Chapter 80: Data Breach

Night had settled over the city, casting the Caldwell Corporation's conference room in a heavy, suffocating stillness.

A report from the overseas branch lay open on the long table, stamped with a glaring red EMERGENCY seal. The mark seemed to burn into the eyes of everyone present.

In the corner, a technician stood pale and trembling, fingers twitching so badly he could barely hold his pen.

The leaked fragment of source code was unmistakable — almost identical to the encryption module Sophia had refined just last week.

Henry's knuckles tapped against the edge of the table. Three long, two short. The sound was steady, deliberate, like a countdown.

The whispers around the room died instantly. Everyone knew that rhythm. It meant Henry was done being patient.

"Technical access protocols were designed by me personally," he said, voice cold enough to frost glass. "The leak has nothing to do with Sophia."

His eyes lifted, locking on Manuel — the one who had been stirring the pot moments earlier. The man's face drained of color. He opened his mouth, then thought better of it.

Everyone in the Caldwell Corporation knew Henry guarded Sophia as fiercely as his own life. The last man who had made a casual remark about her at a dinner party had found every one of his contracts terminated before the night was over.

Sophia's hand came to rest lightly on Henry's wrist. Her fingertips pressed into the hollow of his palm — a silent signal between them. She turned to the others, the tracking logs from a flash drive scrolling across the screen.

"They used a vulnerability template from three years ago," she said evenly. "Whoever they are, they know our defense systems inside and out."

She paused, eyes flicking toward Henry. "If we stop now, they will think they've succeeded. I need one week to rebuild a reverse-tracking system. So suspending the investigation now... is perfect timing."

Henry's thumb brushed the spot where her fingers had pressed. He thought for a long moment before giving a quiet, "Fine."

No more words were exchanged, but the message was clear — Henry's indulgence toward Sophia was carved deep into his bones.

After the meeting, Henry drove Sophia back to the Caldwell Mansion.

She leaned against the window, watching the city slide past, until his voice broke the silence, "If you need access to any equipment or system at the office, just use it."

"No." She looked at him. "If the mole has access to core systems, using my own equipment is safer."

Henry's fingers tightened briefly on the wheel. Then, after a pause, he said, "Whether you find them or not, make sure you sleep. Don't burn yourself out."

Sophia didn't answer, but the faintest curve touched her lips.

When they returned to the Caldwell estate, the house was quiet. Sophia climbed the stairs, only to notice Megan's door ajar. Inside, there was the faint rustle of someone rifling through drawers.

She was about to walk past when she noticed a drawer in the wall cabinet left slightly open. A corner of a gilt-edged ledger peeked out. Something made her stop.

The page that lay open was filled with transfer records — unfamiliar names, staggering sums.

Just last month, three payments over a million dollars each. The memo line read: [Terry living expenses.]

"Who's out there?" Megan's voice snapped from inside.

Sophia stepped back quickly — and collided with a solid chest. Henry's hand steadied her waist. His gaze slid past her to the ledger through the crack in the door, and his expression darkened.

He said nothing, just guided her toward the study. As they passed, his heel clicked twice against the hardwood — loud enough for Megan to hear.

Sure enough, when Megan rushed to the doorway, all she saw was Henry and Sophia walking close together, looking every bit the distracted lovers.

Probably, she thought, Henry had had too much to drink at some event. Perfect. That meant she was one step closer to those offshore assets.

The door shut behind them. From the hall, Sophia could hear Megan hurriedly slamming the drawer shut.

"I have already checked," Henry said, his voice like ice. "She has been moving large amounts from her trust fund every month. In the last six months, five major withdrawals from my father's offshore accounts — all routed to Rosalia."

"And those match the account belonging to Terry," Sophia murmured, tracing idle circles on the desk.

"You want to investigate?"

"Not yet. The mole comes first."

Henry didn't push. He opened the temperature-controlled cabinet and pulled out a bottle of warm milk.

"You're right. One problem at a time."

In the days that followed, Sophia locked herself in the guest room. Every morning, Henry left breakfast at her door. At night, he would find empty coffee jars beside her computer. He never commented, only replaced the cold coffee with warm milk and pulled a blanket over her shoulders while she worked.

One evening, with Megan out and Henry at the office, Sophia sat frowning at a string of garbled code when voices drifted up from downstairs.

"The Caldwell Family needs to add another two million to the wedding dowry, or there will be no wedding!" Zara's shrill voice cut through the air.

"Mom!" Susan's voice cracked with frustration. "I told you, now is not the time—"

"Not the time?" Hayes barked. "Once you have the baby, do you think the Caldwell Family will still treat you the same? Thomas is useless. If we don't squeeze them now, when will we?"

Sophia moved to the window. Below, Thomas stood in front of Susan, his back straight.

"I'll find the money. But you will not talk about her that way."

"You'll find it? With what?" Zara sneered. "Henry treats you like a servant. You have no say in that family. How exactly are you going to protect her? With your mouth?"

Thomas's fists clenched so hard his knuckles blanched. "I said I'll handle it."

Susan's eyes flickered with something unreadable, then hardened. She shoved him aside and snapped at her parents.

"I'll get the money myself! Just stop embarrassing me!"

The scene ended with Susan shoving her parents into a cab. Thomas watched the taillights disappear, a hollow ache settling in his chest. He had wanted to protect her. Instead, she had looked at him with nothing but contempt.

Upstairs, Sophia's phone buzzed. A message from Henry: [How's the decryption? If you're tired, rest. Tomorrow I'm taking you to meet a partner.]

The next evening, the event was held at Virensia's most famous venue — The Gilded Age Hotel.

The moment Sophia stepped into the ballroom, someone called her name.

"Miss Bennett!"

She turned — and froze. Joseph stood there in a tailored suit, the boyishness gone, replaced by a quiet, aristocratic poise.

Beside him was Henry's business partner, Leroy Mellon.