The room went still again, this time for an entirely different reason.
Several engineers exchanged guarded looks, their expressions shifting from analytical focus to something closer to disbelief as their attention moved between Cassian and the restored wall of screens.
The data was clean. The system was stable. The threat had vanished. And yet the only anomaly left in the room stood at the center of it, wearing the faintest trace of satisfaction.
Who, exactly, smiled after a breach like that?
Cassian's expression remained composed, but there was no mistaking the quiet amusement beneath it, the satisfaction of recognition settling into place as he straightened.
"She's gotten bolder," he said, the words delivered almost absently, as though he were noting the progression of a long-term investment rather than referencing a breach that had momentarily destabilized the most secure system in the industry.
Rafe, standing just behind him, suppressed a sigh.
Of course she has, he thought dryly. And of course he looks proud.
Rafe shifted his weight.
Two years ago, this would have triggered a citywide blackout and three resignations.
Any other breach of this magnitude would have resulted in lockdown protocols, audits, and repercussions so swift that the department would still be recovering months later.
There would have been no smiles, no indulgent tone, no quiet acknowledgment of cleverness.
He had watched Cassian Calder dismantle hostile takeovers without raising his voice, dismantle governments with a phone call, and dismantle men who mistook proximity for power with nothing more than a look. None of those situations had ever produced that particular curve of amusement at the corner of his mouth.
That expression belonged exclusively to her.
Anything even remotely connected to her had a way of slipping past Cassian's usual thresholds for irritation and landing squarely in a category Rafe had privately labeled encouraged chaos.
Cassian's fingers tapped once against the desk, almost thoughtful.
"She's accelerating."
"Yes," Rafe said carefully. "Most people do that when they're unsupervised."
Cassian's mouth twitched.
Rafe stared at the ceiling for half a second.
This is how empires fall, he thought. Not from enemies. From one girl with Wi-Fi and unresolved tension.
He had seen this behavior before—far too often over the past two years to mistake it for coincidence. Any time something surfaced that bore her unmistakable touch, Cassian reacted not with anger or concern, but with a quiet, dangerous approval that suggested encouragement rather than restraint.
The first time she had cracked a closed system during training, Cassian had simply observed and asked how long it took her. The second time, he had provided better hardware. By the third incident, Rafe had learned to stop asking questions entirely and start drafting contingency plans for when the rest of the world inevitably noticed that Calder's internal defenses were being stress-tested by one very persistent variable.
Most men ground their assets, Rafe reflected. Mine apparently hands them the keys and waits to see what happens.
Cassian turned slightly, sensing Rafe's presence without looking at him, and Rafe schooled his expression back into neutrality before anyone else noticed.
Around them, the IT team remained frozen between disbelief and professional offense, still struggling to reconcile the fact that the most secure system in the industry had been breached—and that their boss appeared more entertained than alarmed by the experience.
One engineer leaned subtly toward another and whispered something Rafe didn't bother straining to hear, because the tone alone suggested disbelief bordering on offense.
Yes, Rafe thought dryly, you just watched the crown jewels get walked out of the vault and returned with a note telling you where the lock is weak, and now the man who owns the vault is smiling.
Cassian shifted his weight slightly, hands clasped loosely behind his back as though he were observing a successful demonstration rather than a security incident that would have cost most executives their composure.
"She's improved," Cassian murmured, not bothering to lower his voice this time, the indulgence still present as though he were commenting on a well-executed drill rather than a global system breach.
"Yes," Rafe replied evenly. "At an alarming rate."
Rafe closed his eyes briefly.
Improved, he repeated internally. That's one word for it. Another would have been unhinged, if anyone else had been involved.
Cassian's lips twitched.
Rafe straightened subtly, the motion instinctive, as though bracing for fallout that never came.
At this point, he thought, I could walk in and tell him she hacked a satellite just to see if she could, and he'd probably ask whether she learned anything useful.
Rafe cleared his throat. "At this pace, she'll outstrip half our senior analysts within the year."
Cassian inclined his head. "Good."
Behind them, the IT division manager cleared his throat cautiously, still trying to understand the reaction unfolding in front of him. "Sir," he began, carefully choosing his words, "with respect, this breach—"
Cassian lifted one hand, not sharply, but decisively enough to halt the explanation before it could gather momentum.
"Close the vulnerability," he said calmly. "Document the method. Improve the architecture."
Several people blinked.
One engineer hesitated before nodding. "Yes, sir."
As the room sprang back into motion, Rafe allowed himself a fraction of a second to exhale, his composure settling back into place as easily as it always did.
She's eighteen now, he thought. Bold, brilliant, and apparently bored.
Rafe kept his expression neutral, though inwardly he shook his head.
Encouraging her, as usual, he thought. One day she's going to burn down half the world, and he'll probably call it initiative.
Around them, the IT team continued their post-incident analysis in hushed tones, still struggling to reconcile the breach with the man who appeared inexplicably pleased by it.
Rafe watched Cassian for a moment longer, then leaned in just enough to speak without being overheard.
"You know," he said quietly, "most people would be furious right now."
Cassian's smile deepened by the barest degree.
"I know," he replied.
Rafe exhaled slowly.
Of course you do.
He straightened, scanning the room as engineers returned to their stations, still visibly rattled, still glancing in Cassian's direction as though expecting consequences that stubbornly refused to materialize.
Rafe had a feeling they would be talking about this day for a long time.
So would he.
Because somewhere out there, an eighteen-year-old girl had just walked into the most secure system in the industry, tapped it on the shoulder, and walked away smiling.
And the most dangerous man Rafe knew looked like he couldn't be more pleased.
He followed Cassian toward the corner of the room, his stride matching his boss's without conscious effort, already anticipating the questions that would follow and the instructions that would not need to be spoken.
God help whoever finally makes the mistake of underestimating her, Rafe reflected. Because judging by that smile, my boss certainly won't.