Chapter 87

"I'll expose this to the media," Nathan declared before storming out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind him, Alistair hurled his crystal tumbler against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

His chest heaved as he dialed a number with trembling fingers. "I need you to handle something. Make sure there are no traces left."

"Evelyn Carter." His lips curled into a vicious sneer. "Time to show you what happens when you cross the Delaney family in Pamore."

One week later...

The scheduled meeting between Kingsley Industries and Sterling Enterprises to discuss software upgrades arrived. Evelyn arrived with Maxwell Donovan by her side.

This wasn't just another routine meeting. Today, Sterling's board members would be present to evaluate potential technological breakthroughs.

The air turned frigid the moment Evelyn stepped into the conference room. Victor Langley and Nathan Sterling sat in stony silence at opposite ends of the mahogany table.

"Someone forgot their morning coffee, Mr. Langley?" Evelyn quipped as she set down her designer handbag.

Victor didn't respond. His fingers steepled before him, the usual twinkle in his eyes replaced by cold fury.

He turned to Cassandra Blake with a clipped command. "Explain the situation to Ms. Carter."

Cassandra's voice dripped with accusation. "Three hours ago, our entire nanorobot encryption database surfaced on the dark web. The source code we shared exclusively with Kingsley Industries forty-eight hours ago."

Her glacial stare pinned Evelyn. "Quite the coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

Evelyn's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Are you implying Kingsley leaked proprietary data, Ms. Blake? That's quite an allegation without proof."

"The timeline speaks for itself." Cassandra's manicured nails tapped the table. "Perhaps this was deliberate sabotage."

A derisive laugh escaped Evelyn. "Tell me, Ms. Blake - did they hand you that director position or did you have to blackmail someone for it? Your lack of basic logic is astounding."

Cassandra's fists clenched, her face flushing crimson. "Or maybe this is your petty revenge for our past disagreements."

Evelyn's glacial stare made the other woman shift uncomfortably. "Do you honestly think I'd risk my company's reputation over something as trivial as you?"

"Enough!" Victor's roar silenced the room. He turned to Nathan. "What's your take on this?"

Nathan's gaze flickered to Evelyn for the briefest moment before his expression smoothed into neutrality. "Ms. Carter makes a valid point. Moreover, having worked closely with her, I can attest she's not one to mix personal grievances with business."

Evelyn's eyebrow arched. Was Nathan Sterling actually defending her?

Her momentary surprise quickly turned to suspicion.

"Mr. Sterling," Cassandra sneered, "perhaps she's changed since your divorce. Your certainty makes me wonder if you're covering for her."

Nathan's head snapped toward Cassandra with lethal precision. "Watch your mouth." The quiet menace in his voice made several board members stiffen.

Cassandra's face burned scarlet, but she wisely remained silent.

"We don't have time for finger-pointing," Victor interjected, running a hand through his graying hair. "Our encryption will be cracked within twelve hours at most."

The gravity of the situation settled over the room. The nanorobot technology represented Sterling Enterprises' entire R&D investment for the next fiscal year.

"I just checked the markets," a board member announced. "Our stock has plummeted fifteen percent in the past hour. The downward trend shows no signs of stopping."

"If that code gets cracked," another director added, "we might as well file for bankruptcy."

Panicked murmurs erupted around the table.

For Victor Langley to appear this distressed signaled catastrophic implications.

"The source code won't be breached." Evelyn's clear voice cut through the chaos.

Every head turned toward her.

Cassandra's lips twitched before she schooled her features into concern. "What fantasy world are you living in, Ms. Carter? The dark web hackers targeting us are global elites."

+15 BONUS

Evelyn leaned forward, her emerald eyes flashing with quiet confidence. "Then it's fortunate I don't play by their rules."