Billionaire Villainess (Unedited) 18+

Since When Can You Hack?

Zayden hadn't stopped pacing since the laughter had faded. Judith could feel his restless energy without needing to look at him. His footsteps were heavy on the floor, each step adding more weight to the already tense atmosphere. The silence in the room thickened with each passing moment. While the others seemed unsettled by the encounter with Theo, Judith could sense that Zayden's unease came from somewhere else—somewhere deeper. His usual calm was cracking, leaving a subtle tension in its place.

Judith turned to face him, her voice soft but firm. "I'm fine, Zayden," she reassured, her tone gentle. "I can handle him."

Zayden stopped pacing, his posture stiff as he halted in front of her, his eyes softening for a brief moment. He didn't speak for a while, and when he did, his voice was quieter than usual, laced with a tenderness she still wasn't used to hearing. "I know you can," he said, his words a little strained. "Just... don't let him get to you, okay?"

Judith raised an eyebrow and offered him a smile that was light but genuine. "Theo's all talk, Zayden. Trust me, I'm not about to fall for his nonsense."

Zayden nodded again, but his gaze lingered a bit too long. His posture remained unusually tense, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Judith felt something shift in his eyes, something she hadn't expected. Was it concern? Or something else? It was hard to tell.

The silence stretched, thick and heavy, until Charles broke it with a mischievous grin. "You know," he said, leaning back in his chair, "since when did you become some kind of secret hacker, Judith?"

Judith's breath caught for a moment, but she quickly recovered, slipping back into her usual composed demeanor. "I didn't exactly make a big deal about it," she said casually, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "Just a little hobby I picked up along the way."

"You 'picked it up'?" Xavier raised an eyebrow. "That kind of talent doesn't come out of nowhere. You must've spent some serious hours getting that good."

Judith smiled, deflecting the scrutiny with ease. "Self-taught, mostly. Just something I enjoy doing when I've got the time. Breaking things down to see how they work."

The room was silent for a beat as the others processed her words. Then Liam leaned forward, clearly impressed. "Seriously? Man, I had no idea. You should've told us sooner. We could've really used you to help with our website security instead of having Xavier struggle with it."

"Hey!" Xavier protested.

Judith grinned, enjoying the playful banter. It was good-natured, and she liked how they appreciated her abilities, but she kept her tone casual. "I'm more of a behind-the-scenes person. I don't need to make a show of it."

Charles let out a low whistle, half-amused, half-impressed. "Fair enough. But seriously, you've got to teach us a thing or two sometime. Imagine what we could do with your skills."

The conversation continued as they discussed how she could improve their security, tossing out ideas for future collaborations. But no matter how lighthearted the room became, Judith couldn't shake the feeling that Zayden was still watching her intently. His gaze remained on her, intense and unblinking, a silent observation that lingered in the background.

She didn't want to assume, but... could it be that he's jealous of Theo?

She considered the possibility for a moment, and her stomach fluttered with unease. Zayden had never shown such obvious discomfort before. Yet the way he was watching her—protective and intense—suggested something deeper. Judith tried to push the thought aside. Whatever was going on in Zayden's mind, it didn't change the fact that she was perfectly fine dealing with Theo's nonsense.

"Do you think I could teach you guys something?" Judith asked, her attempt at deflecting the momentary tension wrapped in a lighthearted tone. She smiled warmly at Zayden, her eyes meeting his for a split second before he looked away.

Liam chuckled and turned to the group, clearly oblivious to the subtle undercurrent between Judith and Zayden. "That's the understatement of the century. We'd be a mess without you."

Judith laughed along with them, but her attention remained on Zayden. His quiet discomfort still hung in the air, and no matter how much she tried to brush it off, the uneasy feeling lingered in her chest.

"You okay?" she asked, her smile fading just enough to show she was genuinely concerned.

Zayden blinked, snapping out of whatever trance he'd slipped into. His smile returned, but there was something about it that didn't quite match the usual warmth in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said slowly, his tone unsure. He hesitated before adding, "Just thinking about the next steps for our project. And seriously... your hacking skills... it was pretty impressive."

Judith's smile softened at his words. His praise had more weight behind it than she expected, and she felt a quiet warmth spread through her. "Thanks. I just wanted to make sure Metube is secured."

For a moment, their eyes locked, and the brief silence between them felt charged—an unspoken connection that left Judith feeling more connected to him than usual. It wasn't dramatic, but it was undeniable. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. His usual confidence seemed wrapped up in some uncertainty that mirrored her own.

The others started to filter out of the room, talking and laughing about the strange events of the day. Zayden lingered by her side, more withdrawn than usual. The slight tension was gone, but the underlying shift in his demeanor remained.

Judith took a step closer, lowering her voice as the room cleared. "You sure you're okay?" she asked again, her concern not completely assuaged by his earlier assurances.

Zayden met her eyes again, this time his expression lighter. He gave her a smile that was more relaxed than before, and his gaze softened. "Yeah. I'm good," he said with a playful tone returning to his voice. "Just thinking about how I'll make sure you don't go getting too cocky with all that hacking talent of yours."

Judith smiled back, appreciating the playful jab. It felt like things were back to normal, and the earlier unease between them began to fade. "Don't worry, Zayden. I've got it covered."

As the room emptied out, Judith finally exhaled, the last bit of unease disappearing. She couldn't figure out exactly what it was between her and Zayden, but whatever it was, it seemed like he was beginning to relax. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, it didn't seem like it would keep them apart. Not now.