together,” I echo, the word strange in my mouth.

She nods, a small smile breaking through the tension. “Together.”

The space between us shifts, the sharp edges softening. Her hand brushes mine, a fleeting touch that sends heat sparking through me. I hold her gaze, unable to move, unable to break the spell.

Then my phone buzzes, shattering the moment like glass.

I step back, grabbing the device. “What?”

“It’s Adrian,” comes the clipped response. “We’ve traced the backdoor’s activity. It was accessed within the last forty-eight hours. We might still be able to track the user.”

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