The hum of the office was almost soothing that morning, the quiet tapping of keyboards blending with the low murmur of distant conversations. Natasha was reviewing a report on Alden Foods when the first sign of trouble hit—the lights flickered, once, twice, then stabilized.
She frowned. Blackwood Enterprises wasn't the kind of place where technical glitches happened.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Edward: "Come to the control room. Now."
When she arrived, Edward was already there, flanked by two IT specialists, their faces tense. On the main monitor, lines of code scrolled like a torrent of rain.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Someone tried to breach our internal network," Edward said, his voice like steel. "They didn't get far, but they were targeting Alden's digital archives."
Natasha's mind raced. "The audit?"
Edward's eyes locked on hers. "No. This isn't about paperwork anymore. This is a direct attack."
One of the IT specialists spoke up. "Sir, the breach came from an internal access point. Someone inside."
The room fell silent. Natasha felt her stomach tighten. Whoever was doing this wasn't just trying to hurt Alden—they were trying to hurt Edward, and they were close enough to touch his empire from within.
Edward dismissed the IT staff and turned to her. "I need you to go back to Alden. Quietly. Check every department, every office. Look for anything that doesn't fit."
Natasha nodded. She could feel his trust in her, but also the unspoken pressure—fail, and she'd be one more liability he'd have to cut loose.
At Alden Foods, the atmosphere was different from her last visit. People spoke in hushed voices, glancing toward the manager's office. Robert Lane greeted her, his smile even more strained than before.
"I wasn't expecting you again so soon," he said.
"I'm here for a follow-up," Natasha replied smoothly.
Hours passed as she combed through the facility. Then, in the shipping department, she found something odd—a locked cabinet tucked behind stacks of unused crates. The foreman claimed it held maintenance tools, but when Natasha insisted on checking, his hesitation was all the confirmation she needed.
Inside were not tools, but stacks of unregistered purchase orders and falsified invoices, some of them bearing Edward's digital signature.
Her pulse quickened. Whoever planted these documents wasn't just sabotaging Alden—they were setting up Edward for fraud.
She snapped photos with her phone, then slipped out before anyone noticed.
By the time she returned to Blackwood Enterprises, it was late. Edward was in his office, sleeves rolled up, his tie abandoned on the desk. She placed her phone in front of him.
"Found your saboteur's work," she said.
He studied the photos, his jaw tightening. When his gaze lifted to hers, there was something different—less guarded, more… personal.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Natasha," he said quietly.
"I'm already in it," she replied, meeting his stare.
For a moment, neither spoke. The air between them felt charged, not just with danger, but with something else entirely—something that made Natasha's pulse race for reasons that had nothing to do with sabotage.
Edward broke the silence. "Stay close to me. From now on, I want you where I can see you."
She knew it wasn't just a protective order—it was a claim.
And for the first time, Natasha realized she wasn't sure if she wanted to run from him… or toward him.