Chapter 14
LORENZO POV
Bella Club, 8:30 PM
"So that's what the INTERPOL is planning to do?" I asked, my voice low and sharp with my eyes locked on the leader of the Velative organization.
"Yes," he said, exhaling as if the weight of the failure hung on his shoulders. "We tried our best to turn the casino back, but it's impossible."
I clenched my fist on the table, my knuckles tightening with rage. Someone was feeding the INTERPOL, giving them a direct line into my empire, the INTERPOL can't just go on the sea without being given some information.
Right then, my phone rang. I answered it without hesitation.
"Don! Our system's been hacked!" Niko's voice screamed through the line, panic thick in his tone. My heart slammed hard against my ribs.
"What do you mean? Where is Kai?"
"He's trying to hack it back, but it's not easy," Niko replied breathlessly. "Someone leaked our IP address."
I ended the call and stood up instantly, grabbing my suit from the chair behind me.
"I'll find a way to handle this," I told the Velative leader, already moving fast toward the door.
***
The second I stepped into the underground control center, tension hit me like a wave. No one noticed I had arrived. They were all roaming and panicking.
Some other hackers are sat at their terminals, eyes wide, with their fingers flying across keyboards.
"Kai," I called, my voice cutting through the noise as I walked briskly toward the server room.
The moment my voice echoed, the room became silent. They bowed their heads slightly as I walked past them.
"Good evening, boss," they all muttered, and returned their gaze to their screens.
I stopped behind Kai's desk.
"What's happening?"
Kai raised his head. Sweat dripped down the side of his face, despite the cold air blasting from the vents above.
"I tried to log in," he said, his voice was tight, almost trembling. "But the system locked me out. All admin access is frozen. Someone's already inside. They're trying to strip us out completely."
My jaw clenched hard.
"They want to erase our control?"
Kai gave a stiff nod, swallowing hard. "They bypassed the firewall like it was nothing. Our secure files... they're being accessed right now."
I stepped closer, with my eyes narrowing at the red warning lights blinking across the monitors. One by one, screens began flashing, some already blacked out.
"Pull up a trace. Now."
Kai's hands moved rapidly across the keys. "I'm trying. They're masking their signal, bouncing through six different countries. But this isn't random. They knew exactly where to hit. They're targeting the vault files... and the ledger."
He paused, then added, "They haven't been able to unlock the ledger though."
My eyes stayed fixed on the screen. "Which six countries?"
"China, Spain, France, South Korea... Russia. The last one is masked behind three encrypted proxies."
He clicked and the Russian node expanded.
"Click on the location. Access it."
"Wait!" Kai blurted out, his hand still hovering over the keyboard. "That might be a trap. If I input our master key to access it, they could piggyback off it and breach everything. They'll gain access to every identity, every transaction, every offshore route. We'll lose control... for good."
I leaned in, fists balled tight.
"Then isolate the ledger server. Cut it from the network. Air gap it, now. If they want in, they'll have to show their face."
Kai nodded and began typing with speed and precision. The ledger was our crown. No one was allowed to touch it.
"Pull every access log from the last ten minutes. I want the IP breadcrumbs, decoys or not. Trace that Russian entry point. Burn through every proxy if you have to."
He hesitated for a second, then looked up at me. "If we go too deep, we'll become visible to the INTERPOL."
I smirked coldly. "Let them watch. By the time they figure out what we're doing, the bodies will already be cold."
Suddenly, all the systems froze.
"Why's my system not responding?" one of the hackers called from the far end, his voice tinged with confusion.
"Mine won't press anything!" another one shouted, with his eyes widened.
I turned toward Kai's desk. His screen was frozen too.
"What the fuck is happening?!" I roared.
"We lost control," Kai said quietly, barely able to look at me.
I slammed my hand down on the desk, the impact sending a shudder through the room. The chaos choked the air until a voice spoke from behind.
"Where's the control switch?" Sienna asked, stepping inside with Noah by her side.
"It's there," Noah replied quickly, pointing toward the corner.
"I thought you left?" I asked before I knew, and I could see Sienna froze.
Noah glanced at me "Was she here before?" He asked with his brow furrowed.
"Huh?" I asked, realizing what I just said. "No I mean, why's she here?" I lied quickly.
"Oh...I brought her when I heard the system got hacked and Kai couldn't get through it," he said looking at me.
"Yes..." Sienna chuckled nervously, as she moved fast to the switch, she flipped the main switch off, plunging the room into complete darkness. Hackers shouted in confusion.
"Sienna, what the hell are you doing?!" I yelled.
She ignored me, flipping the switch back on. The room blinked into light. She turned toward me, lips curled into a wicked smirk, and gave me a wink before walking straight to Kai's desk.
"What the hell is she doing?" I pondered.
I know she's also a hacker and that was the reason Mr Williams brought her here, but can she be more expert than Kai?
"Kai, do we have a chip planted in the system?" she asked.
"Yes, yes," he nodded, standing up to let her take the seat.
Sienna sat down, her fingers flying across the keyboard with confidence and purpose. I watched her work, every movement of her.
After a few minutes, the screens flickered. One of them suddenly went black.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my eyes locked on the screen.
"I hacked into their camera," Sienna whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
"They forgot to shut down their own security feed. I accessed it through the chip planted in our system."
A low murmur of awe rose from the room. All eyes were on her now. My chest loosened as a wave of calm settled inside me.
She zoomed in on the scream and four houses came into view. She scanned the coordinates. They were roughly forty kilometers from our location.
"This is where the hacking came from."
Everyone rushed toward the table, with their eyes wide open.
"Wow! You're a Genius" Kai complimented leaning in through the screen.
I smiled darkly, she's literally perfect, perfect for everything, perfect in sucking and making me cum.
What the fuck am I thinking right now? Gosh!
"Lina," I called.
And She appeared instantly.
"Sienna will send you the location. That's where they accessed our system. Retrieve our log-in and files, every one of them. Bring back anyone you find alive. If someone runs, shoot their legs. Don't kill them. I will. Go with Niko and take five trained associates."
She nodded and walked out, with Niko right behind her.
No one breaks into my empire and walks out breathing.
I turned back to Sienna, who was still hammering away at the keys with fierce focus. A dark grin tugged at my lips.
She earned a reward for this.
"Is it still the same location?" I asked.
"Yes it is," she replied, her eyes still on the screen.
"So it's secure?" I questioned again.
"Almost. Give me two more minutes."
I nodded once and headed for the door, meeting Noah who has been staying at the door.
"Tell your fiancée
she better come collect what she's earned... once she's finished," I said, patting him once on the back before walking out.
"What a dutiful son and husband.
Tbc.....