His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 796 Clever

Samuel sat back, amused. "Well, if you kiss me, I’ll tell you. Just one kiss. One small kiss on the lips."

He rubbed his thumb over his lips, his eyes growing dazed with desire as he looked at her face. Her beautiful face. Her brown eyes. Her soft lips. Her dark hair falling across her shoulders.

Bella felt sick.

She did not answer. She would not give him the satisfaction. Jay and Jace would tell her the truth. She would hear it from them, not from this man, not in exchange for a kiss, not ever.

Samuel’s expression shifted. His desire faded, replaced by annoyance. His jaw tightened.

"Boring," he muttered.

He picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of meat. The food was still warm, steam rising from the plates in thin curls. He had orchestrated every detail, from preparing and cooking the meal to setting the table, arranging the lights, and waiting for her arrival, making everything flawless.

Bella did not touch her food.

Samuel chewed slowly, his eyes never leaving her face. He swallowed, took a sip of water, wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"You’re not eating," he said.

"I’m not hungry."

"Eat."

"No."

He set down his fork. The clink of metal against porcelain was loud in the quiet room.

He tilted his head, studying her.

"Oh, butterfly," he said softly. "Has he told you how beautiful you are? With his personality, maybe he hasn’t. Maybe he takes that for granted too. Maybe he never says it at all."

Bella’s jaw tightened.

"Your eyes," Samuel continued, his voice low and intimate, like they were lovers sharing secrets in the dark. "That brown shade. No one can compare. I’ve met beautiful women. So many. Actresses, models, socialites. But none of them, not one, compares to you."

His gaze drifted to her hair.

"Your hair. I want to wake up with it on my face. Soft..Warm..Smelling like flowers. I want to bury my face in it and breathe you in."

Bella’s stomach churned.

His eyes moved lower. To her lips, her neck, the curve of her shoulders.

"Your lips," he breathed. "I’ve dreamed about them. Wondered what they would feel like against mine. Soft, I think. Sweet like honey."

Bella felt exposed and violated like he was touching her without touching her, like his eyes were hands roaming over her body, claiming her, owning her.

She kept her face blank. Showed nothing. Gave him nothing.

But inside, she was screaming.

Samuel smiled. "You’re so beautiful," he whispered. "I could look at you forever. I could sit here, across from you, and just look at you for the rest of my life. That would be enough. That would be everything."

He picked up his fork again and took another bite, chewing slowly, savoring it.

Bella sat across from him, her hands in her lap, her food untouched.

She felt so uncomfortable. Every second stretched into an eternity. The lights above her flickered, casting shadows on the walls. The tablecloth was white, too white like a shroud.

Bang!!!

Bang!!!

Suddenly the door flew open with such force that it slammed against the wall, dust and debris falling from the ceiling like gray snow. Splinters of wood scattered across the floor, skittering across the concrete like frightened insects. The sound echoed through the warehouse like thunder, bouncing off the walls, reverberating through the darkness, shaking the rusted beams overhead.

Bella lowered her lips. A hint of a smile appeared on her face. Small, sharp and satisfied.

Samuel had hired a powerful hacker to breach the signal server, thinking he would capture every message and call Bella made.

He had thought he was clever. He had thought he had thought of everything.

But Bella was cleverer.

She had sent Leo a message through her own private server. One she had built herself, one that did not rely on any network he could monitor, jam or hack. She had sent the message while she was in the car, using her own private server. She encoded and encrypted it so it couldn’t be traced, and it bounced through a dozen different satellites before Leo’s phone finally received it.

She had told him everything about the whole situation.

And she had told him to save Mira first. To find her, to get her out, to make sure she was safe before coming for her. So he could not threaten them.

Samuel’s head snapped toward the door. His eyes widened. His face went pale, then red, then pale again. The blood drained from his cheeks so fast it looked like someone had pulled a plug. His fork clattered against his plate, knocking over his glass. Water spilled across the white tablecloth, spreading like blood, soaking into the fabric.

Leo stood in the doorway.

His gray eyes were cold and dead, like a shark’s eyes. He wore a black shirt, his dark hair slightly disheveled from running, his jaw tight.

Behind him, an army of guards filled the hallway. Men in black tactical gear, their faces hidden behind masks, their weapons raised. Rifles, pistols, and shotguns. The metal gleamed under the dim lights coldly.

They moved in perfect formation, spreading out, covering every exit, every window, every shadow. Their boots were silent on the concrete. Their breathing was controlled. They were professionals.

Samuel’s hidden guards emerged from the darkness. Men in dark clothing, their faces hard, their weapons ready. They had been waiting in the rafters, behind the crates, under the stairs.

Leo’s guards raised their weapons.

Samuel’s guards raised theirs.

The warehouse held its breath.

But no one fired yet.

Samuel’s face twisted with anger. His hands shook at his sides. His eyes, once soft with desire, were now wild with rage, bloodshot, desperate.

He turned to Bella.

"You b*tch," he spat. "I told you not to tell him. I told you. I warned you. I gave you a chance."

He walked toward her, his steps fast and aggressive, his shoes slamming against the concrete floor, each step an echo of his fury. He grabbed her by the hair, his fingers twisting into the strands, yanking her head back.

Bella did not flinch.

Her face remained calm. He pulled out his gun and pressed it against her temple.

The metal was cold and hard.

"I will kill Mira," he said, his voice low, dangerous, trembling with rage. "I will kill her right now. I will make you watch. I will make you hear every sound."