Page 67 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

Inside, a man sits hunched over the desk, his focus on the laptop in front of him. He doesn’t hear us enter.

“Don’t move,” I bark, leveling my gun at him.

The man freezes, his hands hovering over the keyboard. Slowly, he raises them, his head turning to reveal a face I recognize all too well.

“Conrad,” I say, my voice dripping with venom.

He smirks, leaning back in his chair as if we’re old friends catching up. “Dominic. Took you long enough.”

I step closer, keeping the gun trained on him. “You’ve been busy,” I say coldly. “Sabotage, betrayal, hacking into my company’s systems. You’ve got quite the résumé.”

“You always underestimated me,” Conrad replies, his tone smug. “I told you my ideas would revolutionize Kane Enterprises, but you couldn’t see past your own ego. So, I found someone who could.”

“Mercer,” I say.

“Mercer was a means to an end,” Conrad sneers. “Just like you. You built the empire, Dominic, but I found the cracks. And now it’s all coming down.”

I slam my free hand on the desk, the sound echoing through the room. “Who are you working with, Conrad? Who’s pulling the strings?”

His smirk falters for the first time, a flicker of fear crossing his face. “You don’t know what you’re getting into,” he says, his voice low. “These people—they’re bigger than you, bigger than Kane Enterprises. You think you can stop them? You’re delusional.”

Before I can press him further, a noise from behind makes me whip around. Eva steps forward, her eyes locked on Conrad.

“Who are they?” she demands. “Why are they targeting Dominic—and me?”

Conrad’s gaze shifts to her, his smirk returning. “Ah, Eva. You’ve been quite the wildcard in all of this. They didn’t expect you to be so… involved.”

“Answer the question,” I growl, stepping between him and Eva.

He chuckles darkly. “You really think I’ll give you the answers you’re looking for? They’re watching us right now, Dominic. Every move you make, every step you take—it’s all part of their plan.”

Before I can react, Conrad slams his hand down on the laptop, triggering something I can’t see. The room fills with a blaring alarm, and the lights flicker ominously.

“Move!” I shout, grabbing Eva’s hand and pulling her toward the door.

Behind us, Conrad’s laughter echoes through the chaos. “You’re too late, Dominic! It’s already begun!”

We race through the warehouse, the alarm drowning out the sound of our footsteps. Outside, Adrian’s voice cuts through the earpiece.

“We’ve got movement!” he shouts. “Multiple vehicles approaching. You need to get out of there—now!”

Eva and I sprint toward the exit, my grip on her hand unrelenting. The warehouse shakes as something explodes behind us, sending a wave of heat and debris through the air.

We reach the car just as Adrian’s team engages the approaching vehicles. Bullets ricochet off the pavement, and I shove Eva into the passenger seat before diving into the driver’s side.

The engine roars to life, and I floor it, the tires screeching as we speed away from the chaos.

As the city lights blur past, my phone buzzes with a new message. I glance at the screen, my heart sinking as I read the words:

"You can run, Dominic, but you can’t hide. Conrad was just the beginning."

Eva looks at me, her face pale but resolute. “What does it say?”

I meet her gaze, the weight of the message heavy on my shoulders. “It means they’re not done with us. Not even close.”

19

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