Epilogue
EPILOGUE
OLIVIA
Five months later…
I stepped back from the podium, gave the reporters a wave, and walked off the platform… Well, more like waddled . My eight-month-pregnant belly wasn’t conducive to graceful sauntering. One of Alex’s security guards helped me along the way until I was safely on even ground. He and another stayed close to me as we made our way through the crowded room.
“Ms. Brentwood, can’t you stay and answer a few more questions?” One reporter shouted.
I had just carried out a press conference about my reinstated title of CEO of BioTech as well as the whole mess with Don Weaver.
“She can’t, Todd! She’s heavily pregnant, for goodness’ sake!” Elena bellowed. She glowered at the man named Todd before falling into step with me and the guards .
“You know Todd, I take it?” I glanced at her with mild amusement, ignoring the flashes of cameras and the murmurs of the crowd.
She flipped her wild curls. “Yeah. He’s a co-worker and a pain in the ass. He cannot stand that I’m the one who broke the Don Weaver story.” She squealed with pure glee. “I’m getting a promotion, and I’m just as famous as you are right now, Livy. I’m loving my fifteen minutes of fame.” She turned to smile for a picture.
I sniggered. “I can tell.”
Alex had waited a few more months before giving Elena the go-ahead to do the expose on Don Weaver. He wanted to make sure he had everything so that there was no room for error or for Weaver to find a way to save himself. After his FBI friend assured us that there was enough to put away the unscrupulous character, Elena did her thing.
The story had blown up, capturing the entire nation. Weaver’s treachery was simply astonishing.
When we reached the heavily tinted SUV waiting by the curb, Elena gave me a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, honey. I have a meeting with my boss in an hour… about that promotion.”
“You go, girl,” I said, giving her a high five.
I giggled as she shimmied away singing, “Who’s a badass journalist?”
“You are, Martinez,” I returned with a wink.
Since there were still camera clicks and flashes from a distance, the masses would probably see our insanity on the front pages tomorrow, but I didn’t care. I was learning to adopt Alex’s style of giving zero fucks. Life was just less stressful when you didn’t care too much about what others thought .
The back door of the SUV opened and a hand appeared from inside. I placed mine in it and hopped inside.
Sitting, I blew out a breath. “Goodness, my feet are killing me. I am not leaving the house again until I give birth.”
Alex chuckled, and I grinned as I leaned over to kiss him.
“I’ll rub your feet when we get home, Princess,” he promised.
Home. Getting my feet rubbed. Music to my ears…
He threw an arm over my shoulders and purred, “I’ll rub other body parts if you want me to.”
“Contain yourself, you horndog.” I snickered. “As much as I wouldn’t mind having sexy time, I’ll probably fall asleep in the middle of it.” It happened last week, and I was mortified . Alex, however, had laughed it off.
“We’ll see…” he said. “You were amazing out there.”
“You weren’t even there.”
He held up his phone. “I had eyes on you the whole time.”
“You did not hack the security cameras,” I scoffed.
“Only because I couldn’t be in there with you, and I had to make sure you were safe.”
“The burly bodyguards weren’t enough?”
“Not for my comfort.”
I sighed. I always felt so cherished and safe with him. “As long as you only use your powers for good…”
He gave me a peck on the forehead. “I will. I promise.”
I studied his profile as he turned to look out the window as we whizzed past buildings, cars, and pedestrians. “Alex?”
He turned to me.
“Why did you make it seem as if I was the only one involved in exposing Weaver?” He instructed Elena to leave him out of it. I was being hailed as a “brave hero” for taking on corruption in the technology and medical sphere by taking down Weaver. “I hate that you’re not getting the recognition. You’re the real hero.”
“If it weren’t for you, Weaver wouldn’t have come up on my radar,” he stated. “And you are a hero, Liv.”
“No, I’m not the one who?—”
“I prefer to remain anonymous,” he interrupted. “You know that.”
“I do, but I wish you’d tell me why .” For the last few months, I’d been dying to know what the White Knight really stood for. Would he ever satisfy my curiosity? I harrumphed and stuck out my lower lip.
Alex blew out a breath as he eyed me with amusement. “I never could deny that pout. Fine, that crazy reporter who busted me a few years back wasn’t so crazy. The White Knight is my hacker name. I just spun a story in the media that I got the name for my expertise in cybersecurity as a cover.”
“I knew it,” I said.
“There are three of us who work together. We hack systems just to expose criminals. I’m talking about the worst of the worst like human traffickers, weapons dealers, you name it. Then, we anonymously feed the information to the authorities.”
I gawked at him, utterly intrigued.
Alex chuckled. “Close your mouth, Liv.”
I lifted my jaw, which practically touched my lap, and snapped my mouth shut.
“The other two hackers in the circle…. we don’t know each other’s identities… I tried to identify them, but hell, they’re as good as I am so I got nothing. Since that report put me on blast, I’m pretty sure they know who I am though, but it seems they’re only interested in doing good, so I’ve had no problems. If I ever delve into the underworld of serious hacking again, I’ll need a new identity. The White Knight is done for. ”
“How did the reporter get wind of your work?” I asked.
“Some jackass at the feds leaked a bunch of government files.”
I gasped loudly. “Oh. My. God. So you really do work for the government?”
“ No . Once in a while, Uncle Sam asks me for a favor and I grant it.” That mischievous Alex smirk lifted his lips. “And then Uncle Sam owes me favors. I’ve racked up a long list of favors…”
“You really do run the city from behind a computer, you evil genius,” I whispered.
He laughed. “What?”
“Elena and I have speculated, and we were right the whole time.”
He rolled his eyes. “You know you can’t tell Elena about this, right?”
It was disappointing, but I understood. “Your secrets will forever be safe with me, Alex.”
He grinned. “I know.”
“I’m dating Batman,” I squealed.
“ Jeezus , Liv,” he groaned.
“No, you’re better than Batman. You’re the White Knight. I’m so proud of you. You’re my hero.”
He gave me a pointed look. “Stop it.”
I grinned from ear to ear. “One day, our little girl will know that her daddy is a hero.”
His expression… no, his entire being softened at the mention of our daughter who was just a month away from joining us. He placed his hand on my swollen belly as he leaned closer to press his lips to mine.