Page 94 of Falling for Mr. Ruthless
This is who I've always been beneath the careful facade of control. The man willing to burn down the world if it threatens what matters to him. The man my father raised me to be—for better or worse.
The man Chanel married, whether she fully understood it or not.
Collins enters without knocking, Tyson behind him. He carries a tablet, already unlocked to what he wants to show me.
"We found the breach," Collins says without preamble. "And it's worse than we thought."
He hands me the tablet. I scan the information, each detail slotting into place with mechanical precision.
"She accessed our secure servers directly," I say, not looking up from the screen. "Not just email. Not just Chanel's credentials."
"Yes, sir. She has full administrative access. Has had it for months."
I set the tablet down carefully—so carefully—though something inside me wants to hurl it through the window. "How?"
Collins shifts his weight, uncomfortable with the answer he has to give. "She's using your credentials, sir. Your private access codes."
The words land like body blows. Not because they're surprising, but because they confirm what I've known and denied. What I've suspected but refused to face.
"When?" My voice could cut glass.
"First access point was February 12th." Collins doesn't flinch from my tone. Knows better. "The day after your last meeting with her."
Four months ago. A business dinner I thought was closure. A final conversation to ensure we understood each other. To make sure the past remained buried.
I'd been played. Again.
"And you're certain it's her?" Tyson asks, giving me space to process.
Collins nods. "The access points trace back to her private network. She wasn't even trying to hide it. Just counting on us not looking."
I absorb this, the implications unfolding with cold clarity. She wanted me to know. Wanted me to discover this breach. Wanted me to understand how completely she'd infiltrated what I thought secure.
"She's been planning this for months," I say, voice distant to my own ears. "Gathering ammunition. Waiting for the perfect moment."
"The White Glove Pivot," Tyson fills in. "And Chanel's involvement."
"Yes." I look up at them both. "She wasn't just after me. She was after the most damaging target. The one that would hurt the most."
The realization settles like ice in my veins. All this time, I thought I was protecting Chanel by keeping her at arm's length. By maintaining professional distance despite our history. By being careful about how and when we reconnected.
But my caution was exactly what made her vulnerable. My attempt at protection became the vector of attack.
"What do you want us to do?" Collins asks, his tone making it clear he'll execute whatever I decide without question.
I stand, decision crystallizing into diamond-hard certainty.
"Lock down everything. Change all access protocols. Implement the nuclear option."
Collins blinks, the only sign of surprise he allows himself. "Sir, the nuclear option would take our entire system offline for at least twelve hours. Global operations would?—"
"I don't care." My voice cuts through his objection like a blade. "Twelve hours of darkness is better than months of infiltration. Do it."
He nods once, already reaching for his phone to initiate the process.
"And Megan?" Tyson asks quietly.
"We stick to the plan." I move to the window again, watching the city fully awake now. Millions of people moving through their lives, unaware of the currents shifting beneath the surface. The power being deployed above them. "But we accelerate the timeline. I want the first domino to fall by close of business today."
