Chapter 4
Sylvia sat for a long moment, thinking, before she finally picked up her phone and called Cora.
There was background noise, laughter, music, and a man’s low voice she didn’t recognize.
She didn’t care. She raised her voice and declared, “I’ll take that job you mentioned.”
Then she hung up. She blocked Ronan’s number and social media accounts without hesitation, tossed her phone aside, and walked off to wash
her face.
Night had already fallen by the time Cora finally came home.
When she spotted Sylvia awake, she dropped the bags in her hand onto the table and plopped down with a dramatic sigh. Her lips parted in a pout as she started rattling off demands.
“I’ll cook, but you’re eating every last bite.”
Sylvia rolled her eyes but tied up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen. The moment she opened the fridge, a rancid stench hit her, making her gag so violently she barely managed to slam the door shut before she doubled over the sink, retching.
Cora appeared at her side, pressing a warm glass of water into her shaking hands.
“Thanks.”
She had just taken a sip when Cora’s voice drifted over, soft but oddly serious.
“Sylvia, are you pregnant?”
Sylvia sputtered, nearly spitting water everywhere.
She turned with wide, stunned eyes, her brain grinding to a halt.
Ronan hadn’t touched her often, but every time he did, he seemed intent on proving something, as if punishing her with the ferocity of it.
That night more than two weeks ago, when he returned from a business trip, he’d been nearly unhinged in bed.
She remembered the condom tearing. She’d meant to take something after, but in all the chaos, she’d forgotten.
Her cycle, usually so reliable, was already three days late.
All the color drained from her face.
No. It couldn’t be. Not now.
While she stood frozen, Cora was already stomping over to the entryway, cramming her feet into shoes.”Stay put. I’m going to get a test.”
Just as she reached for the door, she hesitated, kicked her shoes off again, and disappeared into her room. She returned a moment later holding a half-open box.
“Use this.”
Sylvia stared.”Why do you have one of those in your bedroom?”
For once, Cora’s cheeks turned red. She glared, defensive.
“Can’t I have some fun?”
Three minutes later, Sylvia sat staring at the single line on the test strip. A long sigh shuddered out of her chest, relief sweeping over her, followed by an unexpected, hollow ache.
If she really had been carrying Ronan’s child, what would that have looked like?
She forced herself to shove the thought away, wrapping the test in tissue and tossing it into the trash. She found a mask, looped it over her ears, and blamed everything on Cora’s disgusting refrigerator.
One upside of returning to her old team was the freedom to set her own schedule.
After a proper meal and a full night’s sleep, Sylvia woke early, refreshed and determined. She focused on her programming, and after several hours, she finally understood why Cora had said this order had already been rejected twice.
She changed into fresh clothes and knocked on Cora’s bedroom door.
“Come with me to Vulture Group.”
Cora eyed her warily.”To do what? Burn the place down? Seduce Sergio? You do realize he’s Ronan’s uncle, right? That’s not just crossing the line. That’s a whole new sport.”
Sylvia pinched her friend’s round cheek in exasperation.
“Do you ever think about anything that isn’t a soap opera? You took this job knowing there was something off. Do you know why the firewall wouldn’t deploy? There’s a backdoor implant inside their system. You could try a hundred times. It still wouldn’t work.”
“A backdoor implant?” Cora’s eyes narrowed.”Did Ronan put it there?”
Sylvia hesitated, dropping her hand.
The Gordons’ internal affairs had never been any of her business. Ronan had always made that clear.
As for Sergio Gordon, she’d only seen him twice at company events.
“Rule number one. We don’t ask questions about a client’s business. Let’s go. I need Vulture Group’s internal network to remove it.”
Cora didn’t argue further. She dug out a mask and sunglasses, thrusting them at Sylvia.”Wear these. You’ll look badass.”
“I’m only going in. You’re staying in the car.”
Sylvia tossed the mask back but slipped on the sunglasses, hiding most of her face.
On the drive over, Cora called the department manager who had placed the order. When they arrived at Vulture Group’s headquarters, a man was already waiting in the lobby. He gaped when he saw Sylvia striding toward him in her pale-yellow dress, confident and luminous.
“You’re…Starburst?”
Sylvia nodded, her smile polite and distant.
“Lead the way.”
They reached the tech floor quickly. A dozen bespectacled engineers looked up as she walked in, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
When they learned she was that Starburst, the disbelief in the room was palpable.
“I thought Starburst was some bald old dude. You’re telling me she’s actually a beauty? I’m falling for her.”
“Come off it. You think you could handle a woman like this? Get over yourself and just learn something.”
“I heard Starburst disappeared three years ago. Never thought I’d see the day she made a comeback.”
***
Meanwhile, in Gordon Airlines’ executive conference room, someone nervously repeated Sylvia’s exact words, then handed over her resignation letter. At the head of the table, Ronan snapped the steel pen in his hand.
The crack echoed in the silent room, and the air turned suffocatingly cold.
That damn woman hadn’t listened to a single thing he’d said.
No one dared make a sound. The same thought raced through every mind, “This is bad.”
Everyone at Gordon Airlines knew Captain Gordon was merciless when crossed.
This was the accident review meeting he was leading personally. And the chief flight attendant, Sylvia, had skipped it, resigning outright with the most outrageous excuse imaginable.
Was this her way of protesting the new engineer?
Recalling how Sylvia had almost charged across the room the previous day, the entire board silently broke into a cold sweat on her behalf.
Lacey’s expression was gentle as she glanced at Ronan.”Ronan, work comes first. Let’s continue.”
The unspoken gossip ignited like wildfire.
So Ronan’s fury was for Lacey? Did that mean Sylvia was jealous?
It was practically a soap opera.
By the end of the meeting, the rumor had spread everywhere.
Sylvia had been pining for Ronan for years, but he had never wanted her.
Ronan remained oblivious. When he returned to his office and called her again, he found she’d blocked him. His face darkened with an almost dangerous chill.
Just then, his secretary stepped in, clearing his throat nervously.”Captain Gordon, this…”
He was holding the luxury jewelry set Ronan had ordered-presumably to be given away. But Ronan hadn’t taken it yesterday.
Wasn’t it meant for Lacey?
At the sight of it, Ronan’s expression turned thunderous.”Throw it out.”
He stormed past, slamming the door behind him.
He was about to send someone to track Sylvia down when his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, his brows knitting together.
“Speak.”
“Ronan, Starburst was just at the Vulture Group. She dismantled our implant.”
For a moment, Ronan forgot how to breathe.
It had taken other teams months to even attempt what Sylvia did in a single afternoon. Not only had she done it, she’d installed a tracer to follow it back to its source.
She fully intended to find out exactly where that trail led.
And if it turned out to be Ronan’s doing, this contract would be very, very worthwhile.
“The firewall will be fully restored in two hours.”
She left with those words and walked out to Cora’s car. Once inside, she flipped open her laptop and resumed her work, finishing the project right on schedule.
Cora sprawled in the driver’s seat, crunching a lollipop between her teeth as her eyes scanned the incoming payment notification. Her whole face lit up.
*Come on. I’m taking you out to celebrate.”
She hit the gas pedal without waiting for Sylvia’s response. Soon, the SUV stopped at a fancy club.
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