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A stillness fell over the Coleman-Hartmann boardroom as late-afternoon sunlight slid beneath the horizon. The morning-polished table, once so reflective of its shine, now was under stress from anxious faces and flickering laptop screens. At the end of the table, Leo Hartmann's normally calm demeanor had unraveled; his fingers drummed out a frantic rhythm on the mahogany. "Our mainframe has been breached," he said, his voice strained. "Investor confidence is plummeting by the hour.".

Ruth Coleman was seated opposite him, her chin set, the crinkle of her silk top blouse as she leaned forward. But all eyes dropped to the door as Alexander Cole entered—dark suit neatly pressed, face unreadable. He had a sense of calm, the same man who had blown apart their timelines just days before. Behind him came Liana, holding her tablet like a shield. The hum of the boardroom filled the air as she sat down directly across from Alex, their chairs almost touching, the air between them crackling with an unspoken challenge.

The silver-haired, paunchy chairman rapped her pen on her pad. "Mr. Cole, Ms. Coleman—in light of this breach, the board has made the decision to combine your resources. You two will lead the crisis task force." She produced a weak smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Stabilize our investors by tomorrow's opening bell, please."

Liana's heart raced. Trying to work with Alex so soon once more—especially under these circumstances—was like returning to the front lines with the enemy. Alex, however, just nodded once. "Understood." His own voice, deep and steady, broke through her anxiety. "We will need unimpeded access to their cybersecurity logs, direct communication with forensic specialists, and live feeds on any secondary incursions.".

Liana breathed in and tapped her tablet. "I have direct access to the Hartmann supply-chain network. I can trace the breach back through our vendor portals." She stared at Alex straight on. "With your tech team and my operational channels, we can pinpoint the vulnerability."

Alex’s grey eyes glinted. “Good. I’ll have Cole Technologies’ chief security officer on a secure line within the hour. We’ll run parallel investigations.” He paused, then added, more quietly, “I assume you’ve already alerted PR to draft a holding statement?”

Liana's reply was a curt nod. "Ready to write. Can tailor once scope is settled. No value in weak platitudes." Her tone conveyed professionalism—and by extension, irritation. Alex's eyebrow went up. "Your candour is.invigorating."

The boardroom emptied and Liana and Alex were alone in a citadel of screens and scattered papers. The early evening light grew darker to bruised purple as they set to work. Alex plugged his laptop into the master monitor, covering the screen with lines of code and logs of intrusions. Liana sifted through vendor contracts, supplier accounts, and audit trails. Every now and then, their shoulders brushed as they both leaned over the same papers, and each time Liana received a jolt of something neither entirely unfriendly nor comfortable.

Hours ticked by in quiet, punctuated by the constant drone of the air system in the building and the clack-clack of typing. At nine, Liana massaged her temples. Alex glanced up at the monitor, fatigue flashing through his normally composed mask. "We traced the breach to one of Hartmann's old servers—one of their unpatched ones that Cole Technologies upgraded two weeks ago," he announced. "Not a hacker. This was a gotcha.

Liana's heart was racing. "Someone here?" she panted. She tapped frantically, cross-checking staff access records with the timing of the breach. Alex leaned over, tracking her flying fingers. "Here," she breathed. "See this: user credentials created on Marco Delaney's account, but accessed from an offsite network using an anonymized proxy. He works here but would have had no motive to play around with those antique servers.".

Alex stared at his screen. "Delaney…" He raked his fingers through his hair. "Trusted. From the joint venture relaunch. If he's been compromised, we have a mole." He leaned back in his chair. "Time to bring him in."

Reluctantly, they summoned Delaney on secure video conference. His pale face flickered onto the screen, creased with dismay. Alex's tone was calm but firm. "Marco, server logs show your credentials. Explain."

Delaney stuttered, sweat beading on his forehead. "I—I don't know how this occurred. Someone must have hacked my login credentials." Liana interrupted, voice sharp. "You reported no phishing events. No out-of-office messages?" Delaney's gaze darted between their faces. "Nothing." His voice cracked.

Alex exchanged a glance with Liana. “Either you’re covering for someone, or you’re the scapegoat.” He tapped a key, and the screen split—Delaney’s browser history alongside network traffic patterns. “You see this late-night upload? To an IP traced back to LILI’s headquarters.”

The word struck Liana like ice. LILI— the old corporate nemesis—had resurfaced, this time as saboteur. Delaney’s shoulders slumped. “They threatened my family,” he mumbled. “I had no choice.”

Liana’s chest tightened with anger and pity. “You did have a choice,” she said quietly. “You could’ve come to us. We’re a family.” Alex’s jaw clenched; a flicker of empathy showed in his eyes.

The meeting was done, and the gravity of the breach hung between Alex and Liana. They both went back to their screens, adrenaline pumping. Liana's fingers moved furiously: "We need to block LILI's IPs, quarantine infected servers, and draft a legal injunction. Meanwhile, we need to craft an open press release taking responsibility for a breach, our rapid response, and our commitment to security."

Alex nodded, respect shining in his eyes. "Agreed. I'll have my people take the technical block; you handle the legal and PR fronts." He paused. "Liana, your grasp of the operational consequences is impressive." His tone was genuine. "I underestimated you."

Flush of heat on her cheeks, Liana looked back at him. "And I underestimated your facilities—and your sense of urgency." Between them, tension eased—as if shared crisis melted the ice.

They glided in harmony: Alex's steady voice as he led the tech team through secure channels, Liana's staccato briefs streamed through impenetrable comms to lawyers and PR strategists. The city lights outside ignited in sequence, oblivious to the game of chess unfolding in Sterling Tower.

At midnight, the crisis map on the central monitor glowed green: the breach contained, backdoors sealed, the culprit identified. Liana sat back, exhaustion mingling with triumph. Alex leaned forward, running a hand through his hair. “Investors will buy this update,” he said. “We’ve given them both transparency and decisive action.”

Liana closed her eyes, allowing relief to wash over her. “Tomorrow’s statement will focus on resilience and partnership. We’ll announce a joint audit committee between Cole Technologies and Coleman-Hartmann.” She opened her eyes to find Alex studying her, a soft smile at the corner of his mouth. “You know your messaging.”

Alex nodded. "You've taught me. About directness, clarity.integrity." His voice was low, on the verge of vulnerability. "Thanks." He paused, then put in a more playful tone, "I guess I owe you one.".

For an instant, they merely glared at each other within the light of monitors and silence of ticking clocks. The sharp enmity which had begun to fuel their early meetings had transmuted—wind-bruised metal had been folded into a cutting tool they presently used to fence alongside.

Liana extracted her tablet and quickly typed out a message to her mom and Leo: "Crisis averted. Full report and draft press release attached. Headed home." She hid the tablet in her bag and stood up. Alex also stood up. They grabbed their coats, their moves almost choreographed. 

As they reached the door, Alex hesitated, hand on the doorknob. "Tonight, we were…surprise partners."

Liana halted, turning to him. The stiffness in her shoulders had dissipated, replaced by a sense of camaraderie. "Allies," she agreed, voice steady. "But tomorrow, the board will ask for more than alliances—they'll ask for results."

Alex's gaze lingered on hers a fraction of a second longer, then he bowed his head in a half-bow. "Then let's give them what they want."