Bound to the Billionaire's Contract

The Forensics Report

The heavy mahogany doors of Tariq’s private study clicked shut, sealing out the muffled jazz music from the party below.

‎The room was imposing—lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, dark leather armchairs, and a vast obsidian desk. Standing beside the desk was Tariq’s chief security investigator, a severe-looking man holding an encrypted laptop.

‎Tariq leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing his broad arms over his chest. "Show us."

‎The investigator tapped the keyboard, projecting a high-resolution display onto the wall monitor. "The flash drive recovered in Cabo contained the full encryption keys to the Cole Logistics port expansion contracts. It was accessed using a master bypass protocol."

‎Richard leaned against the doorframe, visibly shaking.

‎"And whose clearance code executed the bypass?" Tariq asked, his voice dangerously level.

‎The investigator zoomed in on the log file. "The bypass code belonged to executive clearance level 04... assigned directly to Damian Cole."

‎Silence slammed into the room like a heavy weight.

‎Zendaya’s breath hitched, her eyes flickering toward the screen. Beside her, Richard let out a sudden, involuntary gasp of shock.

‎"Damian?" Tariq repeated, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.

‎"Yes, boss," the investigator confirmed. "The digital signature shows the file was extracted from your private server using Mr. Damian’s terminal key, then transferred to a secure cloud drive registered under Gideon’s IP address. It appears Mr. Damian leaked the access point himself."

‎Zendaya’s mind worked at lightning speed. Sonia didn't just stole the drive—she used Damian to frame Tariq and ruin the merger from the inside.

‎She stepped forward smoothly, placing her hand on the edge of the obsidian desk and looking directly at Tariq.

‎"Your own brother," Zendaya said softly, letting a tone of quiet disappointment replace her earlier anger. "He tried to sabotage your life’s work, Tariq... and he tried to make my family take the fall for it."

‎Tariq stared at the digital logs on the wall, his jaw clenching so hard the muscle flexed along his cheekbone. The cold fury radiating off him was palpable, fills the entire room. He didn't look at Richard, nor did he look at the investigator.

‎His gaze slowly shifted to Zendaya.

‎He reached out, his long fingers lightly catching her chin, lifting her face so her eyes met his. The intensity in his dark eyes was overwhelming, searching her face with an unreadable emotion.

‎"It seems," Tariq murmured, his voice dropping into a low, quiet frequency, "I owe you an apology, Sonia."

‎Zendaya’s heart hammered violently against her ribs as his thumb gently brushed her jawline. She was safe for tonight—the trap had snapped shut on Damian instead.

‎But as Tariq dropped his hand and turned toward the door with lethal intent, Zendaya knew the real nightmare was just beginning. The wedding was in less than thirty-six hours, and she was trapped deeper in Tariq Cole’s world than ever before.