Page 61 of Ardent Desires

“Shit,” Ellie says, her eyes wide. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Yeah, neither can I,” I reply, shaking my head. “It’s all so fucked up. And I thought I could handle it, but now—”

“Wait a second,” she interrupts, a look of realization dawning on her face. “I think I know what happened. My computer crashed last week. I had some sensitive information on it that could have leaked.”

“What kind of information?” I ask, my pulse quickening.

“Details about the Riviera project, the specs...everything. I didn’t have time to back it up before it crashed,” she explains, her brows knitting together in worry. “It could’ve been Lena. She was snooping around the office. I saw her looking at my files.”

“Lena?” My jaw clenches. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I swear,” she says, her voice urgent. “I thought it was just my paranoia, but now I’m not so sure. She might’ve gotten into my stuff. Because other than you and me, no one else knew the exact details on the project.”

“Goddammit.” I stand up, the anger bubbling over. “I can’t let this slide. If she’s the one who caused this, she needs to go.”

“Alexander, wait—”

“No, Ellie,” I say, cutting her off. “This isn’t just about us anymore. It’s about my business and everything I’ve built. I can’t let someone sabotage that.”

I storm out of the office, the tension radiating from me like heat. I find Lena at her desk, scrolling through her phone like she’s got all the time in the world.

“Lena,” I bark, startling her. “We need to talk. Now.”

She glances up, a look of confusion crossing her face. “About what?”

“About your job,” I say, the anger simmering just beneath the surface. “You’re out. Effective immediately.”

Her eyes widen in disbelief. “What? You can’t be serious!”

“Oh, I’m dead serious,” I reply, my voice low and menacing. “You’ve been snooping around, haven’t you? You’re the reason everything’s gone to shit. I won’t let you drag my company through the mud because of your incompetence.”

“That’s not fair!” she protests, her voice rising. “You can’t just fire me like this!”

“Watch me,” I say, standing my ground. “You’re a liability, and I can’t have that. Pack your shit and get out.”

I turn on my heel, feeling the weight of the decision settle around me. I can’t believe I just did that, but it was necessary. The team needs to see that I’m taking this seriously. I can’t let this mess ruin everything.

I walk back to my office, finding Ellie still seated, looking apprehensive. “You okay?” I ask, my tone softening a bit.

“I guess,” she replies, her brow furrowed. “But you didn’t have to go that hard on Lena.”

“Yeah, I did,” I say, running a hand over my face. “I can’t have anyone undermining what we’re building. It’s too important.”

She nods, but the worry still lingers in her eyes. “I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite us.”

“It won’t,” I reply, trying to project confidence. “We’re going to get through this, I promise. Together.”

Her gaze softens, and for a moment, I see a flicker of hope in her expression. But I know we’re in for a rough ride, and I won’t let anything stand in our way.

Chapter sixteen

Confronting the Enemy

Ellie

I sink into the conference room, the sleek table shining under the unforgiving fluorescent lights. It’s too bright, too sterile, and way too stuffy with all the body heat from my coworkers. They’re buzzing like a hive, whispering, glancing around, and I can feel the tension thickening the air. I catch Alexander at the front, pacing like a lion waiting to pounce. His jaw’s tight, and I know he’s about to explode.

“Alright, everyone, listen up!” His voice slices through the chatter like a knife. Silence falls immediately, and all eyes snap to him. “I need to address this nonsense with Vanessa and the rumors swirling around.”

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