Aylin’s temper shot up as she clenched her fist and lightly tapped Zayden’s chest. "I’m not dumb, alright? He sees me like family. That’s just how it is."

Zayden rubbed his chest, grinning even though it stung a bit. "Okay, if that’s what you think. But if he oversteps—"

Leo cleared his throat, teasing. "Feeling a bit jealous, king? Save the caveman routine for later. We’ve got bigger issues: William. If he’s still alive, he’s super important. The Alphas are probably using him or his formula for all the gadgets and hacks. If he’s gone, then someone must’ve copied his stuff. But I think he’s alive and stuck somewhere."

Zayden nodded, his anger fading as he got back to business. "Yeah, I agree. William is way too valuable to just vanish. It all makes sense with everything heating up, devices messing with my cabin, and now they’re coming at us full force."

Aylin jumped in, "Maybe it’s not the Alphas; it could be someone else altogether."

Turning to Zayden, her eyes focused, Aylin asked, "Did you find anything when you were after the Alpha? About his brother, William Arthur?"

Zayden’s face turned serious again. "Just bits and pieces. But you, what do you have?"

Aylin’s fingers flew to her laptop, still on the desk from earlier. "I found something big. I made a folder about it." She booted it up, taking off layers of encryption in no time. "Video: William and Michael arguing about the project. William says the government is shutting it down, and he won’t keep going. Michael hits him from behind, and then it cuts off."

Leo leaned in closer. "Play it."

Aylin hit play. The grainy video showed two brothers in a lab. William said, "I destroyed it all. Government’s orders. It’s done, Michael." Michael shot back, "You idiot—" right before swinging at him from behind. Then it went black.

Zayden’s fists tightened, his anger boiling up again. "That’s when they kidnapped him. They grabbed him right after."

Aylin nodded. "And there’s more. I have files on Alpha’s surgeries, facial changes. Plus, Selina’s backstory: Alpha’s dad murdered her mom; Selina’s dad raped his mom; then he just disappeared. No one knows if he’s alive or dead, but Selina’s dad was arrested because the police have proof of the rape. His mom died because of everything. Family secrets. All of it."

Zayden replied, "So that means he was getting back at Selina, playing her. He probably plans to kill her when everything’s over. He must want to get rid of her."

Aylin agreed.

They dived into their research, losing track of time for three hours as they sifted through videos, documents, and timelines. Alpha’s empire was built on blood; Selina’s betrayals were uncovered; and William’s formulas had been turned into weapons.

Zayden leaned back, his eyes looking intense. "So that’s why they want you gone. It’s not just about the hacking, this intel could totally take Alpha down. He doesn’t care about building his empire back up; he can manage that. But being exposed? That would ruin him."

Aylin smirked, a wicked spark in her eyes. "Exactly."

Zayden chuckled, flirting again. "You really are a handful, hacker girl." Out of nowhere, he pulled her onto his lap, right in front of Leo. "Smart. Deadly. Mine."

Aylin gasped, a shy blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Zayden, not here!"

Leo groaned, teasing. "Not again? Get a room, oh right, you already have one. Go use it."

Zayden shot him a look, half annoyed, half amused. "Shut it, Leo. Or I’ll make you."

Leo laughed. "Okay, okay. But seriously, what’s the plan next? We need to find William. Rescue him if he’s still alive."

Zayden nodded, his face turning serious again. "Number one priority. And what about that video, Aylin, do you have the original?"

"In my encrypted vault. It’s rock solid."

Leo eyed her, still a bit skeptical but impressed. "Wow, little girl, you’re sitting on some heavy stuff with that laptop? What if someone stole it?"

Aylin narrowed her eyes, her determination kicking in. "You think I’m an idiot? Fifteen layers of encryption. Quantum-proof. Bring it on."

Zayden grinned, a mix of pride and flirtation. "That’s my girl. So risky."

Aylin rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile a little. Leo cleared his throat loudly, trying to hide his grin.

"Alright, you two," Leo said, tapping on the tablet. "Can we focus on William Arthur before you start making out on the strategy table?"

Zayden shot him a playful glare. "Jealous, Leo?"

Leo snorted. "You? Never. But her brain? Maybe." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Aylin laughed, a quick, sharp sound, still fierce. "Keep talking like that and I’ll hack your phone to blast ’Baby Shark’ on loop every time you get a text."

Leo raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Mercy."

Zayden leaned back in his chair, his expression serious again. "Okay, but about William. How do we find him? Any idea"

Leo pulled up a new screen, showing old photos of William Arthur: a clean-cut engineer, smiling next to his brother Michael during happier times. "We know he got taken eleven years ago. Michael knocked him out after he refused to keep working on the project and handed him straight over to Maksim Karza. After that...nothing. No ransom. No grave."

Aylin crossed her arms and said, "Maksim doesn’t just off useful people; he locks them up. That’s what I found out in my research, and it makes sense why people call him the Scorpion of Ruins."

Zayden nodded slowly. "Exactly. William’s formula powers every gadget they’ve used against us. Remember those jammers? Exact match. Either William is still alive and being forced to work, or someone has done a perfect job of copying his work."

Leo tapped the screen again. "The issue is, we’ve got no clues about where he is. No prison records, no whispers in the black-market channels, nothing. Maksim is really good at hiding people."

Aylin tilted her head. "Then we need to lure him to us."

Both guys looked at her.

She continued, her voice calm but intense. "We need someone in Maksim’s circle. Someone close to him whom he trusts."

Zayden’s eyes narrowed as he thought it over. "Selina."

Leo coughed. "Yeah... about that."

Zayden turned slowly, giving Leo a pointed look. "You’ve been in touch with her lately. Call her. Get her here. Now."

Leo’s ears went pink. "Me? Why me?"

"Because," Zayden said with a grin, "she picks up for you. Faster than for me."

Aylin raised her brows in surprise. "Wait, Leo? And Selina?"