Chapter 7 AN INSIDE JOB

DANTE

"Well, I'd hate to come from your family-if that helps."

The corners of my mouth lift before I can catch myself and I'm laughing. Only Valeria could say something like that and make it sound that damn funny. That wasn't supposed to be funny.

I should probably defend my parents, especially Mom, but I've lived long enough to know better. They're real-life villains ,or superheroes-depending on who's watching. And Valeria... she's worth the damn trouble. Mom usually runs off my dates before dessert, and when I don't bring them, she still finds a way to ruin it. But Valeria? She handled her. Flawlessly.

I steal a glance at her , gaze slowly traveling over her body. The same body I swore I'd keep in check - long legs stretch lazily, shining dimly under the glow of the streetlights, her breasts jiggle with the rustle and fall of her chest, causing the sleeve of her dress to slip, and my cock twitches in my pants. Just then, my phone rings.

The screen lights up showing Alejandro's name.

"Excuse me." I lift a finger, swiping my screen. "Alejandro? What-"

"You need to get to the office now, Dante. I'm already there. There's been a break-in and an attempt to hack into the company's software."

I tsk, jaw ticking as my features slowly harden.

"Shit! When did that happen?" I say quickly in Italian, running a hand through my hair.

"A few hours ago. We haven't been able to confirm the exact hour yet." Alejandro's voice sounds tense; someone calls him in the background and he shouts back a muffled reply.

"What the hell does that even mean?" My voice rises and I bolt from my seat. "I didn't hire the best hands to work like snails," I spit, rage coiling in my throat; my breathing comes out ragged and loud. Whoever pulled that shit has some balls– I'll find that mother fucker.

"The IT guys are already here, but there's something you need to see for yourself. I can't say more over the phone," he sighs.

"Fuck," I mutter, my grip tightening on the phone.

♠♠♠♠

"I'll see you later," I say hurriedly to a confused Valeria. I don't wait for Taylor, my driver, to open the door; I do it myself and hurry to the building. There's a crowd of journalists, cops, and workers camped outside; among them I spot my assistant, Paul. Our eyes meet and he hurries to my side.

"What floor's Alejandro?" I say icily, already headed to the entrance.

"On the twentieth ," he says in a breathless whisper. "Sir, the cops are still inside the lab. They said whoever did this knew what they were doing, got past three firewalls and physical security. Alejandro's been talking with forensics since he arrived..."

I tune out soon, silently fuming. My long strides eat up the distance and soon I'm almost at the front door when Paul places a hand on my shoulder. I turn sharply to face him, shrugging him off.

"Sir, you might want to stay back for now, there's shattered glass everywhere, and the wires near the mainframe sparked earlier," Paul's voice fades into silence at my glare. He steps aside, lowering his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Sir," he mutters.

At my arrival on the tenth floor, the air reeks of burnt circuits and sharp disinfectant.

"Jesus Christ," I whisper aloud, taking in the damage.

Shards of glass crunch under my shoes as I step inside, the glow of half-dead monitors flickering across the walls. A few cables hang loose, sparking faintly. Blue-red flashes from the cops' radios strobe against the metallic walls. Two officers dust for prints near the shattered mainframe while another murmurs into his walkie.

Alejandro stands by the central console, sleeves rolled up, his expression carved in stone.

"Said the same thing when I walked in," he mutters. Then, looking around suspiciously, he tugs my sleeve lightly, nudging me toward a less crowded area.

"Someone's feeding intel from the inside," Alejandro says in a low voice once we're out of earshot. His eyes flick toward the cops before settling back on me. "The breach wasn't random, Dante. They knew exactly where to hit - the same systems tied to your private accounts."

My eyes narrow back to the mess and I roll my neck, trying to ease the stiffness building at the base. "You're saying there's a mole," I say flatly.

He nods grimly, rubbing the back of his neck-a nervous habit he only has when shit's bad. "We traced fragments of the code to the same pattern used before the assassination at your brand launch. Whoever did this had help, someone with access."

I exhale sharply through my nose, nostrils flaring. There's only one name on my mind: "Nacho."

Alejandro hesitates, lips pressing into a thin line. "Possible. But he's too careful to get his own hands dirty. He'd use someone inside to do it for him."

My gaze narrows, flicking to the shattered mainframe and back to the soot-stained walls. I swear on my life - if that bastard had any hand in this, I'll snap his head off with my bare hands. He's pinned an assassination on me, scared off investors, and now he thinks he can get bolder every day. I'll make sure this is the last provocation he ever gets, even if it's the last thing I do.

"Then we start digging. I want names, Alejandro - anyone who logged in remotely, anyone who's been near this system in the past seventy-two hours."

He gives a curt nod. "Already on it. Forensics is pulling access records now. But if it is Nacho..." He pauses, eyes darting to the side, voice dropping lower. "Then this isn't just about the company, Dante. It's personal."

I clench my fists at my sides, veins tightening across my knuckles. "He picked the wrong person to make it personal with."

Alejandro studies me for a second, brows knitting as if to gauge how far I'll go. "Don't stress over it. All we have to do is wait for him to make one wrong move and then attack," he says reassuringly.

I give a dry half-smile. "Nacho's too smart for his own good and I don't have the patience to wait for something that may never happen. I'll personally put an end to that bastard."

My phone screen comes to life, displaying the PDF I sent Valeria earlier. I don't even remember pulling it up, probably tapped it by mistake, but the file's already loaded-her responses neatly typed beneath each question.

I skim through, half-distracted, until one line catches my eye. "Best food: anything I'm craving at the moment."

A dry chuckle escapes me, barely there, but it's enough to pull a small smile to my lips. Give it to Valeria to be 'spontaneous'.

Alejandro glances up from the monitor. "What's funny?"

"Just a text," I say, still looking at the screen. Then I add, almost casually, "From Valeria."

His brows draw together in thought. "Valeria?"

"The woman from the club," I reply, locking the screen and sliding the phone aside. "My fiancée."

For a second, Alejandro just stares. "You got engaged?" If expressions could get Grammys, he'd be walking out of here with an armful.

I fold my arms over my chest, clearing my throat. "Something like that." My voice levels out again as I switch the subject. "Tell me how deep the breach goes."

The silence stretches, work swallowing whatever curiosity he has left.