Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 251 Nathaniel's POV Peter's call came at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday that had started out like any other. I was reviewing the fourth-quarter numbers when Margaret transferred him over, mentioning only that the Franconian sounded particularly serious" today. "Nathaniel, we need to talk." Peter's voice dropped any sense of polite formality. "We have a problem." A knot tightened in my stomach. Peter was never this direct unless something was seriously wrong. "What happened?" 11 "Details of our supply contract leaked," he said bluntly.

"Specific information about margins, exclusive terms, performance clauses. Things that could seriously damage us if they got to our competitors or other partners.' My blood ran cold. "What kind of information, exactly?" "Enough for someone to map our pricing strategy for the next two years." Peter let out a heavy sigh. "Nathaniel, you know I trust Kensington. That's why I'm calling you directly instead of looping in our lawyers. But I need to know how this happened." I closed my eyes, already imagining the storm this was going to unleash internally. "I'll look into it immediately.

Do you have any idea where or how the information surfaced?" "It reached one of our smaller partners through channels we can't fully trace. They mentioned they'd 'heard around the market' about specific details that were only in the confidential document." "Peter, you have my word we'll find out what happened," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "And we'll make sure it never happens again." "I know, Nathaniel. That's why I'm giving you the chance to handle this internally before it becomes a bigger problem." When I hung up, my hands were shaking slightly.

A breach of this scale wasn't just serious-it was potentially devastating for the company's reputation. If it had been with less understanding partners than Peter, we'd already be staring down multimillion-dollar lawsuits. I called IT immediately and requested an urgent trace of every access to the document in question. The answer came two hours later, and my entire world caved in. "Mr. Carter." James from internal audit stood in my doorway, his expression grim.

"We found something you need to see." The report he set on my desk was clear: five accesses to the Franconian confidential document, all traced to Annabelle Bennett's login. The last access had been made the previous Friday, well outside business hours. "Are you sure this data is accurate?" I asked, still hoping there'd been some mistake. "We checked three times, sir. The logging system is reliable." 1/4 Chapter 251 +25 Bonus Looking at the report, a part of me wanted to shred the pages and pretend none of it existed. Annie wouldn't do this.

choice but to follow procedure-no matter what I felt personally. The boardroom always intimidated me a little. Today, the atmosphere felt even more suffocating. Alexandra arrived fifteen minutes early, flawless as ever in a white

terrible situation. I hope we manage to resolve it quickly." Something in her tone dug under my skin, but before I could unpack it, Gwen walked in, followed by the rest of the board. I laid everything out: Peter's call, the leak of the confidential information, the trace pointing to Annie's login. I tried to keep my voice even and professional, but every word

that predatory posture I knew all too well. "It's a very delicate situation," she said, dripping false concern. "Especially considering that Ms. Bennett has...

we have evidence that confidential documents were accessed irregularly." "That's ridiculous." Gwen slammed her hand on the table. "Annie has always been one of our most professional, dedicated employees. These

I see here are facts, not speculation." Vincent lifted a hand, stopping the argument before it erupted further. "Nathaniel, what's your personal evaluation of Ms. Bennett as an employee?" It was my chance to defend her fully, to use every ounce of influence I had to protect her. But as I looked around the table at the stern faces and at the knowledge that Peter and our other partners expected an answer, I realized my hands were tied. "Annie is an exemplary employee," I said

login. We can't ignore that." Elena spoke up. "We need to consider not just internal integrity but how our partners will interpret our response. If we don't take clear action, it could look like we don't take security breaches seriously."

of malicious intent. I backed her on every point, but deep down, I knew we were losing. When the vote was called, my stomach bottomed out. "For the temporary suspension of Ms. Bennett until the full audit is completed," Vincent announced. "All in favor?" Twelve hands went up. Against: only Gwen and me. Alexandra didn't bother hiding the flash of triumph in her eyes.