The CEO and the Country Wildflower chapter 8

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The CEO and the Country Wildflower


Chapter 8:


The Server Room Gambit


Lucas York’s grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. The screen displayed the latest headline: "York Group Employee Exposed as Brown Group Spy—Emelly Clus Betrays CEO Lucas York." His jaw clenched. The media had already spun the story, painting Emelly as a cunning infiltrator who had played him from the start. But the migraine pounding behind his temples told a different story—one he wasn’t ready to admit. Because the moment he had stepped away from her, the pain had returned with a vengeance. David, standing stiffly by the door, cleared his throat.


"Sir, the board is demanding an emergency meeting. They want her fired—and prosecuted." Lucas exhaled sharply. "She didn’t do this." "You don’t know that." "I do." He turned, his voice dangerously low.


"Because if she were really working for Leo, she wouldn’t have left a trail leading straight to Server Room B." David blinked.


"What?" Lucas pulled up the last encrypted message Emelly had sent before the news broke—a single line of code hidden in a spam email. Decrypted, it read: "Brown’s proof is fake. Real data in Server B. Need backup." His lips curled. Of course she’d found a way to communicate, even while cornered. "Call Tony," Lucas ordered. "Tell him to prep a distraction at Brown Group’s front entrance. And get me a maintenance uniform." David paled. "You’re not seriously going in there yourself—" "I’m not letting Leo win." Lucas grabbed his coat, ignoring the throbbing in his skull. "And I’m not leaving her behind."


Emelly pressed herself against the cold server rack, her breath shallow. The dim blue lights of the server room cast eerie shadows, but she didn’t dare turn on her phone for fear of alerting security. She had barely escaped Leo’s office after he’d sprung his trap. Now, with the entire building on lockdown, her only hope was accessing the real evidence before Leo’s men found her. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she bypassed another firewall. "Come on, come on…" A noise at the door made her freeze. She ducked behind the server just as the door creaked open. Heavy footsteps echoed—too many to fight, too close to run. Then a familiar voice growled, "If you’ve gotten yourself killed, Clus, I swear I’ll fire you twice." Her heart leapt. Lucas. She peeked out to see him in a wrinkled maintenance uniform, looking absurdly out of place—yet somehow still commanding.


"You’re here?" she hissed. His gaze snapped to her, relief flickering before his usual scowl returned. "Unfortunately."


She wanted to argue, to ask why he’d risk everything for her—but the way his shoulders relaxed slightly at the sight of her told her everything. He stepped closer, and instantly, the tension in his jaw eased. His migraine was fading. Emelly smirked. "Missed me that much, huh?" "Shut up and hack faster." She rolled her eyes but turned back to the screen. "Leo’s proof is fabricated, but the real data’s here. He’s planning a hostile takeover—using me as the fall girl." Lucas leaned over her shoulder, his breath warm against her ear. "Can you download it?" "Working on it—" The screen flashed red. "Oh no." "What?" "Tripwire. He knows we’re in here." A second later, alarms blared. Lucas cursed, grabbing her wrist.


"We need to move. Now." But before they could react, the door burst open. Leo Brown stood in the doorway, flanked by armed guards, a smug grin on his face. "Ah, Lucas. I knew you’d come for her." Lucas stepped in front of Emelly, shielding her. "You’re finished, Leo. We have the proof." Leo laughed. "Do you?" He nodded to a guard, who yanked a cable from the server.


The screen went dark. Emelly’s stomach dropped. The evidence was gone. Leo’s grin widened. "Such a shame. Two traitors, caught red-handed." He raised his phone, filming them. "How will the board react when they see their CEO conspiring with the enemy?" Lucas’s grip on Emelly tightened. She could feel the tension in his body, the barely restrained fury. Then, in a move that stunned her, he turned his head slightly—just enough to whisper in her ear. "On my signal, run for the emergency exit." Her pulse spiked. "What about you?" His lips brushed her ear, so softly she might have imagined it. "Trust me." Before she could respond, Lucas lunged—not at Leo, but at the fire alarm. The sprinklers exploded overhead, drenching everyone in icy water. Chaos erupted as guards slipped, cursing. "GO!" Lucas shoved Emelly toward the exit. She hesitated only a second before sprinting, but Leo’s voice rang out behind her. "Stop them!" A gunshot cracked. Emelly whipped around just in time to see Lucas stagger—then collapse. Her scream tore through the room. "LUCAS!"


To Be Continued… Will Emelly escape—or will she turn back for Lucas? What is Leo’s real endgame? And with the evidence destroyed, how can they possibly prove their innocence? Find out in Chapter 9: The Bloodied Bargain.