'I Do' For Revenge-Chapter 81: Data Breach

~CASSANDRA~

"How hard is it to understand? I said polish the marble until it shines, not leave streaks everywhere!" I snapped at the maid scrubbing the floor, my swollen feet throbbing with every step I took. "Do you want me to slip and fall with this baby on board? Get out of my sight and do it right this time!"

The girl scurried away, mumbling apologies, and I sank onto the couch, rubbing my belly.

Pregnancy was turning me into a monster, but everything hurt these days, and no one seemed to get it. My back ached, my ankles were swollen, and I was constantly exhausted.

Still, the discomfort would be worth it once this was all over.

The door clicked open, and Daniel walked in, his face breaking into a sly smile. I sat up straighter, ignoring the twinge in my lower back.

"Well? How did it go?"

He crossed the room, pulling me into a hug that lingered a bit too long. "She took the bait. Handed her the USB like it was nothing. Any minute now, they’ll plug it in."

I kissed him, relief flooding through me. "You’re proving your worth again, Daniel. Keep this up, and maybe I’ll forget how spineless you were before."

He chuckled, his hands on my waist, and for a moment, it felt like old times.

I grabbed my phone and dialled the hacker I’d hired. "It’s me. Notify me the second you get access. I want every file they have, the financial records, client lists, Eclipse Beauty formulas, everything! "

"Got it," he grunted, and I hung up, tossing the phone aside.

"All that’s left is for them to do exactly what we expect," I said, leaning back against the cushions.

Daniel nodded, stretching. "They’re probably opening those files right now."

"Good. Let them think they’ve got ammunition against me. By the time they realise what’s happening, we’ll have everything we need to destroy them."

I shifted on the couch, wincing. "My feet are killing me, Dan. Come here and massage them like you used to."

Daniel hesitated, and I could see the reluctance in his eyes.

I pouted, running a hand over my bump. "Please? This pregnancy is making me crave your touch constantly. The baby kicks like crazy without it, and I feel so swollen and miserable. You wouldn’t leave me suffering, would you?"

He let out a sigh but then knelt down, his hands carefully resting on my feet. "Anything for you, Cass."

"That’s better," I murmured, leaning back and closing my eyes. "You know, when this is all over, when Layla’s business is ruined and she’s crawling back to whatever hole she came from, things will be perfect for us. Just you, me, and the baby."

"Yeah," Daniel said quietly, his fingers working over my arch. "Perfect."

I could hear the doubt in his voice, but I ignored it. He’d come around. He always did.

My phone rang, shattering the moment. I snatched it up almost immediately and saw the hacker’s name on my screen.

"It’s working," he said as soon as I picked up. "Signal’s live, I’m downloading now. Should have everything in about twenty minutes. I’ll call when it’s done."

"Excellent." I grinned, pumping my fist in the air. "Yes!"

I stood, excitement coursing through me despite my aching body. "Daniel, get me that sparkling cider from the fridge. The fancy one."

"Really? We’re celebrating already?"

"Hell yes, we are. This is the beginning of the end for Layla."

He brought the bottle and two glasses, pouring the golden liquid carefully. I raised my glass, savouring the moment.

"I’d pay a fortune to see the look on Layla and Axel’s faces right now," I said, taking a sip. "Everything they’ve built, wiped clean. And that precious Eclipse Beauty launch? I doubt they would be able to do anything with this going on. Dead in the water."

Daniel joined my toast, his smile matching mine. "Let’s see how they plan to launch with no client database and no formulas."

"They can’t," I said smugly. "That’s the point. We’ve destroyed them without even getting our hands dirty. Well, mostly."

We waited, feeling excited and tense... well, I was the one with the most excitement, and Dan with the tension.

I kept checking my phone every few seconds, impatient for the hacker’s confirmation. Daniel turned on the TV, flipping through channels while we waited.

Then my phone buzzed, it was my father. I answered immediately.

"Cassandra, check the news. Now."

"What? Why?" I motioned frantically to Daniel. "Turn on the news channel. Quickly!"

He flipped to Channel Seven, and there it was, breaking news banner scrolling across the bottom: "DATA BREACH AT O’BRIEN GROUP OF COMPANIES."

My heart soared.

The anchor droned on about stolen files and potential security breaches. Then footage appeared of Layla and Axel outside their office building, surrounded by reporters. They both looked grave but professional, just like people do when everything around them is falling apart.

Axel spoke to the camera in a strained voice. "We’re doing everything we can to contain it. Our IT team is investigating what was stolen and who’s responsible. We take our clients’ privacy very seriously and will be reaching out to anyone potentially affected."

I laughed, triumphant. "We did it! Daniel, we actually did it!"

"Turn it up," he said, leaning forward.

The reporter continued. "Sources inside the company suggest the breach may have compromised sensitive business data, including information about their upcoming Eclipse Beauty launch. The company’s stock has already dropped three per cent in after-hours trading."

"Three per cent," I crowed. "And that’s just the beginning. Wait until their clients start jumping ship."

My phone pinged; I checked to see an email from the hacker. I opened it eagerly, my hands trembling with excitement.

There it was: a massive zip file labelled "O’Brien_Confidential_Files.zip".

"It’s here," I breathed, clicking to download. "Everything we need to finish them off."

The file downloaded quickly, and I unzipped it with shaking fingers. But as I started clicking through the folders, my smile began to fade.

Was that documentaries? "Ultimate Rome: Empire Without Limit."World War II history videos. Random business TED Talks about leadership and innovation. Cooking shows. A folder full of cat memes.

"What the hell?" I clicked faster, desperately searching for anything useful.

"Where are the financial records? The client lists? The formulas?"