Dangerously Yours

The Attack

After grabbing Claire’s hand, Vivian led her to the private elevator. They headed to the tenth floor, where Vivian’s office was located.

Once they entered, Vivian guided Claire toward a computer she had prepared in advance.

“Come on, darling. Let’s say hello to an old friend after all these years of silence.” She wore a brilliant smile.

Claire stared at her before letting out a sigh. “An old friend? Honey, with that smile, anyone would think we’re actually going to visit someone we like.”

“Ohhh, Cee.” Vivian maintained her innocent expression. “I told you we were going to have fun. Don’t be a boring little baby.”

“Hehehe.” Claire shook her head. “If this is your definition of fun, I’d rather be boring.”

Vivian laughed and pulled a chair closer. “Come on. Let’s get started.”

“Fine,” Claire replied, settling into the chair. “But after this, we’re having fun according to my definition.”

“Whatever you say, darling.” Still smiling, Vivian watched as Claire began typing a series of commands into the computer.

Neither woman said another word about their target.

They didn’t need to.

They both knew exactly where this was going.

———

Vale Corporation

Inside the CEO’s office, Adrian Vale sat behind his desk, reviewing a stack of documents. The room was quiet except for the occasional rustle of paper as he worked through one file after another.

He had just reached for another document when the door opened.

Damien walked in.

His hair was dishevelled, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and exhaustion had replaced his usual lively expression.

Adrian glanced up. “You look terrible.”

Damien stopped beside the lounge couch and stared at him. “Wow. Good morning to you too, Adrian.” With a weary sigh, he dropped onto the couch.

“Don’t tell me you came straight from the hospital looking like that,” Adrian remarked.

“I just finished a ten-hour surgery.” Damien rubbed his eyes. “I haven’t slept all night. What exactly did you expect me to look like?”

Adrian chuckled. “Let me guess. You’re starving too.”

“Of course, Adrian. Was I supposed to stop halfway through surgery and order lunch?”

Ignoring the sarcasm, Adrian picked up his phone. “Tom, order some food from a restaurant. Make sure it gets here quickly.”

“Okay, sir.”

He ended the call and returned the phone to his desk.

Damien placed a hand over his chest. “Oh, Adrian. I knew you were the only person who truly cared about me.”

Adrian shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face. “Why didn’t you go home? Why come here looking like a zombie?”

“Thanks for the compliment. I really appreciate it.” Damien rolled his eyes. “Besides, if I went home, Mom would probably be waiting to lecture me about marriage again.”

Adrian laughed. “Aunt has a point. You should get married and give her some grandchildren to spoil.”

Damien immediately turned to him. “You know, that’s hilarious coming from you. At least I’ve had a girlfriend before. You’ve been single for years, and with that permanently cold expression of yours, I’m beginning to think you’ll grow old alone.”

Adrian’s smile faded.

He gave Damien a warning look, clearly preparing a response, but before he could speak, the internal telephone on his desk rang.

His attention shifted to the display.

3.

The number belonged to the Cybersecurity Department.

Adrian picked up the receiver.

“Speak.”

“Sir, we’re under attack!”

The urgency in the officer’s voice immediately changed Adrian’s expression.

“Someone is attempting to breach our systems. We’ve been blocking their entry points, but they’re bypassing our firewalls faster than we can reinforce them.”

Adrian straightened in his chair.

“Is Mr. Cross there?” the officer asked. “We need his assistance.”

“I’ll bring him. Hold them off until we arrive.”

“Yes, sir.”

Adrian ended the call and turned toward Damien. “The Cybersecurity Department is under attack.”

Damien slowly sat upright. “You’re kidding.”

“They need you in the Security Operations Center.”

Damien stared at him, then let out a miserable groan. “I just want to rest. Is that really too much to ask?”

Adrian stood and walked toward the door. “Get up.”

“Adrian, I just spent ten hours in an operating room!”

“And now you’re going to spend a few more minutes helping us stop a cyberattack.”

“Heartless bastard.”

“Keep talking, and I’ll leave you here.”

Damien reluctantly rose and followed him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Adrian said nothing.

That was answer enough.

———

The atmosphere inside the Security Operations Center was tense.

Large monitors covered the walls, displaying system activity, security alerts, and streams of data. Employees worked rapidly at their stations, trying to contain the intrusion.

The moment Adrian and Damien entered, one of the officers hurried toward them.

“Sir!”

“Give me the situation,” Adrian ordered.

“The attacker has breached two layers of our security. We blocked one entry point, but they immediately found another.”

Damien moved to the main workstation and dropped into the chair.

“Show me.”

The officer brought up the system activity.

Damien leaned toward the monitor, studying the rapidly changing lines of code. “Damn.”

Adrian stood behind him.

“How bad is it?”

“They’re fast.” Damien’s fingers moved across the keyboard. “Faster than most people I’ve encountered.”

He began reinforcing the compromised systems, adjusting security protocols and isolating vulnerable sections of the network.

For a brief moment, the alerts stopped.

Then a warning flashed across the screen.

SECURITY BREACH DETECTED.

Damien’s expression tightened. “They’re in again.”

One of the officers looked stunned. “But we just blocked that route!”

“And they found another one,” Damien replied.

He redirected his attention to the system, attempting to close the new entry point before the attacker could move any further.

Another warning appeared.

UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED.

Damien stared at it. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Adrian’s voice remained calm, though his expression had hardened.

“Can you stop them?”

“I’m trying.”

Damien isolated another section of the network and deployed a fresh defensive protocol.

For several seconds, the system held.

Then another alert appeared.

BREACH DETECTED.

Damien leaned back slightly, studying the screen.

The attacker wasn’t simply forcing their way through. Every time he adjusted the system’s defences, they seemed to anticipate his response and change their approach.

It was becoming less like a routine security breach and more like a contest against someone who understood the system almost as well as he did.

Almost.

Damien cracked his knuckles and leaned forward again.

“Alright,” he muttered. “If you want a fight, let’s have one.”

He began typing, determined to cut off the attack before it reached anything critical.

Behind him, Adrian watched the monitors, his jaw set.

Whoever was behind this had chosen the wrong company to challenge.

But as another alert flashed across the screen, Damien’s fingers suddenly stopped.

For the first time since they had entered the room, he looked genuinely unsettled.

“Adrian,” he said slowly.

“What?”

Damien stared at the screen. “Whoever we’re dealing with…”

He paused, tracking a sequence of activity that had appeared and vanished almost immediately.

“…knows exactly what they’re doing.”