Page 95 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

His jaw tightens, and he takes a step back, putting distance between us. The movement feels like a physical blow.

“You should have told me,” he says, his voice lower now, but no less sharp. “From the beginning. The moment you knew what was happening, you should have come to me.”

“I know,” I whisper. “I wanted to. But I was scared, Dominic. I was scared you’d see me as the enemy. And by the time I realized how much you meant to me, I didn’t know how to fix it.”

For a moment, the only sound is the faint hum of the city outside the penthouse windows. Dominic runs a hand through his hair, his expression unreadable.

“I let you in,” he says quietly. “I trusted you.”

The weight of his words crushes me. “And I’m still here,” I say, stepping closer despite the distance he’s trying to create. “I’m still fighting for you, for us. That hasn’t changed.”

His gaze snaps back to mine, a flicker of something—pain, maybe—breaking through the anger.

“But how do I trust you now?” he asks, his voice raw. “How do I know this isn’t just another game?”

Before I can answer, Dominic’s phone buzzes again. He looks down at the screen, his expression hardening as he reads the latest message.

“They’re not done,” he mutters, his tone laced with frustration.

“What does it say?” I ask, my chest tightening.

He hands me the phone, and I read the message aloud:

“Secrets breed chaos, Dominic. She’s not the only one keeping them.”

Attached to the message is a file. Dominic opens it, and we both lean closer to the screen. The document is dense, filled with spreadsheets, emails, and contracts, all tied to Kane Enterprises. But one line catches my eye:

“Reyes Holdings LLC—Special Operations.”

My blood runs cold. “That’s one of Conrad’s shell companies,” I say, pointing to the name.

Dominic nods, his focus shifting. “This is leverage. They’re trying to make me question everything—my company, my people.”

“And me,” I add softly.

His gaze flicks to mine, and for a moment, I see a hint of the Dominic I’ve come to know. The man who refuses to back down, even when the odds are stacked against him.

“We can use this,” he says, his voice steady. “If this file is real, it proves Reyes and Conrad have been targeting Kane Enterprises from the start. But we need to verify it.”

“I’ll help,” I say without hesitation.

Dominic studies me for a moment before nodding. “Fine. But if this is another trap, we’ll know soon enough.”

The hours blur as we pour over the file, cross-referencing every detail against what we already know. Adrian joins us via video call, his calm voice guiding us through the technical side of the investigation.

“This file is authentic,” Adrian confirms after running a final scan. “The metadata matches what we’ve pulled from Reyes’s network. Whoever sent this wanted you to find it.”

“But why?” I ask, glancing between Adrian and Dominic. “What’s their endgame?”

“To sow distrust,” Dominic says, his tone clipped. “If I can’t trust the people around me, I can’t focus on taking them down. It’s a power play.”

Adrian nods. “And it’s working. Reyes thrives on chaos. He’s betting on you second-guessing yourself, Dominic.”

“I don’t have time for second-guessing,” Dominic replies, his voice hard. “We need to move.”

Adrian’s team traces the file’s origin to a private server located in the industrial district. The location is tied to one of Reyes’s known associates, a man named Vincent Marlowe.

“He’s their tech guy,” Adrian explains. “Handles the backend operations—encryptions, data wipes, that sort of thing.”

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