sk control office happened s

from Asher's domain by nothing more than a short private corridor. Two heavy black sensor doors stood independently on each end, close enou

ast the man had kept the promise he'd signed just half an h

ill holding that faint industrial scent of fresh upholstery. The air still carried the faintest trace of cedar. The territorial presence of a top-t

or a moment, then quickly pulled her focus

tocol and begun her standard sweep. It was second nature to her. Every new workstation, every new system, she tested its boundaries before she trusted it. Her fingers

r pupils cont

being there. It was coiled like a viper in the grass, silently bypassing the firewall, slipping through security gaps that shouldn't have existed, trying to overstep its p

nto her past. Someone

n't slam the keyboard or call for IT. Instead, she began a quiet reverse trace, following the data link with practiced precision, her eyes scanning the code as it scrolled past.

to the CEO's highest-le

ore server. Asher Kings

expression went cold, her jaw tightening as th

nt not to touch her private information. He had

ons were digging through

uspiciou

or boundaries" been nothing but

ptop shut with a sharp click, and strode toward

A

tly into Asher's private office without pausing, her spine ramr

scent, everywhere, impossible to escape. Asher leaned back in his massive leather chair, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose, the tension in his shou

ore entering is basic workplace etiquette. I'd expect s

s that also Kingston Group's version of workplace etiquette, Mr. Kingston?" Darcy slammed her laptop down o

ep behind his own. A flicker of recognition, perhaps, or something darker. He lowered h

office to accuse me

p tactics." Darcy leaned forward, bracing her palms on the edge of his desk, meeting those

refused to submit, refused to give him an inch. He tapped his fingers twice a

's brilliant mind can get cl

nd unreadable. "Take a look at the protection logs at t

. Her eyes moved quickly across the lines of code, parsing the inform

l anonymous node, then deliberately used the CEO's security channel as a relay. Which was why her reverse trace had shown Ash

locked the path down minutes earlier. Every piece of data related to "Darcy Clark" had bee

of the code. Clean, efficient, unmistakable. Below the

n lodged in her throat stuc

Long before she'd even noticed the threat, this man had already

s deep black chair, his fingers laced loosely over the armrest. He didn't look away from her. "Every single request was traced back to the North Barrens." He lifted

h Ba

into her nerves like an ice pick, sharp and

e surge of emotion, her phone

z.

dead silence of the office l

led out h

ly masked number, no caller ID, n

was a long t

ne. The knuckles on her hand went white, the

nic that crossed her face. Bar

y light from the windows, casting her entirely in his shadow. But he didn't

sent

back under control. She met

e to ha

I can handl

a reflex honed by eight years of protecting hers

Asher's dark eyes, there and gone in an insta

g on the tight set of her shoulders, th

hin Saint Cross territory, anyone who reaches into my space

elivered with absolute certainty. And yet, the cold that had seized D

d she hated it. Hated the way her defenses wer

erself back together, her tone hardening back to its professional edge. "Mr. Kin

oothing the cuffs of his wrinkle-free suit with deliberate pr

oked down at her, his words elegant and unyielding. "I don't trust systems. I trust my own eyes. You wo

nds. Then a sharp, knowing

lpha Lord is alwa

e picked up her laptop from the desk an

control office, Darcy pulle

f the risk permissions she'd signed for this morning, the name "Darcy Clar

price of to

loyee. She had gained power. And in doing so, she ha

typing out layer after layer of defens

nd in the open with a blade in her hand th

u

ibrated vio

ame masked number. No text this

Her pupils cont

lack skyscraper standing dead center in the frame, taken from a low

oto, a single cold line

ll hi

phone. Ice shot up her spine and s

t just tracing her online. They h