Chapter 100
Sutton shifted uncomfortably in her chair, trying to find a position that didn’t make her back ache. Over six months pregnant, and the reception desk at Cyber 10 had become her own personal torture chamber.
The hard chair. The hours of sitting. The condescending smiles from executives who didn’t know she’d been accepted into MIT but had turned it down to support her younger sisters. Instead, she’d gone into modeling–a job she’d hated with a fiery passion. But it had paid their tuition. Got them through university.
She still earned her computer science degree, even if she had to do it part time. And she could run circles around half the company’s coding team with
one hand tied behind her back.
She rubbed her lower back, wincing as the baby landed a solid kick to her ribs. The doctor had warned her about desk jobs while pregnant, but warnings didn’t pay rent or build a safety net. She was doing this alone. Luca hadn’t wanted her or the baby.
At least she had her sisters. Keira and Blair had been there through everything.
It was Blair she felt for right now. Yeah, Luca had married his baby bride, but Sutton hadn’t walked in on him mid–betrayal like Blair had–with their cousin Laura, no less. And to top it all off, Laura was pregnant, too. Like it had been going on for months.
This weekend, they had to attend the engagement party. Family unity and all that crap. What a load of bullshit. It was all about saving face. Sutton was ninety–nine percent sure no one would even mention the pregnancy. That wouldn’t fly with Auntie Viv’s pristine standards. It was bad enough Sutton had come home single and pregnant. Oh, the horror.
“Could you make copies of these for the morning meeting?”
Brad Morris, VP of operations and certified jackass, dropped a thick stack of papers on her desk without even making eye contact. His gaze hovered somewhere around her stomach, like pregnancy was contagious.
“Sure,” Sutton muttered, forcing a brittle smile.
Her third application for an internal transfer to the programming department had been rejected just yesterday. No explanation. Not that she needed one. No one wanted to invest in a pregnant employee who’d be going on leave soon. And let’s be real–she didn’t have a penis. That was strike two. This place was a boys‘ club in business casual. Women were for answering phones, pouring coffee, and smiling politely at people who treated them like furniture.
Sutton hauled herself up with effort, her balance a daily challenge as her center of gravity shifted. She made her way to the copy room, where two third- floor developers were hunched by the machine.
“…new ownership. European company. Heard they’re ruthless with cuts,” one said under his breath.
“Great timing with that baby of yours, huh?” The other glanced at her with a smirk as she entered. “Better hope they don’t decide new moms are dispensable.”
She ignored them. She’d survived worse. Being knocked up and alone wasn’t new territory–it was just quieter. She hadn’t even Googled Luca once. Cutting him out completely was the only way forward. Sure, she’d fantasized about hacking his accounts and donating every dollar to women’s shelters -but she’d restrained herself. Barely.
Back at her desk, she opened her hidden code project. She’d been working on it in the background for months–an Al–driven virus detection system that could track the dark web in real time and rewrite its own code to counter new threats as they developed. Being more proactive than reactive.
More useful than half the crap their actual dev team produced.
The elevator dinged. Sutton sat up straighter automatically.
A woman stepped out–tall, sharp, and tailored within an inch of her life. Charcoal suit, high heels, hair yanked back in a knot so tight it might’ve given her a facelift. Like the kind of woman Sutton had modeled next to and secretly loathed.
Her gaze swept the lobby and landed on Sutton’s bump with obvious distaste.
“Nicole Bruno. I have an appointment with Greg Conner, your CEO.”
Sutton checked the calendar. “I don’t see you on his schedule, Ms. Bruno.” Conner was a glorified frat boy in a blazer.
“Call him. He’ll see me.”
The tone was pure power play. Sutton dialed his extension.
“Mr. Conner, there’s a Nicole Bruno here to see you.” She paused. “Yes, sir.”
She hung up. “He’s sending his assistant down to escort you up.”
Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “How long have you worked here?”
“A few months.”
“Really? They hired you pregnant?”
“My pregnancy doesn’t affect my ability to answer phones,” Sutton replied, deadpan. “It’s not exactly rocket science.”
Nicole leaned in slightly. “In my experience, companies don’t need the burden of maternity leave and the unreliability of new mothers. I’d be updating my résumé if I were you.”
Sutton’s blood ran cold. Before she could tell her to go screw herself with a stapler, the elevator pinged again and Conner’s assistant rushed out.
She’d felt the shift in the company weeks ago. After a major coding failure let a vicious virus sneak into clients‘ systems. It had nearly tanked their biggest
“They could be brutal,” another voice chimed in. “They’ll gut us for patents and bounce.”
Sutton pressed a hand to her belly, willing the baby to calm down. She couldn’t afford to lose this job. Not now. Blair and Keira would help, and she had savings–but it wouldn’t last long.
Greg Conner stepped in, flanked by Nicole Bruno and two men in suits who looked like they ate small businesses for breakfast.
“Thank you all for coming. I have an announcement.” He tugged at his collar, sweating, “Effective immediately, Cyber10 has been acquired by another tech firm.”
The room exploded with murmurs.
He raised his hands. “The new owner will be arriving next week to meet the team. In the meantime, Ms. Bruno and her team will be assessing aff departments.”
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