Page 28 of Beautifully Scarred Omega

“That wasn’t random,” I say. “That was targeted. Which means someone either gave them information or someone on your staff is the mole themselves. I intend to find out which.”

Max and Ethan exchange a quick, almost imperceptible glance. Finn shifts his weight, his eyes on the floor.

They’re worried. Interesting.

I study their faces, trying to read what’s underneath. Why would this be such a big deal? Someone broke in and messed with their climate control. Annoying, sure. Expensive, probably. But the tension rolling off these three feels disproportionate to some damaged prototypes for vibrators or whatever they’re cooking up in that lab.

Maybe it’s an ego thing. Rich men don’t like being reminded they’re vulnerable. That someone got past their security, walked through their precious building, touched their things.

Or maybe they’re just dramatic. Billionaires usually are.

“Ethan has prepared files on everyone with access to the affected areas,” Max says finally. Ethan rises and crosses to the desk, retrieving a thick folder that he places in my hands. “That should give you a starting point.”

I flip it open, scanning the first few pages. Names, photos, job titles, access levels. “I’ll also need you to walk me through exactly what happened that night. Every detail, no matter how small.”

Max nods slowly. “Where do you want to start?”

“The beginning. Walk me through that night exactly as it happened.”

Ethan moves to the wall-mounted screen and pulls up the security footage. The image flickers to life, a grainy, green-tinged view of a corridor. Timestamp reads 12:43 AM.

“The alarm triggered at 12:47,” Max says, his eyes fixed on the screen. “We were at the residence. All three of us came immediately.”

“How far is the residence from this building?”

“About half a mile. We were here within five minutes.”

On screen, a figure drops through a window. Small build, dressed head to toe in black, face obscured by a ski mask. They land in a crouch and pause for barely a second before moving.

My skin prickles.

The intruder navigates the corridor without hesitation. They move like they’ve walked this route a hundred times before.

“They knew exactly where they were going,” I murmur, more to myself than to them.

“Yes.” Max doesn’t take his eyes off the screen. “That’s what concerns us.”

“Who discovered the temperature anomaly?”

“Nathan, our head of security,” Ethan answers. “He was monitoring the overnight systems. The alarm triggered when someone attached a bypass device to the storage room panel in the Clinical Wing. That’s what flagged the system.”

“How long before it was restored?”

Ethan hesitates. “Fourteen minutes.”

I look up from my notes. “Fourteen minutes is a long time.”

“It felt longer.” Ethan’s eyes drop briefly to the folder in my hands before coming back up. “If it had been another sixty seconds, we would have lost everything.”

Everything. Dramatic, considering we’re talking about a bunch of sex toys. But whatever.

“Any new hires in the past three months?”

Max shakes his head. “No one with access to that wing.”

“Anyone acting strangely? Coming in at odd hours, asking questions they shouldn’t be asking?”

“Not that we’ve noticed,” Finn says. It’s the first time he’s spoken in a while, and his voice makes me glance up. He’s leaning back with his arms crossed, and I can’t read him at all. “But that’s the problem, isn’t it? If we’d noticed, we wouldn’t need you.”