When did that happen?
"So," Killian says, studying me."Where's the innkeeper?Thought you two were Seattle's new power couple."
"We're not."
"Ah."He nods knowingly."What ended it?The distance?The business complications?The fact that mixing romance with financial desperation never ends well?"
"She lied."The words come out before I can stop them."Manipulated data on Grayson’s SecureMatch app to match with me.Hacked the algorithm."
Killian pauses mid-sip."She hacked a dating app to get to you?"
“Fifteen times.Studied my profile like I was a business plan."
"That's..."He sets down his glass."Actually quite resourceful."
"It's fraud."
"It's creative problem-solving."He's fighting a smile now."Let me understand.A woman wanted your attention so badly she committed minor cybercrime?"
"It's not funny."
"It's a little funny."He's definitely smiling now."My ex-wife spent twenty years slowly siphoning joint assets into private accounts.Your innkeeper hacked an app to get a date.These are not the same."
"She lied?—"
"To meet you.Not to rob you."He turns to face me fully."Did she ask for money?"
"No."
"Try to access your accounts?"
"No."
"Manipulate you into investments?"
"I offered.She refused."
"So her grand criminal plan was...to get you to notice her?"
I stare into my whiskey, swallowing.
Killian snorts into his drink, gaze downturned.“Hey, look, mate.I’m the last person to advocate for romance.Love is a chemical imbalance that makes rational people do irrational things."He pauses."But if someone cared enough about meeting me to hack an entire platform?I'd at least be flattered."
"My ex-wife cheated with my cousin.Trust isn't exactly my strong suit."
"Ah."His expression softens."The double betrayal.That explains the walls."
"Walls are protective."
"Walls are lonely."He signals for another round."Trust me.I've built mine so high I need aviation clearance."
"You seem fine."
"I'm having my third whiskey at 9 PM on a Wednesday, talking to another emotionally stunted billionaire about our relationship failures."He raises his glass."This is not fine."
We drink in companionable silence for a moment.
"The worst part," I say eventually, "is that SafeStay is succeeding because of her.Every bug we fixed, every improvement we made—it all came from the implementation at her inn.”
