Chapter 172

Kristin had just stepped In the CEO’s office when she noticed a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the desk..

York, is this for me?” Kristin asked with surprise, her eyes lighting up at the unexpected treat.

“Yeah.” York nodded, a grin spreading across his face.

“Aw, thanks!” Kristin beamed, and her appreciation was genuine.

“Don’t mention it. I lost a bet, and now, I’m your errand boy for three months.” York waved her thanks away casually, not mentioning that it was Rhett’s idea.

He had done the deed, and he was taking the credit.

“Don’t sweat it,” Kristin

about it in a few days.plied quickly, lowering her voice. “Mr. FitzGerald will forget all

“My hearing is just fine. Thank you very much,” came Rhett’s voice from his desk, where he was tapping away at his keyboard.

Kristin suppressed a giggle, sipping the hot chocolate. It was sweet as if someone had added just a hint of sugar, not too much, just perfect.

“Mr. FitzGerald asked me to get you a hot chocolate with little sugar. He thought you might like it,” York admitted under Rhett’s intense gaze, finally revealing the truth behind the thoughtful gesture.

Feeling overwhelmed by the attention, Kristin glanced at Rhett and murmured a shy “Thank you.”

“I’ve got a meeting. Send the SandStone Project files to my computer and ensure it’s encrypted,” Rhett instructed before standing up.

Kristin hesitated, knowing the task was usually for Rhett’s secretary

Rhett had been sidelining Randall for some time, and Kristin.knew that Rhett would make his move once she was competent enough to manage Randall’s responsibilities. temporarily. Randall, for his part, was likely beginning to sense the shift.

“You’ll need to be careful around him,” Kristin thought.

“Mr. FitzGerald…” Kristin began, sitting before his high–tech computer system.

Rhett, who had reached the office door, turned back at her hesitation. “Yes?”

“The computer…” Kristin faltered, not entirely confident.

The technology had advanced quickly since her time, but she had learned computer repair

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Intelligent, she caught on quickly to computer

a hacker who did her time for causing a company significant financial loss through illegal system breaches.

stood up for her, she had warmed up and taught Kristin quite

it?” Rhett mistook her hesitation for unfamiliarity with his computer system and returned to show her.

pulled

her, a surprised smile playing on his lips at

this…” Kristin pointed to a strangely named process. “Have you opened any suspicious

computer might have been

expression darkened, and he instructed York, “Call Granger.”

their go–to cybersecurity expert.

the system logs and found unauthorized login attempts and other

breaches.

for any missing important files,” Kristin urged, panic edging her voice. “Maybe we should

Let’s play along,” Rhett said, glancing at the clock. “York, cancel the morning. meeting. We’ll do it in the afternoon. Tell them I need to finalize the SandStone Project first thing.”

carry out

a good idea of who

instructed Kristin, asking her to

worried. “Mr. FitzGerald, this is

We have a contingency plan,” Rhett reassured her, ruffling her

clear sign of a past that had taught her

such sharp instincts if she had been a sheltered

but she focused on

seriousness.

minutes, disguised as a delivery

when did we hire a beautiful new assistant?” Granger joked, nudging Rhett as

Don’t scare her,” Rhett scolded, his brow

eyed Granger nervously, instinctively moving away

she was, Granger corrected himself with a more respectful tone. “Hey, you must be Rhett’s honey, Kristin. I’m

“Ah, what?”

her and Rhett’s dealings supposed to be a secret?

warned, his frown

to business. “Any idea who our friend might

in sabotaging the desert project,” Rhett said

let’s bait him with something he can’t resist. Create a new file with an enticing topic,” Granger suggested, plugging his USB into the computer. “To snag a big fish, we need to hack his system

he’s into,” Rhett grumbled, clearly

said hesitantly, glancing guiltily

Turner.”

paused, not quite catching on.

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