Page 39 of Her Billionaire Bossholes

"We're not just facing a breach of security here," Charlie continues, her voice steady but laced with urgency. "We're dealing with an orchestrated act of sabotage. Someone has been meticulously picking apart your lives, your work, your very existence."

Silence hangs in the air as her words puncture through our defenses. We exchange glances, understanding that we can no longer downplay the severity of this situation. The consequences are far too great to ignore.

"So, what now?" Leo asks, sounding defeated. "How the fuck do we stop this?"

Charlie takes a deep breath, her vibrant eyes meeting mine. "Firstly, we need to secure our perimeter. Whoever this mole is, they've had access to our personal information for far too long. We need to ensure that our defenses are impenetrable from now on."

Caleb interjects, his voice filled with resolve. "We should also gather a team of trusted individuals to conduct a thorough investigation. This mole has undoubtedly left their mark throughout the organization. We can't afford to underestimate their reach."

I stare at her, guilt and frustration welling up in my chest. "Charlie."

She looks at me in question.

"I'm sorry."Sorry for not believing you in the first place.

Her expression falls and she looks away again. "So am I."

33

LEO

"Okay," Caleb finally cedes with a firm but dejected nod. "We... we see what you meant about the danger."

My eyes flick over to Charlie to see the visible relief wash over her features. Her shoulders lose some of their tension, almost like a sigh.

I nod along, hoping to take some of the weight off of her, too. "We'll have someone start an investigation as soon as possible, Charlie. Everything will be resolved."

"Agreed," Jackson chimes in darkly. "We'll catch the bastard, and then we'll find anyone who benefited from the deal with them, too." He pauses, glancing around the room before adding, "Legally, of course."

"Of course," she murmurs--though I can see a bit of that teasing shine through.

The room grows quiet, although not as tense as before. Jackson, Caleb, and I share a brief glance of agreement: we aren't going to let this woman go.

"Charlie-"

She shakes her head firmly, tension returning to every crevice of her body. "Don't.”

Persistent as I can be, I stand up and walk over to her. "Charlie, listen to me. To us. Of course we're going to look into this, but... we also want to look into us. Into what we have."

Refusing to meet my gaze, she insists, "We don't have anything."

"Bullshit," Caleb snaps in an uncharacteristic show of annoyance. He steps forward, his voice firm and resolute. "Charlie, you can try to deny it all you want, but we have something special here. You can't just dismiss that."

The air in the room grows thick with tension as Caleb's words hang in the air. All eyes are on Charlie now, waiting for her response. Her gaze flickers between each of us, uncertainty etched across her face.

Jackson's voice carries a reassuring tone as he adds, "We understand if you're hesitant, Charlie. Given your past, it's only natural to be cautious. All we want is a chance to prove that this really is more than some damn fling."

The room feels charged with a mix of determination and vulnerability. I watch as Charlie's walls begin to crumble, her eyes brimming with emotions she's fought hard to conceal.

She takes a step back and her eyes flash with a mix of anger and denial. "What the hell would you know about my past?"

Jackson walks toward her, towering over her in a manner that reminds all of us of her truly petite frame. "Don't pull that shit with me."

I watch as conflicting emotions flicker across Charlie's face - desire warring with fear. Her chin juts out defiantly. "Or what, Mr. Harris?"

"Or I'll do this," he grumbles, reaching up to grab her face.

After a brief look into her eyes, Jackson tilts her head down and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead.

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