Chapter 89

Evelyn Carter's lips curled into a knowing smile as she locked eyes with Nicole Pate. "Care to confirm my suspicions, Ms. Pate?"

Nicole's fingers twitched against the conference table. "You're absolutely correct, Ms. Carter."

The sapphire ring on Evelyn's finger caught the light as she leaned forward. "Then explain why you disappeared during the security breach."

"Me?" Nicole's laugh sounded brittle. "Bathroom emergency. Surely even executives have biological needs?"

"Funny." Evelyn accepted a tablet from Maxwell Donovan and slid it across the polished surface. "Because our firewall logs show your device transmitting data to offshore accounts during that 'bathroom break.'"

Victor Langley snatched the tablet, his expression darkening with each swipe. "Explain this, Nicole."

Nicole's throat worked visibly. The damning evidence glowed onscreen - timestamps matching her absence, encrypted transfers to shell companies buying Sterling Enterprises stock.

Evelyn tapped a manicured nail against the glass table. "Let me reconstruct your play. First, you leaked the AI algorithm specs after Kingsley Industries shared them."

"Then," she continued, watching Nicole's pupils dilate, "you triggered the sell-off panic by shorting our stocks through third parties."

Maxwell crossed his arms. "We've traced the digital breadcrumbs. Every byte points to you."

Nicole's chair screeched as she stood abruptly. "I was protecting company interests! If outsiders acquired controlling shares—"

"Save it." Nathan Sterling's voice cut through like Arctic wind. He'd been silent until now, observing from the head of the table. "We have termination paperwork ready."

Evelyn admired how Nathan's presence commanded the room. Their gazes met - an unspoken alliance forged in corporate warfare.

"Consider our partnership," Evelyn said sweetly to Victor, "contingent on removing this... liability."

Nathan's tablet pinged with a new alert. "My board agrees. We're suspending all joint ventures pending internal audits."

The other directors shifted uncomfortably. Victor's jaw worked before he delivered the killing blow. "Effective immediately, you're terminated. Our legal team will handle the securities fraud charges."

Nicole collapsed into her chair, makeup streaking as reality set in.

Evelyn rose gracefully, pausing beside Elliot Kingsley - her genius hacker brother whose fingers still flew across a holographic keyboard. "Wrap it up, Code Phantom."

Elliot smirked, executing one final command that made Nicole's personal devices chime simultaneously across the room. "Just ensuring no data escapes."

As they exited, Evelyn heard Victor murmur to his CFO, "Since when does Evelyn Carter have a human side?"

She hid a smile. If only they knew about the midnight coding sessions with Elliot, or how she'd personally designed the honeypot that ensnared Nicole.

The game was far from over. But today's victory?

Absolutely delicious.