Billionaire Villainess (Unedited) 18+

Flirted By The Hacker (edited 1/4/25)

The face on the screen was younger than Judith had expected. Messy dark brown hair framed sharp, intelligent eyes that gleamed with amusement and curiosity. The smirk that played across his lips was more mischievous than threatening, a grin of someone who'd found the challenge of a lifetime.

"Was it you? Are you the one who just beat me?" Theo asked, leaning forward into the camera. His voice was low and smooth, carrying an undertone of genuine admiration. "Because I gotta say, I've been up against some talented hackers, but you... wow."

Judith's brow furrowed, her focus sharpening. Her mind raced—what did he want? Why this sudden reveal? Was he trying to intimidate her, or did he truly mean it? Her hands remained steady as she pressed a thought through her head. "You're not exactly in a position to throw compliments around," she said coolly, masking her surprise at his sudden appearance.

Zayden immediately stepped up beside her, his presence steady and protective. His broad shoulders squared, and he crossed his arms over his chest, shooting a hard glare at the hacker on the screen. "And you're not in a position to talk to her. Who the hell are you?"

Liam, Charles, and Xavier exchanged surprised glances before turning back to what was in front of them.

Theo raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the territorial display. "Relax, tough guy." His eyes flicked to Judith, completely bypassing Zayden's presence as though he weren't even there. "I'm more interested in the lady genius who just handed me my first L in years. Seriously, that trap with the bottleneck? Smooth. Elegant." He let out a low whistle, shaking his head in admiration. "And, no offense, but you don't look like most of the programmers I know. They don't usually combine brains with..." His gaze shifted just slightly, the grin widening. "...let's just call it aesthetic brilliance."

Zayden stiffened, his jaw clenching. "Back off, pal. You're lucky you're on the other side of a screen."

Judith, though, didn't flinch. If anything, Theo's attempts at charm barely fazed her. What was he really after? She pushed the thought aside, focusing on his words. "If you think flattery is going to get you out of this mess, you're even less of a professional than I thought."

"Oh, I'm plenty professional," Theo replied, his voice teasing. "But it's not every day I meet a woman who can hack circles around me. I feel like I should take the chance to appreciate the rare species in front of me."

Judith quirked an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair as she studied him with her arms crossed. "And is that supposed to distract me from reporting this breach to the authorities?" she threatened, though the words felt hollow even to her. The potential fallout lingered in the back of her mind. She probably wouldn't report him—but she'd make him squirm until he felt every ounce of pressure.

He leaned closer to his camera, resting his chin in his hand. "Aw, don't be like that. Can't we call this... friendly competition? No harm done." His smirk softened into something almost genuine. "Honestly, I didn't think anyone would even notice me digging around until it was too late. But you? You caught me off guard. You're not just good—you're great."

The tiniest flicker of color crept into Judith's cheeks, though she quickly dismissed it, maintaining a cool facade. Focus. She narrowed her eyes at Theo. "If you're trying to charm your way out of trouble, you're wasting your breath."

"Who said I was trying to get out of trouble? Maybe I just wanted to talk," Theo said lightly. His gaze dropped briefly to her hands on the keyboard before locking back onto her eyes. "It's rare to meet someone on my wavelength. And someone who looks good doing it? Definitely worth the risk."

"Okay, that's enough." Zayden stepped in front of the laptop, his voice hard. "Listen here, hacker boy, you're messing with the wrong people. Judith isn't interested in your games, and neither am I."

Theo snorted softly, clearly unimpressed. "Jealous much?" He leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head as if he didn't have a care in the world. "If you're this threatened by a little banter, man, I almost feel bad for you."

Zayden opened his mouth to retort, but Judith gently placed her hand on his chest, silencing him. She met Theo's gaze directly, her eyes steely. "You seem to think this is all fun and games, but what you just did was illegal, dangerous, and reckless. I don't care how 'charming' you think you are. What you should really be doing is explaining why you were trying to break into our website's servers."

Her mind raced. The hack might've been small in scale, but it felt like the first move in something far bigger. Something about his teasing and flippant words didn't sit right with her. Could this be some personal vendetta? Or was there something more to his game?

For a moment, Theo's smirk faltered. His gaze flickered to the side, almost imperceptibly, before he shrugged and played it off. "Let's just say I had my reasons," he said, his tone suddenly less playful. "And before you get the wrong idea, it's not personal. At least, it wasn't... until now." The teasing glint returned to his eyes. "Now I feel like I should see where this... rivalry takes us."

"Rivalry?" Zayden snapped. "She's not playing your game."

But Theo's attention remained locked on Judith. "What do you say, genius? Round two someday?" His grin widened. "I'll even make it easy on you next time. Maybe I'll win this time, just so we're even."

Judith tilted her head, a smirk of her own curling at her lips. "Easy on me? Funny, considering I'm the one who just made you crash and burn."

Theo chuckled softly. "Fair enough. You got me this time." His voice softened slightly. "But, for the record, you're even cooler under pressure than I imagined. Smart, calm, and gorgeous? Zayden, my man, you better count your lucky stars every day."

"Lucky stars?" Zayden's posture stiffened further. He felt like he was about to explode, but Judith gently placed her hand on his shoulder. His annoyance simmered under the surface, but his temper was just as fast to subside when Judith maintained her composure.

"Enough," Zayden growled, his face flushed with irritation. "This conversation is over."

But Theo only winked at Judith. "Until next time, genius."

And with a click, the screen went dark.

Judith leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly. Her fingers were still tingling from the rapid exchanges of code, but her mind was abuzz. She still wasn't sure about his true motivation—Was it a game? A deeper challenge? Or was Theo testing her skills for something bigger? There were no answers yet. She wondered if he would really come back for a round two... if she'd even let him.

Her team broke the silence with an awkward shuffle of disbelief. Zayden's scowl hadn't faded, and he glanced at her, his shoulders still tense.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice softer now.

Judith nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Oh, I'm fine. But you might want to watch out." Her eyes glinted with amusement as her fingertips hovered over her keyboard again. "It looks like you've got some competition."

The room burst into a mixture of laughter and disbelief, leaving Zayden rubbing the back of his neck with a deep breath. The guys shifted uneasily; they'd expected a simple report, but this... this was not over.

Meanwhile, Judith silently weighed her options. Theo had only hinted at his motivations. But one thing was certain: She had a new opponent. And the game wasn't over.