A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 173

Excellent timing

Jason POV

We were escorted through the base faster than expected once we cleared the gate.

Badge scans.

Restricted corridors.

Armed doors.

Silent personnel stepping aside the moment they recognized John Stait.

When we entered the operations wing, the atmosphere changed completely.

Rows of screens.

Live feeds.

Maps.

Data streams.

Dozens of people moving with the focused urgency of a place under pressure.

John Stait was waiting just inside.

He did not waste a second.

No greeting.

No explanation.

No introduction.

He spotted Amber and Alex immediately and motioned sharply toward the central workstation.

“Over there.”

Then, as if I had ceased to exist entirely, he began directing them forward with increasingly aggressive hand signals.

“Move. Sit. Start there.”

Amber looked amused.

Alex looked delighted.

I looked at John.

He ignored me completely.

Interesting.

I followed anyway.

Because forgetting I was in the room had never worked out well for anyone.

The main computer station was surrounded by analysts, technicians, and support staff running on caffeine and

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nerves.

Some moved aside the moment Amber approached.

Others stared openly at Alex.

A child in a secure operations room was apparently not standard protocol.

Then one voice cut through the room.

Young.

Confident.

And painfully stupid.

A technician leaned back in his chair, temporary access badge hanging from his neck like it meant more than it did.

He looked Amber over once and smirked.

“So,” he said, loud enough for others to hear, “are you here to take our coffee orders?”

The room froze.

Instantly.

Several people stopped typing.

One woman closed her eyes briefly, as if mourning him in advance.

Another tech physically turned away.

Alex frowned.

Amber went very still.

And I smiled.

Slowly.

Because some men were born with a gift.

The gift of creating their own downfall in a single sentence and he was one of the unlucky ones with the gift.

Amber POV

I was teaching Alex how to bypass the base protections.

Not recklessly.

Properly.

How to read the structure first, identify the layered permissions, locate the weakest authentication chain, and enter without damaging the system.

He was following beautifully.

Focused.

Quick.

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Already anticipating steps ahead.

Then a voice sounded behind us.

“Are you here to take our coffee orders?”

I did not turn around.

I continued speaking to Alex, pointing at the permissions map on the screen.

There was no possible way that question had been directed at me.

Not when I was clearly working.

Not when half the room was watching.

Not when I was actively inside their system.

So I ignored it.

The voice came again.

Louder.

More irritating.

“Hey, Ms. New Girl, I’m talking to you!”

Still, I did not bother turning around.

From the corner of my eye, I could see John Stait’s face.

He was turning purple.

Whether from rage or blood pressure, I was not yet certain.

Beside me, Alex was frowning.

Deeply offended on my behalf.

So I kept my tone calm and instructional, never taking my eyes off the screen.

“Alex,” I said, “what do you think would be the proper response to someone using a space he has no right to while interrupting everyone else’s work?”

He thought for a second.

Seriously.

Carefully. 1

Then answered with quiet confidence.

“We block his access?”

I turned to him with genuine approval.

I was impressed.

“Yes,” I said warmly. “Correct.”

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Then I tapped two keys, opened the access panel, and smiled at the screen.

We block his access…”

Another command.

“And remove his credentials.”

Alex looked delighted.

The kind of delighted only children and engineers ever truly achieved.

“Can you show me the last step again?” he asked. “I missed it.”

I moved the keyboard slightly so he could see better.

“Of course.”

I reopened the credential panel and walked him through it slowly this time.

Line by line.

Field by field.

What to touch.

What never to touch.

How to remove access cleanly without damaging anything else.

“See here?” I said, highlighting the user token. “This is what gives him permission to pretend he belongs in the room.”

Alex nodded gravely.

“So we take it away.”

“Exactly.”

I executed the change again in simulation mode so he could watch the sequence.

Then I looked at him.

“Remember, Alex, the most important step is not removing access.

He blinked.

“It’s not?”