Page 37 of Suddenly Desired
Nate’s voice dropped lower, each word landing like a hammer. “These hacks came from inside your own building, Blake. From someone you know.”
Chapter 18
BLAKE
It couldn’t be true.
It justcould notbe true.
Blake literally felt the warmth drain out of him, his skin breaking into goosebumps, his scalp shrivelling. He was shaking like he’d fallen into ice water. It was only Ellie’s touch that kept him from sinking into the cold, dark depths completely.
He forced himself to take a long, shuddering breath, fighting the dizziness that threatened to pull him under. The room swayed, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again to find Ellie’s face.
Her expression mirrored his own turmoil, her brows knitted together, her lips pressed tight. She wasn’t just sympathetic — shefeltthis pain with him. That understanding, that fierce empathy, was like a lifeline.
Blake managed a weak smile, and Ellie responded by squeezing his hand tighter before reluctantly letting go. The absence of her touch was like losing a tether, and the chill rushed back. He pushed himself upright and strode to the window, his hands gripping the ledge as he stared out at the city below.
“It’s somebody I know,” he said. “Somebody at Heartbook has done this to me.”
“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Nate said. “I’m so sorry, man.”
But who?
Maurice was a snake, and Agnes he was surprised at, given how she was like a mother figure to him, but they were loyal to him and to David, he was sure of it. They were old-school businesspeople, interested only in the bottom line. They’d never do something to sink the ship. Even though Mike could be aloose cannon, he wasn’t the kind of guy who would orchestrate such a cruel and dangerous plan. There were thousands of people who worked for the company, of course, but none of those would have had access to his office, or the passwords for his computer and his phone.
Which left only one possibility.
“Michelle,” he growled.
Nate leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “You think she’d go that far?”
Blake turned, his fists clenched. “You didn’t know her like I did. She hated how much attention I got, and when I ended things, she was furious. This—” he gestured vaguely to the room, to the weight of their conversation — “this is exactly her kind of revenge.”
Ellie’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to speak but wasn’t sure what to say.
“But,” Blake added, the thought striking him like a blow, “the timeline doesn’t fit. These posts started appearing months before we broke up. Why would she start sabotaging me while we were still together?”
“Good point,” Nate said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But it doesn’t rule her out completely. Maybe she had her reasons. People like Michelle? They don’t need logic to justify their actions.”
Blake paced, the floorboards creaking under his weight. “I don’t have time to guess, Nate. I need answers.”
“I’m working on it,” Nate said. “But it’s not going to be easy. The posts are gone, but the damage is done. The metadata’s out there, screenshotted and saved by thousands of people. Your profile is down, but that doesn’t clear your name. Unless you’ve got security footage of your office proving someone else was at your desk . . .”
“No such luck,” said Blake. “The cameras cover every corner of the building, except our private offices.”
Nate sighed. “Even the one post you couldn’t have made, because you were with me, would only be my word, and who’s going to believe a coder with a hatred for trousers?”
“Therehasto be something we can do.” Ellie stepped forward, her voice laced with determination. “Is there anyone else who can vouch for how awful Michelle is?”
“Yeah, David. He hates her as much as I do.” Blake looked from Ellie to Nate.
“I’ll pull every string I’ve got,” Nate said. “But you need to prepare for the fact that clearing your name isn’t going to happen overnight.”
Blake clenched his teeth, his frustration bubbling over. He hated feeling powerless, hated that someone had taken everything he’d built and twisted it into a weapon.
A soft clink of china interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see Sophie standing in the doorway, a tray of steaming mugs in her hands.
“Tea,” she said with a gentle smile. “It won’t fix anything, but it helps.”
