**THE IT TECHNICIAN AND THE BOARDROOM TRAP**

The flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers painted the glass facade of the Genesis Tower. The nightmare was over.

Marcus sat on the bumper of an ambulance, an EMT wrapping a bandage around his bruised hand. He was exhausted. His cheap polyester polo was torn and covered in dust, sweat, and a little bit of the billionaire's blood.

He watched as David Vance was shoved into the back of an armored police transport. The elite mercenaries who had survived the ordeal upstairs were being hauled out in chains by the FBI. Cipher, the hacker, had apparently been traced by Marcus’s dead-man switch and arrested in his basement across town.

A shadow fell over Marcus. He looked up to see a woman in a sharp power suit. It was Sarah, the head of HR. She looked completely shell-shocked.

"Marcus," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Mr. Sterling is in the ambulance. He... he asked to speak with you before they take him to surgery."

Marcus nodded, thanking the EMT, and walked over to the open doors of the mobile ICU. Julian was hooked up to an IV, his shoulder heavily bandaged, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.

"Mr. Sterling. Are you going to be okay?" Marcus asked, standing awkwardly by the doors.

"I'll live," Julian said, his voice raspy. "The Geneva consortium just called. They saw the broadcast. They were so impressed by the integrity of our internal security measures—specifically, your internal security measures—that they just added two billion to the purchase price."

Marcus blinked. "That's... that's good news, sir."

"Listen to me, Marcus," Julian said, his tone turning serious. "David is gone. Half of his executive team will be investigated. I need someone I can trust. Someone who doesn't fold under pressure. Someone who doesn't just see the code, but sees the structural flaws."

Marcus shifted uncomfortably. "I'm just a Level 1 tech, sir. I fix screens."

"Not anymore," Julian said, holding out his good hand. "As of this moment, you are the Head of Global Cyber Security for Genesis. You bypass the corporate ladder. You answer directly to me."

Marcus stared at the billionaire. His jaw dropped. "Sir... I have fifty thousand in student debt. I can barely afford rent."

Julian smiled. "Your debt is paid. Tomorrow morning, a bonus of five million dollars will be wired into your account for hazard pay. And your new salary starts at seven figures. Assuming you accept the position?"

Marcus looked at the flashing police lights, then down at his battered tablet, and finally at the man he had just dragged through hell.