Semua Bab REVENGE OF THE PHANTOM HEIRESS : Bab 21 - Bab 30

Berry walked back into her office area and met Theo sitting on her desk, typing on his laptop with unusual intensity. He looked up the moment she entered."Where did you go? I was looking for you," Theo said, his voice carrying a sharp edge she hadn't heard before."I met the nicest people today!" Berry's face lit up as she approached his desk. "You won't believe how welcoming everyone has been.""Who did you meet?""Marcus Clarksville, Nessa's brother. He's absolutely wonderful, Theo. So kind and thoughtful." Berry's smile grew wider as she spoke. "We literally bumped into each other in the hallway, and instead of being annoyed, he helped me gather all my papers."Theo's jaw tightened slightly, but he kept typing. "That's nice.""And he's so easy to talk to. We had this great conversation about the company, about his work in London. He made me feel like I really belong here, you know?" Berry perched on the edge of his desk, her enthusiasm bubbling over. "Oh, and I met Gina too, thoug

Berry stood in front of her hotel room mirror, adjusting her blouse for the third time. She'd changed clothes twice, settling on a simple black dress that felt appropriate for dinner without being too formal.The day's tension with Theo still sat heavy in her chest, but she was determined not to let his confusing behavior ruin her evening. Riley had seemed genuinely nice, and Berry desperately needed some normal conversation.She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to the hotel lobby, where Riley was already waiting near the seating area, but she looked apologetic."Berry! I'm so glad I caught you before you came looking for me.""Hey, you look worried. Is everything okay?""I'm really sorry, but I need to reschedule our dinner tonight. I just got a call from a client who moved up a major project deadline."Berry felt a stab of disappointment. "Oh no, is it serious?""Unfortunately, yes. The gallery exhibition I was supposed to present next week has been moved to tomorrow morning

Theo opened his hotel room door and pulled Berry inside, closing it behind them. The room was dimly lit, with only the bedside lamp casting a warm glow."Theo, what's this about?" Berry asked, her heart beating faster from being so close to him."I owe you more than just an apology for how I treated you," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I acted like a complete jackass, and you didn't deserve that.""You really did. We were working perfectly together, helping each other with the network analysis, and then the next day you wouldn't even look at my screen when I needed your technical input."Theo sat on the edge of the bed and gestured for her to sit beside him. "I don't like the way you are close to Marcus. The way he was leaning over your shoulder, helping you with the firewall configurations, making you smile.""So that's what this is about? You were jealous of Marcus helping me when you refused to?""I know it sounds stupid, but watching him do what I should have been d

Berry spent the morning diving deeper into Phantom Tech's network traffic, and what she found made her stomach turn. Hidden beneath layers of encryption were financial transfers totaling millions of dollars, moving through shell companies in countries known for banking secrecy."This isn't just suspicious," she muttered to herself, taking screenshots of the data flows. "This is definitely illegal."She was so absorbed in tracing the money trails that she didn't notice Ava approaching her desk until she heard papers rustling."Excuse me, what are you doing with my files?" Berry looked up to see Ava holding a stack of network analysis reports."These aren't your files anymore," Berry said firmly. "I'm the current cybersecurity consultant, and those reports contain my work.""Your work? You mean the work I started before they decided to replace me with someone cheaper?""I wasn't hired because I'm cheaper. I was hired because the previous consultant wasn't finding the security vulnerabil

Ava looked around at the three of them, clearly realizing she had no choice, but she was not going to do it."I'm not apologizing for walking into someone," she said defiantly. "People bump into each other in offices all the time. This is completely ridiculous."Marcus stepped closer to her. "Ava, this isn't just about the collision. It's about your attitude and your complete lack of professionalism.""My lack of professionalism? I've been working for this company longer than any of them have been here. I know how things work around here.""Apparently you don't know how basic courtesy works," Theo said firmly.Ava turned to face him directly. "Don't lecture me about courtesy when you and your precious Berry think you can waltz in here and take over everything.""Nobody's taking over anything," Berry said quietly. "I'm just doing the job I was hired to do.""The job that should have remained mine if this family wasn't so obsessed with bringing in outsiders."Marcus's patience finally s