Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Sutton looked up to find Tyler standing over her, arms crossed, expression amused.

“I was,” she corrected, keeping her voice even. “Now I’m a developer.”

Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Just like that, huh? Must be nice. What did you do sleep with someone?”

The implication wasn’t subtle. Heat rose in Sutton’s cheeks, but she kept her expression neutral. “I have a degree in computer science. I’ve applied for a

transfer three times.”

“Right.” His eyes flicked to her stomach. “And I’m sure your… condition… had nothing to do with the sudden promotion. Whose is it?”

Before Sutton could respond, another developer, Kevin, she remembered, rolled his chair over. “What are you working on, anyway? Something simple, I hope? We’re in the middle of a major system overhaul.”

His arrogant know it all tone made her jaw clench. “Al–driven virus detection self thinking,” she said, turning her screen slightly so they could see. “It adapts to new threats in real–time by analyzing behavior patterns rather than relying on signature updates.”

Both men squinted at her code.

“That’s pretty ambitious for someone who was answering phones for months,” Tyler said, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice now.

“I’ve been working on it for months,” Sutton replied. “In between transferring your calls and ordering your lunch. As you lot walk past my desk like I don’t

exist.”

Kevin leaned closer, studying the screen. “Your isolation protocols look overcomplicated.”

“They’re not,” Sutton said firmly. “They’re thorough. There’s a difference.”

“And what’s the difference between polymorphic and metamorphic code structures?” Tyler asked suddenly, like he was quizzing a freshman.

Sutton didn’t even blink. “Polymorphic changes its appearance but keeps the same functions. Metamorphic rewrites its actual engine with each iteration. If you’re trying to catch both, you need behavioral analysis, not just signature detection.”

Several other developers had wandered over now, drawn by the impromptu interrogation. She could feel their eyes on her, judging. Well, screw them. She knew she was good.

“And how would you handle fragmented payloads across distributed networks?” Elliott asked, headphones now hanging around his neck.

“Containment first, then trace execution paths to find common instruction sets,” Sutton replied. “You don’t chase fragments; you isolate the behavior and work backward.”

The questions kept coming. Each one was more technical than the last. She answered every one without hesitation. Let them test her.

atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. The developers straightened. Conversations died.

Luca had arrived.

found her immediately lingering for a moment

tablet in hand, her smile tight and professional. But Sutton didn’t miss the flash of

the center

presence and the fact Nicole was with him told those in the room exactly who he was. There was no need for anyone to question that. The other developers moved out of his way. Until he was standing close

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Chapter 108

he said, his voice

have been so welcoming Yeah right. But

eyes moved to the screen displaying her code, then to the developers still hovering nearby. His expression

in his tone made the men

were just asking some technical questions,” Tyler said, his earlier confidence notably

ensure she’s…

that needs to be worried about her qualifications? Or should we arrange a

his voice was razor–sharp. The developers

Skills this company desperately needs, given the subpar output I’ve seen from this department over the last quarter. If this program works as well as Jake has just been telling me, half your jobs could be in jeopardy, so I would make sure your work is up to

tension in the room thickened as a silent shock moved through the

entire room now. “If you’d prefer to seek opportunities elsewhere,

spoke. No

to Sutton, his expression softening slightly. “Ms. Warner, I’d like to see a demo of your virus detection system when you have a

support. “Of course.

and Sutton felt a familiar heat rise in her chest. Even now,

“One more thing. Ms. Warner, what’s your approach to adaptive Al when dealing with fragmented malware in layered

a test, but not for her benefit. This

track instruction flow to identify payload convergence points, and then train the Al on behavior signatures pulled from

a smile touched Luca’s lips. “She’s exactly who we need,” he

to the scene, gave her a subtle thumbs–up behind

at his side, Sutton caught the venomous look

returning to their desks with considerably less swagger than before. Sutton let out a slow breath, turning back to her code trying to ignore

never seen him so interested in someone at work so fast before. Certainly not some

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MONT, SU