The CEO and the Country Wildflower chapter 52

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The CEO and the Country Wildflower
Chapter 52: The Trap and the Gamble


The air inside York Group’s headquarters was thick with tension. Lucas’s jaw was clenched so tightly Emelly could almost hear his teeth grinding. The migraine that usually plagued him was absent—thanks to her presence—but the storm in his eyes was worse than any pain. Emelly’s fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind racing as she tried to contain the digital wildfire Leo had unleashed.


The worm was multiplying faster than she could isolate it, and every second they wasted meant more data slipping through their fingers. “We’re losing ground,” she muttered, frustration lacing her voice. Lucas leaned over her shoulder, his breath warm against her ear. “There has to be another way.” She shook her head. “Not unless we get Tony back. Leo’s holding all the cards right now.” A muscle in Lucas’s jaw twitched. “Then we play his game.” Emelly whipped her head around to stare at him. “You can’t seriously be considering giving him the algorithms.” “We won’t be giving him the real ones.” His voice was low, dangerous. “We’ll give him a version that self-destructs the moment he tries to use it.” Emelly’s lips curled into a slow, wicked grin. “You’re devious.” “I learned from the best.”


His gaze flickered to her, and for a split second, the tension between them shifted—less hostile, more charged. Before she could respond, Bruno burst into the room, his usually composed demeanor frayed at the edges. “Lucas, we have a problem. Leo isn’t just after York Group—he’s blackmailing Serritary’s family. If they don’t hand over their shares in the shipping merger, he’ll leak their financial fraud to the press.” Lucas’s expression darkened. “He’s playing both sides.” Emelly exhaled sharply. “Which means we don’t just need to save Tony—we need to stop Leo before he destroys two companies in one move.” Bruno ran a hand through his hair. “Serritary’s father is panicking. They can’t afford the scandal.” Lucas’s phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number lit up the screen: Midnight. Abandoned factory on the docks. Come alone, or Tony dies. Emelly’s stomach twisted. “It’s a trap.” “Of course it is.” Lucas pocketed his phone. “But we’re walking into it anyway.”


The docks were eerily silent, the only sounds the distant lapping of waves and the creak of rusted metal. Emelly adjusted the tiny earpiece hidden beneath her hair, Jane’s voice crackling softly in her ear. “I’m in position. Cameras are looped, but you’ve got ten minutes max before security does a manual sweep.” Emelly tapped twice in acknowledgment, her eyes scanning the shadows. Lucas moved like a ghost beside her, his presence both reassuring and unnerving. A door groaned open ahead, revealing a dimly lit warehouse.


Tony was tied to a chair in the center, his face bruised but his eyes alert. Behind him, Leo leaned against a crate, smirking. “Right on time.” Lucas stepped forward, his voice icy. “Let him go.” Leo chuckled. “Not until I get what I want.” He held out a hand. “The algorithms.” Emelly pulled a flash drive from her pocket, tossing it to him. Leo caught it, his grin widening. “Pleasure doing business.” The moment the drive was in his hand, Emelly tapped her earpiece again. “Now.” The lights flickered, then died. In the darkness, chaos erupted. Shouts echoed, followed by the sharp crack of fists meeting flesh. Emelly darted forward, her hands finding Tony’s restraints. “Hold still,” she whispered, working the knots loose.


Tony groaned. “Took you long enough.” A flashlight beam cut through the dark, illuminating Leo’s furious face. “You think you’re clever?” He lunged, but Lucas intercepted him, slamming him into the ground. Emelly yanked Tony free just as Jane’s voice hissed in her ear. “Security’s coming! Move!” They bolted for the exit, Leo’s enraged screams following them. The flash drive had been a decoy—the real trap was the virus embedded in it, one that would cripple Brown Group’s systems the moment Leo plugged it in. But as they reached the car, Lucas’s phone buzzed again. Bruno’s name flashed on the screen. Lucas answered, his voice tight. “Talk to me.” Bruno’s words sent a chill down Emelly’s spine. “It’s Serritary. She’s gone.”