ALEXANDER
My phone vibrated against the surface of the conference table for the second time in less than five minutes.
I didn’t look down immediately. I was in the middle of a meeting, seated across from a man who had flown in that morning, his tablet open, stylus hovering as he waited for my response. Still, tension coiled tight in my chest the moment I caught the name flashing on the screen. Derek.
I exhaled slowly through my nose. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. I couldn’t afford to look distracted. Instead, I slid the device closer to me and typed a quick message under the table.
What’s up?
I returned my attention to the client, straightening in my chair.
“As I was saying,” I continued smoothly, “the adaptive firewall doesn’t just respond to breaches—it predicts them. The
