Chapter 88

Victor Langley shared Evelyn Carter's skepticism. "You can't be serious, Ms. Kingsley. By the time we finish this conversation, some hacker might have already breached our system."

"Trust me. That's impossible." Evelyn leaned back with effortless confidence, murmuring to Maxwell Donovan, "Has he arrived yet?"

"Ten minutes out," Maxwell confirmed.

A self-assured smile played on Evelyn's lips. "Everyone, come downstairs with me. There's someone you need to meet."

The board members exchanged bewildered glances, some even suspecting this was some elaborate joke.

"Is she really making us all go downstairs during a crisis?"

"Doesn't she grasp the severity of the situation?"

"This is absurd!"

Evelyn ignored the murmurs. Standing gracefully, she addressed the room. "Your choice. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Nathan Sterling abruptly rose. "I'm coming with you."

Though Victor Langley hesitated, as a major shareholder, he had no choice but to follow.

With the CEO leading the way, the remaining directors fell in line behind them.

Evelyn stood at the forefront of the corporate procession, her team fidgeting impatiently behind her.

A yellow taxi pulled up to the curb.

Confusion rippled through the crowd. They'd expected limousines, private jets - not a cab.

Then emerged a striking six-foot-two figure in understated athleisure wear, his effortless elegance belying his technical genius.

"You made it!" The moment Elliot Kingsley stepped out, Evelyn sprinted forward and threw her arms around him.

She whispered urgently in his ear, "I'm banking on you, big brother."

"Already handled in the cab." His voice remained calm. "Took care of it en route."

Evelyn beamed, linking arms with him. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

"Flattery won't get you everywhere." He affectionately ruffled her hair.

Elliot - cybersecurity expert for the National Cyber Defense Agency, the legendary hacker "AK" who topped every dark web ranking.

Anticipating trouble, Evelyn had secretly recruited him three months ago to safeguard Kingsley Industries' systems.

She hadn't expected the attack to come so soon. Clearly, she'd underestimated their adversary.

The reckless actions of Sterling Enterprises' general manager had everyone regretting their decision to follow her downstairs.

"Let me introduce our cybersecurity architect. He's already scrubbed our source code from the dark web." Evelyn guided Elliot inside, leaving a murmuring crowd in their wake.

"Resolved already? Impossible!"

"Who is that man? Has anyone seen him before?"

Nathan watched their retreating figures with an unreadable expression.

Who was this stranger sharing such easy intimacy with his wife in front of everyone?

Back in the conference room, Victor Langley verified the system status. Just as Evelyn had promised.

He exhaled sharply in relief.

"Thank God it's contained."

Taking a steadying sip of water, he studied Elliot typing rapidly. "What should we call you, Mr...?"

"Double-Oh-Seven."

Victor blinked at the unconventional alias before rationalizing that top cybersecurity experts often worked under pseudonyms.

Evelyn shot her brother an exasperated look. "Forgive the code name. My colleague enjoys his...quirks."

She made a face at Elliot, who remained impassive.

He'd interrupted his vacation for this emergency, so anonymity was non-negotiable.

But did he have to choose something so ridiculous? Only her eccentric brother would...

"You anticipated this breach, Ms. Kingsley. Impressive foresight."

Evelyn nodded. "Standard contingency planning. I accounted for corporate espionage risks."

"Now that the immediate threat is neutralized..." She turned with deliberate slowness, eyes glinting. "...it's time we identify our mole."