Lahat ng Kabanata ng RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

The Geneva HQ was all marble walls and glass elevators—built for diplomacy, not damage control. But that’s what we brought through the doors: a breach report, redacted testimony, and three terabytes of internal audit data.In the main conference room, a dozen board members and major donors sat waiting. I recognized three who’d flown in from Dubai. Two more from Nairobi. The mood was one part cold war, one part boardroom thriller.Jeff and I stood at the head of the table. My stomach tightened.“Let’s not waste time,” I began. “The incident in Paris was not isolated. Early findings indicate it is part of a pattern—reaching across regional offices over a six-year span. The systems were legacy. The oversight was minimal. But the breach was real.”One woman, a donor from Zurich, leaned forward. “And you, Ms. Perez, are you saying your own digital credentials were part of this compromise?”I didn’t flinch. “Yes. Six years ago, during a field operation in Mauritania, I used an offline cachi

The wine was bitter on my tongue, but the warmth of Jeff’s shoulder pressed against mine made it easier to swallow. Geneva glittered below us, a city built on secrets and snow. The hotel roof was empty except for us, the wind, and the weight of what we’d just done.I tipped the bottle toward him. “You think Julian’s watching?”Jeff took a slow sip, eyes fixed on the horizon. “If he is, he’s scrambling.”I exhaled, watching my breath curl into the cold. “Or he’s laughing. We still don’t know where he is.”“We will.” His voice was steady, but his fingers tightened around the bottle. “Naz is tracking the financial trails. Aisha’s got contacts in Montreal. He can’t vanish twice.”I wanted to believe him. But the truth was, Julian Mathers had already pulled off the impossible—he’d hollowed out the Consortium from the inside, wearing its skin while he gutted it. And we’d let him. For years.The thought made my stomach twist.Jeff must’ve sensed it. He set the wine down and turned to me, his

The stolen motorcycle screamed through the Atlas Mountains, Jeff’s body a solid wall against my back. The drive to Casablanca would take six hours if we pushed it. Six hours before we could ditch the bike, before we could breathe.Julian had the drive. But he didn’t know we’d made copies.The wind tore at my clothes as I leaned into a turn, the tires skimming the edge of a cliff. Jeff’s arms tightened around my waist.“Still got eyes on our tail?” His voice was a vibration against my spine, transmitted through the comm unit pressed between us.I flicked a glance at the side mirror. Two black SUVs, holding steady half a kilometer back.“Yeah,” I muttered. “They’re herding us.”Julian’s men weren’t trying to overtake us. They were waiting—for us to tire, to make a mistake.Jeff’s breath was hot on my neck. “Next bend—go off-road.”I didn’t hesitate. When the curve came, I wrenched the handlebars left. The bike lurched onto a goat path, stones spraying as we carved through the scrubland.

Blood. Too much blood.Jeff’s weight sagged against me as we crashed through the lemon groves, his breath coming in ragged bursts against my neck. The coppery scent filled my nostrils, mixing with the salt air from the cliffs below."Almost there," I lied, adjusting my grip around his waist. His tuxedo jacket was soaked through, the fabric sticky against my palm.He coughed—a wet, guttural sound that made my stomach clench. "Should've... taken the shot...""Don’t you fucking dare." My voice cracked. Ahead, a crumbling stone shed emerged from the darkness—Naz’s rendezvous point.The door burst open before we reached it. Naz stood silhouetted against the glow of a dozen screens, her usually immaculate braids falling loose around her face. "Jesus Christ—""Pressure. Now." I lowered Jeff onto the makeshift med cot, my hands trembling as I ripped his shirt open. The bullet had torn through his left side, just below the vest line. Dark blood pulsed with each shallow breath.Naz slapped a tr

The clone's scream echoed off concrete walls as strobe lights erupted through the darkness.I dropped into a combat crouch, rifle sweeping the blackness—until a boot connected with my ribs. The impact sent me skidding across the interrogation room floor. My NVGs shattered against the wall.Naz's voice cut through the chaos: "Ambush! They knew we—"Gunfire drowned her out.The clone—the other me—thrashed against her restraints. "They're coming!" Blood dripped from her split lip. "The real trap is in sublevel five!"I lunged for her restraints. "Who are you?"Her fingers locked around my wrist with terrifying strength. "I'm what happens when you fail."The door exploded inward.White smoke. Strobing muzzle flashes.I rolled left as bullets chewed through the chair where I'd just been standing. The clone took two rounds to the chest before her restraints snapped. She collapsed like a marionette with cut strings.Naz dragged me behind an overturned exam table. "We need to move!"I grabbed