Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Nicole had never considered herself a villain.

She wasn’t reckless. She wasn’t stupid. Everything she did, she did with purpose. With strategy. With the long game in mind and right now? The long

game was Luca.

He wasn’t in love with her, fine. He didn’t have to be. Men like Luca De Santis didn’t marry for love, anyway. They married for legacy. For business. For alignment. And Nicole had aligned herself with his world for almost six years. She knew his schedule, his temper, his instincts, his needs and wants. She’d bled for his empire while women floated in and out of his life like moths. He had no staying power, that’s why in the end he would marry, not for love.

But then Luca had bought Cyber10 out of the blue, hunting for some pregnant mistress in the USA. How… pedestrian and common. But from what she could gauge, he hadn’t found her. Nicole was sure that if the woman had been here and couldn’t get money from Luca, she would’ve aborted the baby.

Then there was Sutton. She was beautiful… like enough to stop traffic. Nicole hadn’t wanted her around when Luca turned up. He had an eye for pretty

faces.

Nicole didn’t know why she had almost been impossible to get rid of. After some digging into her background, she had a coding education but no work experience. Whatever. She didn’t belong in a development role and a security tech company. She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover, not

around Luca.

Even pregnant, she had this… presence. That was the problem. Sutton didn’t try. She didn’t flirt. She didn’t even smile that much. But she walked into a

room and men looked up. Even gay, Jake was impressed by her.

And Luca? He was acting differently since arriving at Cyber10. Nicole was worried he did have a thing for Sutton. Nicole had thought about hunting down the model he had knocked up so his focus would move away from Sutton. Because in the end a model would only bore him.

He was careful about his interest. The way he started lingering too long after meetings. The way his eyes followed her, like she was a puzzle he hadn’t

solved yet.

There was just something about Sutton. It wasn’t just her looks.

And Nicole hated her for all of it. Luca should have been hers by now.

it when she felt it–that quiet, beautiful threat. Sutton didn’t even have to

dangerous.

She didn’t care. Even

Sutton had to go.

life, this access, this closeness to Luca. No one knew him better. Not really. Not like she did. She kept his world spinning. She knew

lately.

another employee.

Or she will be.

fixing problems, Nicole hadn’t even been asked

It had to stop.

hurt Sutton where it would really matter by showing up her work

found had the skills. She had the

up, hands on the keyboard. Nicole passed him the drive. He didn’t ask questions. That was the best part. He just took her

didn’t need his loyalty. Just his fingerprints on the crime. If he

question Luca’s leadership. Luca would look for someone to blame. And Sutton’s name would be the

It was perfect.

Sutton would be

of the day, Nicole didn’t want a fight, but

Nicole wanted Luca.

she didn’t want competition. Not from someone like

even try to be

slipped

the villain. She was just making

She wasn’t going to wait much

It wasn’t just about the Kingston files. Nicole didn’t know what she had just done. This man might have agreed to help Nicole, but he was here for his own reasons. Nicole’s

She whispered, “Shit.”

“What now?”

at the same time… Do

work, of course, I have‘ enemies. Should

the hacker’s signature and began isolating data packets. “I need to find out who he is