Chapter 10

The office was nearly empty when I finally pushed the folder aside, my eyes burning from hours of poring over financial statements, contracts, and market trends. The city skyline outside Cloud’s floor-to-ceiling windows was dark, save for the occasional flicker of car headlights far below.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. It was Cloud, holding two cups of coffee. He set one in front of me before leaning against the desk, arms crossed.

"Any red flags?" he asked.

I took a sip of the coffee, letting the warmth jolt me awake. "Nothing glaring, but there are some liabilities buried in their contracts. If we play this right, we can negotiate a better deal."

Cloud’s lips curled into a smirk. "I like the way you think."

The weight of his approval settled in, more potent than the caffeine. "I’ll finalize my report by morning."

He nodded, studying me with sharp, assessing eyes. "You’re handling this well. I had my doubts, but you’re proving yourself."

I leaned back, exhaling. "Appreciate that. But something tells me this is just the beginning."

Cloud chuckled, pushing off the desk. "You catch on quick."

Just as he turned to leave, the door swung open again. Athena stepped in, her gaze flickering between the two of us. "Am I interrupting?"

Cloud shook his head, but I noticed the way his posture stiffened slightly. "What is it?"

Athena stepped closer, her expression unreadable. "I just got off the phone with our legal team. There's a complication with the acquisition."

I exchanged a glance with Cloud, setting my coffee down. "What kind of complication?"

She hesitated, then sighed. "There’s a pending lawsuit against them that wasn’t disclosed in the initial reports. If this goes public, it could tank their valuation—and make us look reckless for moving forward."

Cloud ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening. "Damn it. We need to control this before it spirals."

I flipped open the folder again, scanning the documents with fresh urgency. "We might still have leverage. If they didn’t disclose this, we can renegotiate—or walk away with no losses."

Athena crossed her arms. "That depends on how much damage control we’re willing to do. If we drop the deal now, we come out clean. But if we push forward, we need to be ready for a fight."

Cloud’s gaze darkened with determination. "Then we fight."

I nodded. "Let’s get to work."

The clock on the wall ticked mercilessly as I pored over the documents in front of me. Financial reports, market analyses, and legal contracts blurred together as I scanned each page, searching for leverage points. The weight of responsibility Cloud had placed on my shoulders settled heavily in my chest, but I refused to let it break me. If I wanted to prove myself, this was my moment.

I reached for my coffee—lukewarm now—but barely registered the taste as I took a sip. The numbers needed to tell me a story, and I had to decipher it before morning. The company in question, SynerTech, was struggling, but it wasn’t beyond saving. However, something in their financials didn’t add up. There was a pattern of inconsistencies in their revenue streams—subtle, almost imperceptible, but present.

Leaning back in my chair, I tapped my fingers against the desk, deep in thought. If I could prove that SynerTech was more of a liability than an asset, Cloud might reconsider the acquisition. Or, if played right, he could leverage the weaknesses to get the company at a fraction of its worth. The question was—who else knew about these discrepancies?

The soft knock at the door startled me from my concentration. I turned to see Athena stepping inside, her expression guarded.

“You’re still at it?” she asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe.

I exhaled and nodded. “No rest for the ambitious.”

She studied me for a moment before stepping closer. “I heard about the acquisition. Cloud doesn’t take on people he doesn’t think can handle pressure.”

I smirked. “Sounds like a test.”

She tilted her head. “Everything with Cloud is a test.”

Her words lingered in the air, heavy with meaning. I had always known that Cloud was a man who calculated every move, but Athena’s tone suggested there was more to his scrutiny than just business.

She glanced at the scattered documents on my desk and then back at me. “You look like you’ve found something.”

I hesitated. Trust wasn’t something I gave freely, but I also wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss a potential ally. “There are irregularities in SynerTech’s financial reports. Revenue streams that don’t match up with their projected growth.”

Athena’s expression didn’t change, but I caught the slight shift in her posture—interest. “Fraud?”

“Possibly,” I admitted. “Or someone’s trying to cover up losses to make the company look more valuable than it actually is.”

She considered this for a moment before pulling out a chair and sitting across from me. “Cloud is going to want concrete proof before making any decisions.”

“I know,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “Which means I need access to more than just these reports.”

Athena pursed her lips, then reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. “I might know someone who can help.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And what will that cost me?”

A slow smile curved her lips. “Smart. You’re learning.”

She tapped her screen, sending off a message before meeting my gaze again. “Let’s just say I have a vested interest in making sure Cloud doesn’t waste his time on a bad investment.”

There was something unspoken in her words, something deeper than just business. I didn’t press—Athena had her own reasons for everything she did, and I wasn’t about to pry where I wasn’t invited.

The next hour passed in a blur of research and quiet anticipation. Then Athena’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and then stood. “We have a meeting.”

I frowned. “With who?”

She grabbed her coat. “Someone who knows exactly where SynerTech’s skeletons are buried.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. Grabbing my notes, I followed Athena out of the office and into the crisp night air. The city was alive around us, neon lights reflecting off wet pavement as we made our way to a small, inconspicuous bar tucked between high-rise buildings.

Inside, the atmosphere was thick with smoke and low murmurs. Athena led the way to a secluded booth where a man in his late fifties sat nursing a glass of whiskey. His suit was wrinkled, his tie loosened—he looked like a man who had once had power but had lost it somewhere along the way.

“Athena,” he greeted, voice gravelly. His gaze flickered to me. “This him?”

She nodded. “He’s working on the acquisition. Thought he should hear what you had to say.”

The man eyed me for a moment before sighing and taking a sip of his drink. “SynerTech’s books are a mess,” he said. “Not just bad investments—intentional misdirection.”

I leaned forward. “You’re saying someone inside is cooking the numbers?”

He let out a humorless chuckle. “Not just someone. The entire board.”

Athena and I exchanged glances. If this was true, then SynerTech wasn’t just a bad investment—it was a trap.

The man continued, lowering his voice. “They’ve been inflating their value for the past two years, funneling money through shell companies. If Cloud buys in now, he’s buying a sinking ship.”

I processed the information quickly, my mind racing with possibilities. “Do you have proof?”

He smirked. “Wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t.”

Reaching into his coat pocket, he slid a flash drive across the table. “Everything you need is in there. Internal emails, financial records, transaction histories. Enough to make sure Cloud doesn’t get played.”

I picked up the flash drive, feeling the weight of it despite its size. This was exactly what I needed.

“What do you want in return?” I asked.

The man leaned back, finishing his whiskey. “Just to see SynerTech burn.”

Athena stood first, nodding at the man before motioning for me to follow. As we stepped outside, the cool air hit me, clearing the lingering tension from the bar.

“You did good in there,” Athena said as we walked.

I glanced at her. “Think Cloud will be impressed?”

She smirked. “Cloud doesn’t do impressed. But he will take you seriously.”

I nodded, gripping the flash drive tightly. This was my first real win, and I wasn’t about to waste it.

By the time we returned to Cloud’s office, dawn was beginning to creep over the horizon. Cloud was already there, his gaze sharp as he took in our arrival.

I tossed the flash drive onto his desk. “You’re going to want to see this.”

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. Plugging it in, he scanned the files, his expression darkening with each passing second.

After a long silence, he leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled together. “Well,” he said finally, “looks like SynerTech just made my blacklist.”

I exhaled, the tension leaving my body in waves. Cloud met my gaze, and for the first time, I saw something different in his eyes—respect.

“Good work,” he said. “You just saved us millions.”

Athena shot me a knowing glance, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

Looks like I was keeping my balance after all.