She didn''t even spare him a nce as she turned and walked away. If she wasn''t still trying to catch Leslie, she would have told him right there she never wanted anything to do with him again.


    Sebastian watched her go, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed by some invisible hand. The pain made it hard to breathe.


    The IT room door swung open and Matthew strode out, patting Sebastian''s arm with a smirk. "Let it go this time. But if you ever use me without evidence again, I won''t just let it slide."


    Upstairs, in the Big X office, the blinds were pulled tight, only a thin strip of harsh daylight sneaking in. Leslie sat at her desk, eyes glued to herptop while a red progress bar inched across the screen, decrypting a set of encrypted data.


    Last time there had been issues, so she hadn''t rushed to open the file the second she got her hands on it. She waited a few days, keeping an eye out in case national security showed up. When no one did, she finally rxed enough to check the data.


    A cheerful chime signaled the decryption was finished. Leslie''s eyes brightened. She scrolled through the data at lightning speed, her smile growing with every confirmation. When thest crucial set matched perfectly, she let out a soft, triumphantugh.


    "Finally got it."


    This data wasn''t the same as what Reese had sent before, but it fit perfectly with what she knew about de.


    "So now, even if Reese goes back to ckOak, it won''t matter," she muttered under her breath. The thought of Reese made her eyes sh with cold determination. With quick, steady hands, she started editing the file, swapping out her own secret server''s IP address for Reese''s personalputer.


    Watching the new address flicker across the screen, a dangerous glint shed in Leslie''s eyes.


    "Don''t me me for this, Reese. You''re the one who took away my child."


    She gave a cold littleugh and hit send.


    The transfer bar crawled across the screen. When "Sessfully Sent popped up, Leslie threw herself back in her chair and startedughing, th? sound echoing around the empty office.


    "Now, even if national security traces it, they''ll only find Reese. She''ll never talk her way out of this."


    She could already picture Reese under interrogation, struggling to defend herself.


    "Perfect. I get the job done and pin it all on Reese."


    Down in the hospital parking lot,


    Matthew and Reese got into the car. Matthew''s phone buzzed. A grin


    tugged at his lips as he


    checked the


    Λοι


    screen which showed a new encrypted message and a surveince video clip.


    He scanned the message quickly, his brows pulling together for a second before


    his whole expression sharpened with satisfaction.


    "What''s up?" Reese asked as she buckled her seatbelt, catching the look in his eyes.


    He turned to her. "Leslie has the stolen data. The surveince cameras caught her going through it. We''ve got all the proof we need. It''s time for the arrest."


    Relief crashed over Reese. The tension she''d been carrying for so long finally let go. She slumped back in her seat, letting out a deep breath. "Thank God. I don''t have to keep pretending with Sebastian anymore." Honestly, she''d almost pped him at the hospital today.


    Matthew chuckled softly. "You did great. I know it wasn''t easy."


    He picked up his phone and dialed his national security contact.


    "This is Matthew. We have solid evidence against Leslie—she''s in possession of


    the stolen core data. Requesting immediate approval for the arrest."