MR BILLIONAIRE, NOT YOUR WAY!

DIRTY

|Helena|

I sat cross-legged in my living room, my laptop perched on the coffee table, surrounded by a mess of papers, USB drives, and hastily scribbled notes. A half-empty cup of coffee sat nearby, its warmth long gone, but I didn’t care. My focus was razor sharp.

I was determined to uncover every last detail of Steve’s crimes and burn his throne to ashes.

After hours of digging through the data from the USB drive, a pattern began to emerge. At first, it was subtle, a few repeated codes in the financial transactions. But then I saw an account number that kept popping up, hidden beneath layers of fake bookkeeping.

"You’ve been nabbed, you sneaky bastard," I muttered under my breath, my lips curling into a smirk.

The account was tied to an offshore bank located in the Cayman Islands. This wasn’t just about stolen money; it was about power. Steve had funneled company funds into this account to pay off allies, silence dissenters, and likely line his own pockets.

The transactions weren’t his alone. The missing financial manager’s name was attached to several transfers, making it clear she was either a willing accomplice or had been coerced into helping him.

“Bingo, you all keep falling into my traps,” I whispered, leaning back in my chair.

But accessing the account wouldn’t be easy. Offshore accounts like this were designed to be impenetrable without the proper credentials. Breaking into one would require risky maneuvers that could land me in serious trouble so I needed to be very careful.

That didn’t stop me. If anything, the challenge made me more determined. Steve thought he was untouchable, sitting on a stolen throne. I was going to drag him down, no matter what it took.

****

The next morning, I met with Jude in a quiet café downtown. He was already seated, his face tense, his laptop open in front of him.

“Tell me you found something,” he said the moment I sat down.

“I found everything,” I replied, pulling out a folder and sliding it across the table. “Steve’s been using an offshore account to fund his little empire. The missing financial manager’s name is all over it.”

Jude flipped through the folder, his eyes widening with every page. “This is... massive, Helena. If we can access this account and verify the transactions, we can bring him down.”

“Exactly. But here’s the problem.” I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “Accessing the account will require credentials I don’t have. I’ll need to hack into it.”

Jude’s face paled. “Helena, that’s dangerous. If you get caught….”

“I know the risks,” I interrupted sharply. “But I didn’t come this far to let Steve win. He stole the company from Michael. He turned me into a scapegoat, trashed my reputation, and probably would’ve buried me if he could. I want him out, Jude. I want him out of that chair, out of the company, and out of everyone’s lives.”

Jude sighed, rubbing his temples. “You’re ruthless, you know that?”

It felt like he just discovered another side of me he didn’t know when I was married to Michael.

“Thank you,” I said with a smirk, though my tone was cold. “Now, can you help me or not?”

He didn’t hesitate before he nodded. “Of course, this involves my boss too. I know someone who can set up a secure connection for you. They’ll make sure you’re not traceable.”

“Good. Let’s move.”

****

That evening, I sat in a dimly lit room with a hacker Jude had called in as a favor. A scruffy, wiry guy who went by "Techie.” He was strange but clearly knew what he was doing.

“This account you’re trying to access,” he said, typing furiously on his laptop. “The site has enough security to keep the government out. You sure you want to do this?”

“Do I look like someone who backs down?” I shot back, raising a brow.

Techie whistled. “Fair point. Alright, here’s the deal. I’ll set up a secure bridge for you, but once you’re in, it’s all on you. If they have any active monitoring, you’ll have minutes or maybe seconds before they realize someone’s poking around.”

“More than enough time,” I said confidently, cracking my fingers to get them ready.

As Techie worked, I mentally prepared myself. I wasn’t just doing this for Michael or the company. I was doing it for me to prove that no one, especially not someone like Steve, could control my life. He made the stupid mistake of involving me in the brawl between him and Michael. He got me roped in the articles and tarnished my image.

Finally, Techie stepped back. “You’re in. Good luck, lady. I’ll watch from the side.”

I cracked my knuckles again and dove in. The offshore bank’s interface was sleek and deceptively simple, but I knew better than to trust appearances. Every keystroke was a potential minefield, but I moved quickly, scrolling through layers of encryption and firewalls.

My heart raced as I reached the account. The balance was staggering millions of euros, all siphoned from the company. I began downloading the transaction history, scanning for anything that could be used as evidence.

My chest was beating fast, rising and falling with each percentage increase in the download process. I was almost done with a 95% download and then it happened.

A red warning flashed on the screen: “UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED.”

“s**t,” I muttered. “They’re onto me.”

“Lady, we’ve got to go!” Techie shouted, his hands flying over his keyboard as he tried to cover my tracks.

“Not yet!” I snapped, my eyes glued to the screen. “Just a little more…” this time it was on 97%

“Every second counts! These guys have men in every close radius. The closest ones might just be two minutes away; this is too dangerous.” Techie sang in my ears but I blocked all and focused on the screen till it hit 100%

“Yesss!!!!” my fists screamed in victory with me

I grabbed the final files and grabbed the USB drive from the laptop. Techie slammed his computer shut, grabbing his bag.

“Move, now!” he barked. He managed to add, “I have never seen a fearless crackhead like you” as we raced to the entrance.

We bolted out of the building, splitting up as planned. My pulse thundered in my ears as I darted through alleys and side streets, clutching the USB drive like my life depended on it. Because, in a way, it did.

***

When I finally reached my safe house, I locked the door and leaned against it, gasping for breath. My phone buzzed, and I saw a text from Jude.

“Are you okay?”

I quickly replied, "Got it. Safe for now.”

Dropping into a chair, I plugged the USB drive into my laptop and began reviewing the files. The evidence was damning. Not only did it prove Steve’s embezzlement, but it also implicated several of his allies.

The more I dug into him, the dirtier and scarier it became. It was a simple battle of embezzlement at first but it was more than that with every discovery. Steve was a full-blown criminal.

Among the many folders, there was one file that stood out. It was a payment to a mysterious account marked only as “PROJECT BLACKOUT.”

“What the hell is this?” I muttered and adjusted my glasses, clicking on the file.

It detailed payments to a private security firm known for doing Steve’s dirty work. It turned out Steve had been using company funds to hire enforcers, likely to intimidate or eliminate anyone who got in his way.

My blood boiled. Steve wasn’t just a petty thief; he was a criminal, and he had no business sitting in the chairman’s seat. He was too dirty for the seat.

I grabbed my phone and called Jude.

“Helena?” he answered immediately.

“I’ve got what we need,” I said, my voice cold with determination. “This isn’t just about embezzlement anymore. Steve’s been running a full-blown criminal operation. We’re taking him down.”

“Are you sure you are okay and can do this? This is big, Helena. Once we move, there’s no going back.”

“Good,” I snapped. “Because I don’t want to go back. I want that bastard out. For good.”

“How about I and Michael take care of it? You don’t have to put yourself on the bloody battlefield,” he proposed and I shut it down immediately

“I started this and I will finish it by myself. Just do your part and get your boss to do his.” I hissed and he didn’t argue further

As I hung up, a fire burned in my chest. Steve had built his empire on lies and stolen money, but his reign was about to crumble.

And I would be the one to destroy it.