His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 646 Who paid you?

"Rules." Dom stood up, counting on his fingers. "Rule one: My bedroom is off limits. That’s my sacred space. No one goes in there except me and my plants. They’re very sensitive."

"You have plants in your bedroom?" Jace asked.

"I have plants everywhere. They’re my children."

"Your children are plants."

"My children are thriving. Don’t judge my parenting." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Jay snorted, struggling to sit up from the floor. "What’s rule two?"

"Rule two: The blue blanket is mine. I don’t care who gets cold. The blue blanket stays with me. It was a gift from my grandmother and it has sentimental value and also it’s the softest one." He wrapped it around his shoulders protectively.

"The blue blanket is very nice," Hazel said mildly.

Dom narrowed his eyes at her. "Don’t look at it like that. I see you. I know what you’re thinking."

"I’m thinking it’s a blanket," Hazel said casually.

"You’re thinking about stealing it," Dom said firmly.

"I’m really not," Hazel said flatly.

"You have that look. The innocent look. It’s suspicious," Dom said, eyeing her with suspicion.

Hazel’s lips twitched. "I always look like this."

"That’s what makes it so dangerous."

Scarlett laughed, finally unwrapping herself from her blanket cocoon. "What’s rule three?"

"Rule three." Dom paused dramatically. "No one eats my leftover pasta. It’s in the fridge. It’s labeled. It’s mine. I know exactly how much is in there. I will count it in the morning."

"You’re going to count your leftover pasta," Leo said flatly.

"Yes."

"You’re serious."

"I’m very serious. I made that pasta from scratch. The sauce took three hours. Three hours, Leo. Do you know how long that is in pasta years?"

"That’s not a thing."

"It’s a thing in my house."

Jay was laughing now, pulling himself up from the floor. "What else? What’s rule four?"

"Rule four." Dom held up four fingers. "The guest bathroom has a shower head that sprays sideways. Don’t ask why. Just accept it. Prepare for it. Don’t be surprised at three in the morning when you’re half asleep and suddenly you’re being attacked by water from the wrong direction."

"That feels like something you should fix," Jace said.

"That feels like something I’ve accepted as part of my home’s personality."

Leo shifted slightly, careful not to disturb Bella. "And rule five?"

Dom opened his mouth. Closed it. Thought for a moment. "Rule five is... have fun. Be comfortable."

Jay clapped him on the shoulder. "That’s a good rule."

"I have good rules. I’m a good host."

---

Next day

The morning light cut through the tall windows of the Moretti building, casting long shadows across the marble floors. Jay walked through the corridors alone, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. Leo had gone straight to his office, already buried in calls about the assassin, the family from Umbra, the threat that was still circling Dom like a shark.

Jay stopped outside the office door, straightening his jacket. His suit was dark charcoal, perfectly fitted across his shoulders, the fabric moving with him like a second skin. His tie was silver, his cufflinks simple gold. His hair, still dark from the dye, was pushed back from his face, showing the sharp line of his jaw, the strong brow he’d inherited from his father.

He pushed open the door.

His assistant was already inside. And across from him, a woman sat in the chair, her hands twisted in her lap, her face pale as paper. Ana. The one who had started the rumors. The one who had whispered in hallways and break rooms that Leo’s marriage was cold, that he didn’t love his wife, that Bella was just a placeholder.

The girl named Ana’s shoulders were hunched, her eyes red-rimmed, her whole body trembling like a leaf about to fall.

Jay walked to his desk slowly. His shoes clicked against the floor. He stood behind the desk, looking down at her, letting the silence stretch, letting her feel the weight of what she’d done.

His assistant slid a folder onto the desk and slipped out, closing the door behind her.

Ana flinched at the click.

Jay opened the folder. He didn’t look at the papers inside. He already knew what they said: bank records, debt statements, threats. He looked at Ana instead, watching her face.

"You’ve been busy," he said quietly.

She flinched again. "Please—"

"Spreading lies about my brother. About his wife." Jay’s voice was calm, unhurried. "Telling people their marriage is a sham. That he doesn’t love her. That he’s going to leave her."

Ana shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I didn’t mean—"

"You meant." Jay’s voice sharpened, just enough to cut. "You took money to hurt them. You stood in this building, in my brother’s company—he pays you like everyone else—and you told people their life together was a lie. Are you so cheap?"

Ana’s face crumpled. "Please don’t fire me. Please. I have—I have difficulties at home. My father—he owes money. Gambling debts. They threatened me. They said if I didn’t pay—" She was crying openly now, her words tumbling out. "I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. But I needed the money. I needed—"

She stopped, gasping for air.

Jay watched her. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were seeing more than her tears. He saw the tremble in her hands. The shadows under her eyes. The way she wore her clothes too loose, like she’d lost weight she didn’t have to lose. The fear that lived behind her panic.

He sat down slowly, pulling the chair closer to the desk. He didn’t lean back. He sat forward, his elbows on the polished wood, his hands folded.

"You were offered money," he said. "To spread lies. Who offered it?"

Ana’s mouth opened. Closed. Her eyes darted away.

Jay’s voice dropped lower, softer. "Ana. Look at me."

She did. Her eyes were wet, desperate.

"You’re not going to lose your job today," he said quietly. "Not if you tell me the truth. But if you lie to me, if you protect whoever did this—" He paused, letting the weight settle. "Then I can’t help you. Do you understand?"

She nodded, a small, jerky motion.

"Who paid you?"