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.

her approach to zero–day vulnerabilities when the atmosphere in the room

Luca had arrived.

gaze found her immediately lingering for a moment before taking in the

and professional. But Sutton didn’t miss

center of

he was. There

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Chapter 108

see you’re settling in,” he said, his voice carrying easily in the

the team. They have been so welcoming Yeah right. But Luca would

her code, then to the developers still hovering nearby.

tone made the men

some technical questions,”

ensure she’s…

almost imperceptibly. “I see. But I own this company. It’s not you that needs to be worried about her qualifications? Or should we arrange a formal examination? Perhaps a written

voice was razor–sharp. The developers

is disrespect. Ms. Warner was hired for her skills. 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,

thickened as a silent shock moved through the development

has concerns about the changes I’m implementing, my door is open,” Luca said, addressing the entire room now. “If you’d prefer to

one spoke.

Sutton, his expression softening slightly. “Ms. Warner, I’d like to see a demo of your

caught off guard by his public support. “Of

and Sutton felt a familiar heat rise in her chest.

thing. Ms. Warner, what’s your approach to adaptive Al when dealing with

for her benefit. This was

and then train the Al on behavior signatures pulled from real–time threat analysis. The goal isn’t just to catch the current threat but to predict mutations

of a smile touched Luca’s lips. “She’s exactly who we

who had returned to the scene, gave her a subtle

side, Sutton caught the

let out a slow breath, turning back to

Luca down the hallway, rage simmering beneath her carefully composed expression. She’d never seen him so interested in someone at work so fast before. Certainly not some pregnant nobody

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07430

MONT, SU