The words lingered between them longer than either of them expected.“Thank you.”Becky’s eyes remained on Jared for a moment after he said it, and the sincerity in his voice unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. Jared Diamond was rarely vulnerable, even in private. Most of the time, his gratitude came wrapped in composure, hidden beneath confidence or restraint.This had been different.Quiet. Honest.She looked away first.“You don’t have to make it sound so serious,” she murmured softly, adjusting the blanket slightly over her lap as if the movement would settle the sudden tension building in the room. “I just came to check on you.”Jared leaned back against the headboard, though his eyes stayed on her. “You stayed the night.”Becky’s cheeks warmed faintly again. “I didn’t plan to.”“But you stayed,” he repeated calmly.The corner of her lips twitched briefly before fading again. “You make it sound like I signed some life-changing contract.”Jared almost smiled at that, but

The ride to Diamond Global Headquarters felt completely different from the quiet warmth that had existed inside the penthouse less than an hour ago.Jared sat beside Becky in the backseat of the black armored sedan, his attention fixed entirely on the tablet resting in his hands while streams of encrypted reports scrolled across the screen. The softness from earlier had disappeared so quickly it almost felt unreal now. His jaw remained tense, his eyes sharp and focused in a way Becky had not seen in weeks.Or maybe she simply had not noticed it before.Outside, Los Angeles blurred past the tinted windows beneath the pale morning light, but inside the car, the atmosphere had turned cold and businesslike.Becky glanced toward him carefully. “You still think this lead is real?”Jared barely looked up. “If Ethan called me directly, then yes.”“The head of cybersecurity?”Jared nodded once. “He doesn’t panic easily.”That answer alone unsettled her.She had met Ethan Ross only twice before

The internet found Becky before lunchtime.At first, it started with speculation.A blurry image posted anonymously on a gossip account showed a woman stepping out of Jared Diamond’s penthouse elevator lobby early that morning. The photo alone might not have meant much if another image had not surfaced minutes later—Becky entering Jared’s armored sedan outside Diamond Global headquarters.Then came the third photo.Becky standing beside Jared inside the executive floor lobby, her face clear enough this time for anyone from Los Angeles University to recognize her instantly.The reaction online became vicious within minutes.“She moved fast.”“So she’s the secret girlfriend?”“Gold digger secured the billionaire.”“Another girl about to accuse him in three… two…”“Imagine defending a predator for money.”By early afternoon, Becky’s name was trending alongside Jared’s.Inside Diamond Global headquarters, Becky sat frozen in one of the private executive lounges, staring at her phone while

The emergency board meeting lasted nearly three hours.By the end of it, Jared felt more exhausted than he had after any financial war, media attack, or public scandal he had faced since returning to Los Angeles University.Because this time the pressure had not come from enemies. It had come from his own people.The executive conference hall on the upper floor of Diamond Global remained heavy with tension long after the meeting officially ended. Board members stood in small groups near the windows, speaking in low voices while legal teams moved rapidly between offices carrying stacks of reports and damage assessments.Nobody looked calm anymore.The second accusation video had detonated across every major platform overnight. Shareholders were panicking. International media outlets were now openly questioning whether Jared Diamond should continue leading public-facing operations within the company while under investigation.And worst of all, the market was reacting emotionally instead

Jared left the penthouse office without saying another word to his father.The tension from the argument still burned heavily inside him as he stepped into the private elevator, his jaw tight while Howard remained standing near the windows behind him in silence. The doors slid shut between them smoothly, cutting off the view of the office, but not the frustration sitting inside Jared’s chest.Victor Stone.That was all he had gotten after nearly an hour of pushing for answers.Not explanations.Not the truth.Just a name.The elevator descended quietly through the tower while Jared loosened the knot of his tie with visible irritation. Every instinct told him Howard was hiding far more than he admitted, and what angered Jared most was the timing of it all. Their company was under attack from every direction possible, his reputation was collapsing publicly, people close to him were being threatened, yet Howard still approached the situation like a man protecting old secrets instead of s