The Betrayal Code

The first rule of corporate espionage? Don't get caught. 

Allegra sat at her desk in CrossTech's executive wing, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she decrypted the last portion of the Graham Case file. The office around her was silent, save for the occasional murmur of late-night workers down the hall. Most of the staff had gone home hours ago, but she had stayed behind—because the truth wasn't going to uncover itself. 

The decrypted text unfolded on her screen, lines of financial records and internal memos flashing before her eyes. Her heart pounded as she scanned the file, searching for something—anything—that would confirm what she had long suspected. 

And then she found it. 

A memo from over a decade ago, buried deep within the archives. A conversation between Jonas Hart and Gregory Swift. 

---

Hart: Graham is becoming a problem. If he doesn't take the deal, we push him out. 

Swift:We'll handle the regulatory side. Just make sure CrossTech keeps its hands clean. 

Hart:CrossTech has no idea what's happening. The father is already too far gone. 

---

Allegra's breath hitched. CrossTech has no idea what's happening. 

Her mind reeled. Adrian's father wasn't behind her father's downfall. Jonas and Swift had orchestrated everything—and CrossTech had been nothing more than a blind weapon in their war. 

She sat back in her chair, gripping the edge of the desk as reality shifted beneath her feet. If Adrian wasn't the villain, then what the hell was she doing? 

A sudden knock on her desk nearly made her jump. 

She slammed the laptop shut just as Adrian's voice cut through the silence. 

"You're still here." 

Allegra schooled her expression before looking up. Adrian stood over her, arms crossed, his blue eyes assessing. 

"I had some reports to finish," she said smoothly. 

Adrian's gaze flicked to her closed laptop. "That so?" 

She forced a casual shrug. "Not all of us can afford to call it a night early." 

Adrian didn't move. "You seem tense." 

Allegra gave him a tight smile. "Long day." 

A beat of silence stretched between them before Adrian leaned down slightly, resting a hand on the desk. His voice lowered. 

"I don't like being lied to, Ms. Blake." 

Allegra held his gaze. Did he know? 

She let out a small, breathy laugh. "I'll keep that in mind." 

Adrian studied her for another moment, then straightened. "Come with me." 

Allegra hesitated. "Where?" 

Adrian turned, already walking toward his office. "If you're going to stay late, you might as well make yourself useful." 

Allegra exhaled, stealing one last glance at her laptop. 

She had just uncovered the truth she had been searching for. 

Now, she just had to figure out what the hell to do with it.

Allegra followed Adrian into his office, every step measured, every nerve on high alert. Had he seen the file? Was this some kind of test, or was she still in control?

Adrian closed the door behind them, then walked to the bar cart near the window. He poured himself a drink, the rich amber liquid catching the dim office light.

"Whiskey?" he offered.

Allegra shook her head. "I don't drink while I work."

Adrian smirked. "Good answer." He took a slow sip, studying her over the rim of his glass. "Tell me, Ms. Blake… do you believe in loyalty?"

Allegra kept her face unreadable. "That depends."

"On what?"

"Who's asking."

Adrian chuckled, setting his drink down. "Smart." He stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "You've been here a short time, but you're already proving… invaluable."

Allegra tilted her head. "You don't trust people easily, do you?"

"No," Adrian said simply. "But trust isn't required to recognize talent. You're efficient. Observant. Unafraid to challenge me."

She let out a small laugh. "And here I thought I was just good at my job."

"You are," Adrian admitted. "But you're also… different." He leaned against his desk, his voice dropping slightly. "You don't just take orders. You anticipate problems before they happen. You see angles other people miss."

Allegra forced herself to remain neutral, even as her pulse quickened. He was testing her.

"I do my best," she said carefully.

Adrian watched her, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. Then he exhaled sharply, shifting gears.

"Ethan Hale was a liability," he said. "And now, I need someone to make sure there aren't any more like him inside CrossTech."

Allegra frowned. "Are you asking me to be your enforcer?"

Adrian smirked. "Something like that."

She let out a slow breath. "You want me to find the next traitor before they make a move."

"I want someone who sees the cracks before they shatter," Adrian corrected. "Someone who won't hesitate when the time comes to act."

Allegra hesitated. Was this his way of luring her deeper into his world? Giving her access to the company's most sensitive secrets—or just watching to see if she flinched?

"If I do this," she said slowly, "I need full access to internal reports. Financials, employee records, everything."

Adrian's gaze didn't waver. "That's a lot of trust to ask for."

Allegra met his stare. "Then I guess we'll see how much I've earned."

A tense silence stretched between them. Then, to her surprise, Adrian nodded.

"Done."

Allegra inhaled sharply. That was too easy.

"What's the catch?" she asked.

Adrian's lips quirked. "The catch is that if you betray me, Ms. Blake, I'll know."

Allegra held his gaze. "Understood."

Adrian pushed a file toward her. "Start with this. Cross-reference every major executive's financials, especially anyone with ties to Hale."

Allegra picked up the file, flipping through its contents.

One name immediately stood out.

Diana Cross.

She kept her expression neutral as she closed the folder.

"I'll get started," she said.

Adrian gave her a final look before picking up his whiskey again. "Good. Because if there's another snake in my company…" His voice lowered, eyes dark.

"I want their head before they strike."

Allegra nodded once before stepping out of his office.

As the door closed behind her, she let out a slow breath.

She had just been given full access to the empire she had sworn to destroy.

And now, the real game was about to begin.

Allegra's fingers danced over the keyboard, her eyes locked on CrossTech's internal financial records. Adrian had given her access, and now she was knee-deep in encrypted transactions, trying to untangle the money trails Ethan Hale had left behind.

She had expected to find more offshore accounts, small leaks in the system, maybe a few unaccounted-for payments. But what she found instead made her pulse stutter.

A wire transfer—two million dollars, funneled through a shell corporation linked to Diana Cross.

She exhaled sharply. There it was. The proof.

She pulled up Diana's recent transactions, scanning for patterns, but before she could dig deeper, her screen flashed with an incoming message.

Jace: Stop whatever you're doing. Now.

Allegra frowned, her fingers hovering over the keys.

Allegra: What's wrong?

Jace: You tripped something. Someone's watching the internal network. Get off before they trace it back to you.

Her stomach twisted. Shit.

She quickly closed the files, wiped her session, and shut her laptop. Had Adrian set a trap? Or was someone else monitoring her movements?

A sharp knock at her office door made her heart hammer.

She forced a calm expression and called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and Diana Cross stepped inside.

Allegra's grip on the desk tightened. She wasn't ready for this.

Diana was a vision of controlled chaos—a crimson silk blouse, dark slacks, and an air of effortless danger. She closed the door behind her with a slow, deliberate motion, her gaze assessing.

"You're an interesting one," Diana mused, her voice like velvet over steel.

Allegra tilted her head, feigning confusion. "I wasn't aware I was on your radar."

Diana smirked. "You weren't. But that changed when my brother took a sudden interest in you."

Allegra kept her face neutral. "I just do my job."

Diana stepped closer. "And yet, in just a few short weeks, you've gained Adrian's trust, access to sensitive company files, and a seat at the table where only sharks swim." Her eyes darkened. "That doesn't happen by accident."

Allegra held her gaze. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"I'm warning you," Diana corrected, her voice smooth but laced with ice. "CrossTech is a battlefield, Ms. Blake. You might think you're playing the game, but trust me, you're just a piece on the board."

Allegra exhaled slowly. "And I assume you see yourself as the one calling the shots?"

Diana laughed lightly, but there was nothing warm about it. "I see myself as the only one who actually understands the game."

She circled Allegra's desk like a predator. "Tell me something. Do you know what happened to the last person Adrian trusted too much?"

Allegra forced herself to remain still. "Ethan Hale?"

Diana smiled. "Clever girl. But Ethan was only the most recent example. There were others before him. And do you know where they are now?"

Allegra said nothing.

Diana leaned in slightly. "Gone. Some vanished without a trace. Others… well, let's just say their careers didn't survive."

A chill ran down Allegra's spine. Was she bluffing? Or was Adrian far more dangerous than she realized?

Diana straightened, smoothing a hand over her blouse. "You have talent, I'll give you that. But if you're smart, you'll take whatever Adrian's offering you and run before he decides you're a liability."

Allegra forced a small smile. "I appreciate the concern. But I can handle myself."

Diana sighed dramatically. "They always say that. Until they can't."

She turned to leave but hesitated at the door. "One last thing," she said without looking back. "You should really reconsider whose side you're on."

Allegra waited until Diana was gone before exhaling, her mind racing.

Was Diana trying to scare her off? Or was she actually trying to save her?

Either way, one thing was clear—Allegra was running out of time.

The tension from Diana's visit still clung to Allegra's skin like a second layer as she entered Adrian's office. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing them in the sleek, dimly lit space. Adrian stood near the window, his back to her, the city skyline casting a cold glow over his broad shoulders.

"You're late," he said, his voice even.

Allegra smirked, crossing her arms. "I wasn't aware this was a timed meeting."

Adrian finally turned, his piercing blue gaze locking onto hers. "When I ask you to investigate something, I expect results. What did you find?"

Allegra hesitated for half a second before pulling out the file she had prepared. The doctored version, the one that omitted any mention of Diana's involvement. She wasn't ready to play that card—not yet.

She placed it on his desk. "Ethan's financials confirm he was laundering money through offshore accounts."

Adrian flipped open the folder, scanning the documents with sharp precision. "And?"

Allegra kept her expression neutral. "The payments trace back to a shell corporation tied to Navarro Dynamics."

Adrian's jaw tightened slightly. "Victor Navarro."

Allegra nodded. "Looks like he's been trying to gut CrossTech from the inside for longer than we thought."

Adrian leaned back against his desk, arms crossed. "Diana's name never came up?"

Allegra forced herself to keep her body language steady. "No. Should it have?"

Adrian studied her for a long moment. "She and Ethan were close. If Navarro was working through him, Diana would have known."

Allegra tilted her head. "Are you suggesting your sister is working with Navarro?"

"I'm suggesting Diana always has her own agenda," Adrian said smoothly. "And if she's helping Navarro, she's making a very dangerous bet."

Allegra let the silence stretch before speaking. "If that's true, what's your move?"

Adrian smirked. "That depends."

She arched a brow. "On?"

"On how much I can trust you."

Allegra's pulse spiked, but she masked it with a cool smile. "I'd say I've proven myself."

Adrian studied her again, then stepped closer. Too close. Close enough that she caught the faintest trace of whiskey and cedarwood from his suit.

"Trust isn't just about proving yourself," he murmured. "It's about knowing what someone will do when the moment comes."

Allegra held his gaze. "And what moment would that be?"

Adrian's lips twitched. "The moment where you have to choose a side."

Her fingers curled into her palm. She had already chosen a side—hadn't she?

"I don't play sides," she said smoothly. "I deal in facts."

Adrian's gaze flickered with something unreadable. Then he turned, walking back to his desk. "Then here's a fact—Navarro's next move is coming soon. And when it does, I want to be ahead of it."

Allegra crossed her arms. "You think he's coming for Zenith?"

Adrian exhaled sharply. "I know he is." He picked up a second file and tossed it toward her. "I need you to attend a meeting tomorrow. Navarro's people will be there. Listen. Watch. And if anyone makes a move, I want to know about it first."

Allegra picked up the file. "And what if Diana is involved?"

Adrian's voice was colder now. "Then I want to know that too."

Allegra gave him a slow nod. "Understood."

She turned to leave, her mind racing.

Adrian had just handed her the perfect opportunity to feed Navarro information.

Or—the perfect opportunity to betray him.

For the first time since stepping into CrossTech, Allegra wasn't sure which option she was going to choose.