The kiss lasted a long time. Only when he was satisfied did he release her.
"This is a kiss. Learn it?" His voice was husky.
The look he gave her was predatory, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
She couldn't deny she'd been swept away while he kissed her. The man truly had that power.
What was meant to be a one-night stand, he insisted on complicating.
And she wasn't entirely immune to his body either.
The temperature inside the car had skyrocketed.
Electricity crackled in the air.
Janelle was never one to take things lying down. Since this man insisted on teasing her…
If she didn't tease him back, he'd think she was afraid!
Her arms snaked around his neck. She leaned close and blew softly against his sensitive ear.
As expected, his ears were his most vulnerable spot. With that single breath…
Every muscle in his body tensed.
"Don't want to go to work anymore?"
"Of course I do! I'm leaving." Having successfully ignited his desire, Janelle calmly slid off his lap.
"Heartbreaker."
"Tease and run."
"Won't take a shred of responsibility."
Hearing his words, Janelle shot him a glare over her shoulder.
"What time do you finish? I'll pick you up." Erik's tone shifted, infused with an almost indulgent tenderness.
The man was a consummate actor. Making primal urges look like true love.
True love?
Ha!
The entire afternoon, Janelle was swamped with work. Midway, she received an encrypted call.
"Janelle, I know you're busy, but… I need your help. Only you can handle this."
"What is it?"
"Can't explain over the phone. I'm boarding a flight now. We need to talk in person."
"Fine. Come straight to Blue Whale to pick me up when you land."
If it weren't serious, Jason wouldn't come find her here. They all knew what she was focused on.
Jason landed and took a taxi straight to Blue Whale. Once there, he called Janelle.
Janelle gave Linda a few instructions and left work early.
Seeing her, Jason looked like he'd found salvation. "Janelle, the USB drive we retrieved earlier… the opposition damaged it. Our entire cybersecurity division can't repair it."
This concerned the national cybersecurity of Hua Guo. They couldn't afford any slip-up. Hence, he'd come personally. He hadn't dared bring the USB out; he needed her to come to Imperial Capital.
"Got it. Let's go." The stakes were too high. Janelle didn't refuse. She followed Jason immediately.
At 5 PM, Erik drove to Blue Whale.
[I'm here. Usual spot.]
He sent the text and waited in the car.
Time ticked by. Almost 6 PM, and Janelle still hadn't appeared.
Erik assumed she was held up. He waited patiently. But 7 PM came, and still no sign of her.
He called her phone. It was switched off.
A cold dread settled in his chest.
What happened this afternoon? Where was she?
Erik pulled out his phone and called Bryan.
"Erik? What's up?" Bryan had just finished a practice lap. Seeing Erik's number, he pulled his racing car over.
"Track the current location of this number." Erik sent Janelle's number.
Bryan didn't ask questions. He immediately started tracking.
However, Janelle's number was encrypted. He couldn't get a location fix.
Bryan frowned. What the hell? Who exactly was this Janelle Rovella? It was rare for him to fail a trace.
Unable to get a location, Bryan turned to the surveillance cameras outside Blue Whale. He hacked into several feeds and found footage of Janelle.
Seeing her leave with a handsome man, Bryan hesitated to send the clip to Erik.
Before he could decide, Erik called again.
"Bryan? What's taking so long? Still haven't found her?"
"Erik… Miss Rovella left with a good-looking man." Bryan's voice grew softer.
From Erik's behavior these past few days, it was clear he was deeply invested in Miss Rovella. Bryan had been with Erik for years and had never seen him this focused on a woman. He'd spent the morning obsessively trying to cook, nearly blowing up the kitchen. Then spent the afternoon at it again, happily going to pick her up… only to find she'd been taken by another man.
That would shatter anyone's composure. Especially someone as volatile as Erik.
"Send the video." Erik's voice turned icy. The temperature around him plummeted.
Watching the video, Erik felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.
Jason!
He recognized the man who took her in a single glance!
Erik drove straight to the airport. He dialed Bryan again.
"Get me a private jet to Imperial Capital. Now." Erik's tone was glacial.
"Erik, don't be rash! That's the Security Bureau! Even the Lorenzes have to show them some respect! And that's Jason!" Bryan was genuinely afraid Erik would storm the Security Bureau building. When Erik was angry, he was capable of anything.
"Just do it!" Bryan had no choice. He immediately arranged the private jet, instructing them to file the flight plan urgently.
Meanwhile, Jason and Janelle landed in Imperial Capital. Security Bureau personnel were already waiting outside.
Jason personally opened the car door for Janelle. Seeing his deference, the others didn't dare breathe too loudly.
The car drove straight to the Security Bureau headquarters. After passing through multiple security checkpoints, they entered the inner sanctum.
During the drive, Jason had briefed Janelle on the specifics.
Jason scanned his fingerprint to open a secured door. Inside, over a dozen computer experts were frantically working.
"Shit! It triggered the internal self-destruct protocol!"
"What do we do?! Can't salvage it! The self-destruct sequence is too fast!"
"We're screwed! We're done for!"
Jason heard the panicked voices as soon as he entered. These were top-tier talents in computing, yet they were utterly helpless against this program.
"Miss Rovella, please. See if you can help." Jason said respectfully.
Janelle walked over, grabbed the loudest man by the collar, and hauled him out of his seat.
"Who?! Who the hell—" The man struggled, swearing under his breath. He turned and saw the girl's stunning face.
"Jason! Who is she?! The program is self-destructing! We can't waste any more time!"
"Shut up." The man's voice grated on her nerves. Janelle was annoyed.
"I—" The man tried to speak again, but Jason pushed him aside.
"Stop talking! I flew to Graham City to bring her here. If anything goes wrong, I take full responsibility."
With Janelle here, what could possibly go wrong?