Page 28 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
The elevator stopped six floors down.As soon as the doors opened, I swiped my security pass and placed my finger on the biometric scanner, gaining access to what we called “the sanctum.”
The server room was as secure as a vault—and for good reason.It was the technological heart of Community Pilot.Inside, the atmosphere was tense.The entire cybersecurity team—around thirty people—was working feverishly at their stations, speaking in hushed voices, eyes glued to their screens.The tension in the air was almost suffocating.
Satoshi, his expression grim, approached me immediately, flanked by the heads of various teams.
“Our servers are under a series of sophisticated attacks.Someone is trying to breach our security systems,” he said without preamble.“We’ve reinforced our defenses, but the attack is evolving rapidly.”
It took me a few seconds to absorb the information.I took a deep breath, keeping my composure.
“Okay, let’s go step by step.Have you reached Tristan?”I asked, forcing myself to stay focused.
“I called and texted him, but he’s not responding,” Satoshi replied.
I pictured him sitting in that new restaurant, laughing and talking with Audrey.A pang of pain shot through me, but I shoved it aside.This was an emergency.Tristan wasn’t here, which meant I had to handle the crisis myself.
“Alright.Give me the full rundown,” I said, steeling myself.
“We’re facing a DDoS attack that’s making our main platform inaccessible to users,” one of the cybersecurity leads explained.
“Okay, we anticipated this risk.What steps have you taken so far?”I asked.
“We immediately activated our emergency protocols,” another lead responded.“The team isolated the attack source and rerouted malicious traffic to our DDoS mitigation system.”
“Good,” I approved.“Can we switch to the secondary platform to restore services?”
“That’s the plan,” Satoshi confirmed.“I wanted to check with you before launching deployment.The secondary platform is already set up with enhanced security.We just need a little more time to implement additional safeguards and run final tests.”
“Perfect.Deploy as soon as you’re ready,” I ordered.“How long until we’re back online?”
“We estimate about three hours,” Satoshi said.
“Three hours?”I echoed, already dreading the consequences.
Three hours of downtime… I could already imagine the frustration of our clients, the damage to our reputation, and the panic among shareholders.But we had no choice.We had to manage the situation as best as we could.
“Alright.Proceed.Thank you all for your efficiency,” I added.“I’ll reach out to Tristan and coordinate with Leila on how to inform our users and stakeholders.Also, see if you can trace the source of the attack.Satoshi, bring in White Hats if needed.”
“Already done,” he nodded.
An hour later, after finalizing details with the teams, I left the server room.Back on my floor, I headed straight for Tristan’s office.Without bothering to glance through the window, I knocked.
“Come in,” Tristan called.
When I opened the door, the scene hit me like a punch to the gut.Audrey was sitting beside him, their heads close together over a document, the kind of easy intimacy that had become unbearable to watch.The smiles lingering on their faces barely faded, and Audrey’s cheeks flushed slightly.Their familiarity, the way they fit so seamlessly together—it cut me deep.But I buried my emotions, clinging to professionalism.
“Eva, what can I do for you?”Tristan asked in a composed, almost detached tone.
“I need to talk to you.Alone,” I clarified.
Tristan frowned, clearly irritated.I understood his reluctance—Audrey was his assistant, and what I had to say would eventually concern her.But we had to be on the same page before informing anyone else.
“It’s important,” I insisted.
A bitter taste filled my mouth.I shouldn’t have had to justify my request.If the roles were reversed, I would have immediately known it was serious.But no, I was interrupting his cozy moment with Audrey, and that annoyed him.
“Fine,” he said, his voice laced with barely concealed irritation.
He turned to Audrey.Give us a minute.
