Page 16 of The Billionaire’s Betrayal (Billionaires of Paris #2)

EVA

I was in the middle of a meeting with Leila and the marketing team when I received a text from Satoshi.

SATOSHI : Eva, come to the server room. Now.

A wave of anxiety hit me instantly. Satoshi never called me like this unless it was serious.

I excused myself from the meeting, exchanging a quick glance with Leila.

She immediately understood the urgency and seamlessly took over.

As I headed toward the server room, I decided to stop by Tristan’s office first. Maybe he had some information about what was going on.

But when I got there, his desk was empty.

“Tristan hasn’t returned from lunch with Audrey,” Stella informed me when I asked.

I frowned, surprised.

“I didn’t know they had a client lunch today,” I said, keeping my tone neutral.

“They didn’t,” Stella replied with a light smile. “They just wanted to try the new restaurant down the street.”

My heart clenched. Tristan went to lunch alone with Audrey?

A bitter knot formed in my throat. And he still wasn’t back, even though it was already 2:30 PM.

Jealousy twisted inside me, sharp and insidious.

I hated this feeling, this dull ache that rose in me every time I thought about them.

Why did it hurt so much that he spent time with another woman?

The answer was painfully obvious: deep down, I knew I was starting to lose him.

The Tristan I knew, the one who always included me in his decisions, who shared every moment of his day with me, was slipping away.

And no matter how much I tried to convince myself it was just a phase, a part of me couldn’t ignore the truth staring me in the face: another woman was occupying his thoughts, and it terrified me.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to push those emotions aside.

This wasn’t the time. Satoshi was waiting, and if he had sent such an urgent message, it meant something serious was happening.

I didn’t have the luxury of getting distracted by my personal problems. I was the CEO, a position I had fought hard for, and I couldn’t afford to let my emotions take over.

“I’m heading to the server room,” I told Stella before walking away.

The elevator stopped six floors down. As soon as the doors opened, I swiped my security pass and placed my finger on the biometric scanner, gaining access to what we called “the sanctum.”

The server room was as secure as a vault—and for good reason.

It was the technological heart of Community Pilot.

Inside, the atmosphere was tense. The entire cybersecurity team—around thirty people—was working feverishly at their stations, speaking in hushed voices, eyes glued to their screens.

The tension in the air was almost suffocating.

Satoshi, his expression grim, approached me immediately, flanked by the heads of various teams.

“Our servers are under a series of sophisticated attacks. Someone is trying to breach our security systems,” he said without preamble. “We’ve reinforced our defenses, but the attack is evolving rapidly.”

It took me a few seconds to absorb the information. I took a deep breath, keeping my composure.

“Okay, let’s go step by step. Have you reached Tristan?” I asked, forcing myself to stay focused.

“I called and texted him, but he’s not responding,” Satoshi replied.

I pictured him sitting in that new restaurant, laughing and talking with Audrey. A pang of pain shot through me, but I shoved it aside. This was an emergency. Tristan wasn’t here, which meant I had to handle the crisis myself.

“Alright. Give me the full rundown,” I said, steeling myself.

“We’re facing a DDoS attack that’s making our main platform inaccessible to users,” one of the cybersecurity leads explained.

“Okay, we anticipated this risk. What steps have you taken so far?” I asked.

“We immediately activated our emergency protocols,” another lead responded. “The team isolated the attack source and rerouted malicious traffic to our DDoS mitigation system.”

“Good,” I approved. “Can we switch to the secondary platform to restore services?”

“That’s the plan,” Satoshi confirmed. “I wanted to check with you before launching deployment. The secondary platform is already set up with enhanced security. We just need a little more time to implement additional safeguards and run final tests.”

“Perfect. Deploy as soon as you’re ready,” I ordered. “How long until we’re back online?”

“We estimate about three hours,” Satoshi said.

“Three hours?” I echoed, already dreading the consequences.

Three hours of downtime… I could already imagine the frustration of our clients, the damage to our reputation, and the panic among shareholders. But we had no choice. We had to manage the situation as best as we could.

“Alright. Proceed. Thank you all for your efficiency,” I added. “I’ll reach out to Tristan and coordinate with Leila on how to inform our users and stakeholders. Also, see if you can trace the source of the attack. Satoshi, bring in White Hats if needed.”

“Already done,” he nodded.

An hour later, after finalizing details with the teams, I left the server room. Back on my floor, I headed straight for Tristan’s office. Without bothering to glance through the window, I knocked.

“Come in,” Tristan called.

When I opened the door, the scene hit me like a punch to the gut.

Audrey was sitting beside him, their heads close together over a document, the kind of easy intimacy that had become unbearable to watch.

The smiles lingering on their faces barely faded, and Audrey’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Their familiarity, the way they fit so seamlessly together—it cut me deep.

But I buried my emotions, clinging to professionalism.

“Eva, what can I do for you?” Tristan asked in a composed, almost detached tone.

“I need to talk to you. Alone,” I clarified.

Tristan frowned, clearly irritated. I understood his reluctance—Audrey was his assistant, and what I had to say would eventually concern her. But we had to be on the same page before informing anyone else.

“It’s important,” I insisted.

A bitter taste filled my mouth. I shouldn’t have had to justify my request. If the roles were reversed, I would have immediately known it was serious. But no, I was interrupting his cozy moment with Audrey, and that annoyed him.

“Fine,” he said, his voice laced with barely concealed irritation.

He turned to Audrey. Give us a minute.

He gave her a soft, almost apologetic smile that made my stomach twist, and Audrey walked out, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, I laid out the situation, and Tristan exploded.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Eva?! Why the hell didn’t you tell me sooner?!” he shouted, furious.

“Don’t talk to me like that! What’s wrong with you?!” I snapped. “It’s not like you were reachable, was it?” I added, my voice sharp.

I glared at him, exasperated by his lack of perspective.

“Satoshi called you. I did too. But apparently, you were too busy to pick up.”

“What exactly are you implying? Spell it out,” he challenged, his jaw clenched.

“If you prefer to ignore your phone to enjoy a cozy lunch with your assistant, don’t turn around and blame me for not keeping you in the loop.

Tristan shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger.

“Are you serious right now? Another jealousy fit?! I’m so fucking tired of your accusations!

It’s exhausting! You wanted me to be more present at home, I am.

You wanted me to let you know if I’d be late, I do.

Now what? You want me to fire all the beautiful women I work with just to ease your insecurities? !”

His words were cruel, unfair, and they hit like a slap. My hands trembled, my heart pounded painfully. I wanted to scream at him, to shake him, to make him see what was right in front of him. But something in his gaze—this anger that wasn’t like him—made me swallow my words.

“Tristan… you know that’s not what I want,” I finally said, my voice softer, trying to defuse the situation.

“I don’t understand why you’re lashing out at me, Tristan.

I’m not the one who caused this cyberattack.

I don’t know where all this anger is coming from, but stop. Please. This... this isn’t you.”

He turned away, avoiding my gaze, as if he had no answer to give.

Without another word, I turned and walked out of his office, gently closing the door behind me.

Every step I took away from him cost me, as if I were leaving behind more than just an argument.

Tristan did nothing to stop me, and that silence spoke louder than any words he could have uttered.