Chapter 370

Nathan Cross pushed open the heavy oak door to Dominic Blackwood's office at Blackwood Group headquarters. The network systems had just been restored after the cyberattack.

"Mr. Blackwood, the Cybersecurity Department asked me to bring you these," Nathan said, placing a thick stack of documents on the polished mahogany desk.

Dominic glanced at the papers, his piercing blue eyes narrowing slightly. "What's this?"

"I believe these are the malware codes written by Henry Thorne." Nathan quickly averted his gaze after a brief scan. He didn't dare examine the contents too closely.

Dominic flipped open the file. Hidden within the complex lines of code, a single sentence stood out: (Dominic Blackwood is a moron.)

His jaw tightened. Turning to the second page revealed another insult: (Dominic Blackwood crashes his Ferrari into a lake!)

The third page contained: (Dominic Blackwood gets locked in a bathroom stall), while the fourth page declared: (Dominic Blackwood inhales his caviar.)

With one swift motion, Dominic fed the entire stack into the industrial shredder beside his desk. Though his expression darkened, he remained silent. After all, Henry was just a four-year-old child, hardly worth his anger.

A sharp knock interrupted the tense silence before the door swung open.

Lucas Grant leaned against the doorframe, flashing his signature charming grin. "Lunch, Dominic?"

Nathan shot Lucas a warning look. The CFO immediately picked up on the atmosphere and stepped inside. "What's going on?"

Nathan moved closer and murmured, "Evelyn's son has a real talent for pissing people off."

Lucas let out an incredulous laugh. "That four-year-old prodigy? Damn, he makes our entire cybersecurity team look like amateurs!"

The observation stung. Blackwood Group only hired the best tech talent in the industry.

"Perhaps he has an exceptional teacher," Nathan suggested before quickly excusing himself, his ears turning pink.

Dominic and Lucas headed to an upscale bistro near the corporate headquarters. After placing their orders, Lucas leaned forward with a playful smirk. "So I heard about the barbecue at Evelyn's place. Why wasn't I invited?"

"Do you know why Henry Thorne hacked into our systems?" Dominic countered, ignoring the question.

"Because the kid hates your guts?"

"I showed up uninvited."

Lucas nearly choked on his mineral water. "Since when did you develop such thick skin, Dominic?"

"I wanted to understand why Evelyn was celebrating." Dominic took a measured sip of his espresso. In his experience, people only hosted barbecues for special occasions.

"Did you find out what she was so happy about?"

Dominic shook his head once. "They didn't let me in."

Lucas actually felt a pang of sympathy. "If they don't want you there, just stay away. I'll take you anywhere you want to eat."

"Their rejection doesn't affect me." Dominic set down his cup with precise control.

Watching his friend's composed demeanor, Lucas chuckled. "You can't stay away from her, can you? You broke off your engagement because of Evelyn."

"That's incorrect," Dominic corrected coolly. "The primary reason I ended the engagement was because I don't love Zoe."

"While I'm no fan of Zoe Montgomery, even I feel she got the short end this time. She lost you and the baby... Don't you feel anything about that child? It was yours, after all. Would have been born in a few months if not for the miscarriage," Lucas said with uncharacteristic solemnity.

Dominic's expression remained impassive, his voice glacial. "If I'm to have children, they won't come from another woman."