Chapter 21

TWENTY-ONE

Z y paced the length of his penthouse living room, his tiger restless beneath his skin. The morning sun cast long shadows across the polished hardwood floors, but he barely noticed the play of light and dark. His mind raced with the implications of what he and Ellie had discovered the night before.

He paused at the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the New York skyline without really seeing it. The city bustled below, oblivious to the storm brewing in the world of tech and gaming. With a frustrated growl, Zy pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Adonis," he said as soon as the call connected. "I need you at the penthouse."

"On my way," Adonis replied, his tone shifting immediately to business mode. "What's the situation?"

"I'll brief you when you get here. It's about the code theft."

Zy ended the call and resumed his pacing. His mind flashed back to Ellie's face when he'd told her about the stolen code in her game. The shock, the hurt, the anger – all emotions he wished he could shield her from. But they were in this together now, for better or worse.

A soft knock at the bedroom door interrupted his thoughts. Ellie emerged, wrapped in one of his silk robes, her red hair tousled from sleep. Despite the gravity of the situation, Zy couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked.

"Hey," she said, her voice still husky. "You okay? I woke up and you were gone."

Zy crossed the room in a few long strides, pulling her into his arms. He breathed in her scent, letting it calm his frayed nerves. "I'm fine. Just thinking about our next move. I've called Adonis over."

Ellie nodded against his chest. "Good idea. We need all hands on deck for this." She pulled back, meeting his gaze with determination in her eyes. "We're going to figure this out, Zy. I have faith in us."

He smiled, marveling at her strength. "I do too," he agreed, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

The elevator chimed, announcing Adonis's arrival. Zy gave Ellie a final squeeze before releasing her. "Why don't you get dressed? We'll need your input on this too."

As Ellie disappeared back into the bedroom, Zy strode to greet Adonis. His friend and right-hand man looked as impeccable as always, despite the early hour and urgency of the call.

"What's the latest?" Adonis asked without preamble, following Zy to the kitchen where a pot of coffee was already brewing.

Zy poured two mugs, sliding one across the granite countertop to Adonis. "We've identified a potential source of the leak. One of Ellie's newer employees, a programmer she hired about six months ago."

Adonis's eyebrows shot up. "And you're sure?"

"As sure as we can be without confronting him directly," Zy replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "The timestamps on the stolen code match up with his work logs."

"Damn," Adonis muttered. "Have you told Ellie?"

Zy nodded grimly. "Last night. She's... processing."

"I bet," Adonis said. He leaned against the counter, his expression thoughtful. "So, what's our next move? Do we confront this guy?"

"Not yet," Zy said. "I want to know if there's any connection between him and Vince. This feels too coincidental."

Adonis nodded, pulling out his tablet. "I'll start digging. What's this guy's name?"

As Zy filled Adonis in on the details, Ellie joined them, now dressed in jeans and one of Zy's T-shirts. She looked small in the oversized shirt, but her expression was all business.

"Morning, Adonis. It's nice to see you again, even if it is once again under these crappy circumstances," she said, reaching for the coffee pot. "Caught up to speed yet?"

"Getting there," Adonis replied with a nod. "I'm sorry about your employee, Ellie. This can't be easy."

Ellie's mouth set in a grim line. "It's not. But I'd rather know the truth than live in blissful ignorance."

Zy felt a surge of pride at her words. He'd known Ellie was tough, but her resilience in the face of this betrayal only reinforced his admiration for her.

"All right," Zy said, setting his mug down. "We need a plan. We can't just confront this guy without solid evidence, and we need to figure out how deep this breach goes."

Adonis nodded, his fingers flying over his tablet. "I'm running background checks now, looking for any connection between Ellie's employee and Vince. It'll take some time to compile everything."

"While we wait," Ellie interjected, "why don't we set up a trap of our own?"

Both men turned to her, intrigued. Zy couldn't help but smile at the spark of determination in her eyes. "What did you have in mind, love?"

Ellie set her coffee down, her excitement palpable as she outlined her idea. "We know this guy has access to my systems, right? So why don't we plant some fake ‘proprietary' data and see if he takes the bait?"

Adonis whistled low. "Not bad, Ellie. A digital honeypot."

Zy's mind raced with the possibilities. "We could extend it to Vince too. Set up similar traps in both systems and see who bites."

"And how they're connected," Adonis added, already typing furiously on his tablet. "I can have our cybersecurity team set it up within the hour."

As they hashed out the details of their sting operation, Zy found himself marveling at how seamlessly Ellie fit into their dynamic. Her innovative thinking complemented his strategic mind and Adonis's technical expertise perfectly.

Hours passed in a flurry of activity. Zy coordinated with his security team, ensuring every angle was covered. Ellie worked on creating believable but ultimately fake code to use as bait. Adonis orchestrated the digital traps, weaving an intricate web to catch their thieves.

By late afternoon, everything was in place. The three of them gathered around Adonis's array of monitors, tension thick in the air as they waited for someone to take the bait.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Ellie asked, her leg bouncing nervously.

Zy placed a reassuring hand on her knee. "Hard to say. Could be hours, could be days."

"Let's hope it's sooner rather than later," Adonis muttered, his eyes never leaving the screens. "The longer we wait, the more time they have to—wait, hold on."

Zy and Ellie leaned forward, watching as one of the monitors lit up with activity.

"Someone's accessing the fake files," Adonis reported, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "It's... it's not coming from Vince's credentials."

"My employee?" Ellie asked, her voice tight.

Adonis shook his head. "No, it's... Zy, it's coming from inside Ashford Entertainment. But it's not Vince."

Zy felt his blood run cold. "Who is it?"

Adonis's face paled as he pulled up the user information. "It's Corbett. Your cousin, Zy."

The room fell silent as the implications sank in. Zy's mind reeled, trying to process this new betrayal. Corbett, his own flesh and blood, stealing from the company?

"Are you sure?" he managed to ask, his voice rough.

Adonis nodded grimly. "It's his login, his workstation. There's no mistake."

Ellie's hand found Zy's, squeezing it tight. "I'm so sorry, Zy."

He squeezed back, grateful for her support. "We need to be certain. Adonis, dig deeper. I want to know everything Corbett's been accessing, every file he's touched."

As Adonis dove back into his investigation, Zy tried to make sense of this new development. Corbett had always been the family troublemaker, more interested in partying than business. But theft? Corporate espionage? It seemed beyond even Corbett's usual antics.

"Zy," Adonis called, his voice tight with urgency. "You need to see this."

Zy and Ellie crowded around the monitor. Adonis had pulled up a series of emails, all from an account they didn't recognize.

"These were buried deep in Corbett's encrypted files," Adonis explained. "He's been communicating with someone outside the company, arranging to sell proprietary information."

Zy's jaw clenched as he read through the messages. The casual way Corbett discussed betraying the family business made his blood boil.

"There's more," Adonis continued, pulling up another screen. "Look at this. There's a connection between Corbett and Ellie's employee. They've been working together."

Ellie gasped softly. "So it wasn't Vince at all?"

"Doesn't look like it," Adonis confirmed. "Corbett reached out to your guy, using some online gaming forums as cover. They've been planning this for months."

Zy's mind raced, piecing together the puzzle. "So Corbett stole our code and passed it to Ellie's employee, who then implemented it in her game. But why? What's the endgame here?"

Ellie's eyes widened with realization. "To discredit me. If word got out that my game contained stolen code..."

"It would ruin you," Zy finished, his heart aching for her. "And in the process, it would damage Ashford Entertainment's reputation too. A perfect storm of chaos."

"There's an email here about an upcoming meet," Adonis interjected. "Corbett's planning to sell another batch of data tomorrow night."

Zy's expression hardened, determination replacing shock. "Then that's where we'll catch him. Adonis, I want every detail of this meeting. We're going to set a trap, and this time, we're going to end this once and for all."

As they began planning their final sting operation, Zy couldn't shake the weight of Corbett's betrayal. Family had always been everything to him, a cornerstone of his life and his business. To have that trust so thoroughly violated cut deep.

But as he looked at Ellie, her face set with determination as she contributed ideas to their plan, he felt a glimmer of hope. They'd weather this storm together, and come out stronger.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation. They coordinated with trusted members of Zy's security team, setting up surveillance and planning for every contingency. Dinner ended up being Korean BBQ delivery. By nightfall, they had a solid plan in place to catch Corbett and his buyer red-handed.

Zy let Ellie shower, she looked tired and he had to control himself in order to let her rest. But the moment she came out of the bathroom, the pull between them had him standing behind her in front of the dresser.

"I love you," Zy whispered as he kissed her back and shoulder.

"I love you too," she purred.

"Are you tired?" His fingers danced up and down her side and over her breasts, teasing her.

"Not too tired. You?" she asked, loving the soft touches and tender caresses.

"Definitely not tired enough." He nipped at her shoulder.

"I guess we can work on that." She giggled.

"I like how you think," he said as his erection pressed between her legs.

"Mmm," she moaned. "I think we both think the same way."

"You're right, beautiful. So right," he grunted, his hand slipping between her legs to her already wet pussy. He circled her clit with lazy, slow motions.

"I think that sounds like a fabulous way to end the day."

"I was thinking the same thing." He slid two fingers into her sex.

"Oh, Zy," she moaned a soft sigh. "I love when you touch me. It feels so good."

"I have something that would feel even better than my fingers," he teased.

"Oh, really? And what would that be?" she asked, loving how playful he was being after their long day.

"This." He flexed his hips, pressing the tip of his cock between her folds.

"You're right. That is better," she moaned as he began his slow slide into her, her inner walls stretching to accommodate his size.

"I don't think I will ever get tired of how tight you are every damn time I'm with you. The feeling is absolutely amazing." He pushed his length the rest of the way into her, filling her.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to how thick you are. How you fill me. I just want to stay like this forever." She sucked in a sharp breath as he hit that special spot guaranteed to make her mind melt in seconds.

"So, what you're saying is that you like me in you?" he asked in between nips on her shoulder.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying." She circled her hips and pushed back against him on his next thrust.

"You are so fucking good for my ego." He rewarded her with a series of fast and deep strokes. The tip of his cock massaging that spot with each drive.

"That's good to know, and you're good for my body. You make me feel so beautiful, so wanted." It wasn't a lie. No one had ever made her feel the way Zy did. No one had ever made love to her like he did. She found a whole new and exciting part of herself that she had never known existed.

"That's because you're mine!" Zy grunted.

Her sex clenched around him, squeezing him even tighter.

Fuck! His beautiful, sweet Ellie was going to be the death of him. A low rumble rose from this chest and vibrated between them.

"Zy!" Ellie cried out, her body gripping him with her orgasm.

"Yes, my love. Come on me. This is the way we should start every morning and end every night. With me deep in you." He slammed his hips into her.

Zy pulled back and thrust balls deep again. This time he didn't fight his climax. His entire body shook as his seed jetted deep into her.

"I don't think I will ever get enough of you. Just seeing you come. Mmm." His still-hard cock twitched, reminding him he was still buried deep in her.

"Really. So happy you like that," she purred as he started a series of lazy, long thrusts in and out of her.

"I do. Very much so." He reached around and squeezed her breasts. "You're so fucking beautiful. So damn hot. It's the ultimate turn-on."

"If this is the reward," she moaned. "Then I'm glad, and you can make me come any time you want because it feels amazing."

Why he loved her words so much, he had no idea. But he did. He loved the thought of being in her when and whenever he wanted. Just the idea alone had his body reacting in a visceral way. Zy grabbed onto her hips and began a punishing pace of ramming into her, pulling out and ramming in again until Ellie was panting for air and could barely speak.

He relished in her sweet heat and the way she gripped him. The sensations coursing through him fogged his head and made him want everything with his mate. The kids. The family. All of it. With her.

"More!" Ellie shouted.

"Harder, love?" he growled in her ear.

"Yes! Zy! Please!" she begged.

He flipped her over onto her stomach and pulled her legs apart. He drove deep, pulled out, and repeated his action. Reaching under her, he palmed her breasts and massaged them. He kissed and nibbled on her back and neck. His teeth scraped against her shoulder as he slammed his cock in and out of her heat.

She shouted as her legs began to shake.

"God, I love you, my beautiful Ellie." His fingers twisted through her hair, and he tugged her head to the side and licked at her shoulder.

"Mine!"

"Yours!" Ellie screamed as her climax crashed into her.

She tossed her head back and forth, her hips bucking under him. He held onto her tightly, wanting to ride her through this orgasm and right into another.