******
Mara's POV
Aria had that look again.
The one she got when something—or someone—had breached her carefully controlled world. She had the same look when she met Lina.
I watched her pack her laptop with more care than usual. "You're meeting Dante today, aren't you?"
She stiffened. "How did you—"
"I'm a chef and an event planner," I said dryly. "I read people for a living."
She sighed. "It's just work."
"I believe you" I said sarcastically. "Then remember—you don't owe him anything. Not access. Not trust. Not your heart."
She looked at me then, really looked.
"I know what I'm doing" she said.
But her voice wavered.
I hugged her tightly. "Just don't forget who you are when you're around him. Be yourself"
" Can you just stop, I'm not going on a date. What's with the romantic advice, I'm just going to sign a contract, that's all." She scoffed.
I just shook my head and said nothing.
I wasn't worried about Dante hurting her.
I was worried about how much he already mattered.
************
Dante's POV
I straightened my jacket as I waited in the conference room. Nervous, pacing back and forth.
For the first time in years, the Dante Moreau, the man who dominated the business world is nervous about meeting a woman. No one must hear about this.
I wasn't certain.
Not about a deal.
Not about control.
About the woman who could walk away—and might.
********
Aria's POV
Outside the building, I paused, fingers tightening around my laptop strap.
This was where things will change.
Or won't.
I inhaled once, steady and quiet. Breathe Aria, breathe
Then I stepped inside.
The boardroom was glass, steel, and money.
Everything about it screamed control—floor-to-ceiling windows, a long polished table, screens embedded seamlessly into the walls. It was the kind of room designed to intimidate.
It didn't.
I placed my laptop on the table and took a seat without waiting to be told. Across from me, Dante watched with quiet interest, his expression carefully neutral.
"Ms. Vale," one of the executives began, "thank you for coming on such short notice."
"I'm here because your systems are compromised," I replied calmly. "Not visibly. Yet."
That got their attention.
Dante leaned back slightly. "You're certain?"
I met his gaze. "If I weren't, I wouldn't be sitting here." I said.
The room fell silent.
I connected my laptop to the main screen. Lines of code flickered to life, clean and precise.
"Someone has been probing your network for weeks," I continued. "They're not stealing data. They're mapping behavior—response times, internal hierarchies, decision bottlenecks."
One of the board members frowned. "Why wait?"
"Because they're patient," I said. "And because they want leverage, not chaos."
Dante's jaw tightened. "Who?"
I paused—just for a breath. "Veyron Tech."
That name landed hard.
"So Dominic finally makes a move," Dante said quietly.
"This isn't a move," I corrected. "It's preparation."
I isolated a pattern on the screen, zooming in.
"This signature?" I pointed. "It's subtle. Elegant. Almost arrogant. They want you to know someone brilliant is behind it—but not enough to stop them."
Dante stood now, hands braced on the table. "What's the endgame?"
"Control," I said simply. "Public exposure. Market manipulation. Or forcing you into a position where you need something… badly."
Silence stretched.
Then Dante looked at me. Not like a playboy. Not like a CEO.
Like a man calculating trust.
"And you found this without triggering alarms?"
"Yes?" I answered with caution.
"Meaning they don't know you know."
"Exactly." I said calmly.
A slow smile touched his lips. "Good."
"What do you propose?" Dante asked, dismissing the rest of the board with a single glance. "I want solutions—not panic."
I hesitated.
This was the line.
Professional… or personal.
"Normally," I said carefully, "I'd recommend reinforcement and quiet monitoring."
"And now?"
"Now," I said, meeting his eyes, "I recommend bait."
He arched an eyebrow. "I was hoping you'd say that."
I pulled up a secondary schematic. "We create a controlled vulnerability. Something attractive enough for them to bite—but isolated. A decoy system."
"And when they do?"
"We trace them," I said. "Not just the intrusion point—the command chain. Who authorized it. Who benefits."
Dante crossed his arms. "Risk?"
"Minimal," I replied. "If you trust me."
That word again.
Trust.
He studied me for a long moment. Then, quietly, like he had known me for a while. Then finally said, "I do."
Something shifted in my chest. Dangerous. Unwelcome.
I nodded once. "Then we move tonight."As the meeting wrapped up, Dante walked beside me toward his office.
"You didn't have to help," he said softly.
"I know."
"Yet you did."
I paused, fingers tightening around my laptop strap. "Don't read into it."
He smiled—not teasing this time. Genuine. "Too late."
I met his gaze, steady and guarded. "This stays professional."
"For now," he agreed.
But as I stepped into the elevator, I knew one thing for certain:
We weren't just fighting an enemy anymore.
We were standing on the edge of something far more complicated.
******
Aria's POV
The contract was clean. Precise. Temporary.
'Part-Time Security Technology Consultant.'
No personal clauses. No strings. No obligations beyond code and confidentiality.
Exactly how I liked it.
I skimmed the final page once more, then signed.
"There," I said, sliding the tablet across the table. "Part-time. Remote when possible. No public association. And I don't have to come everyday, just when there's issues with the company's firewalls. Oh yeah, I'd like to install a few micro cameras in blind spots for full surveillance."
Dante nodded and signed without hesitation.
"Agreed," he said. "Your work speaks louder than headlines anyway."
I paused. "You don't mind me staying… invisible?"
A faint smile curved his lips. "I prefer it. The most powerful people usually are."
That shouldn't have mattered.
But it did.
As the contract finalized, something settled between us—not intimacy, not trust exactly—but alignment. Two people choosing the same direction, fully aware of the risks.
"Welcome aboard," he said quietly.
I nodded once. "Let's not regret it."