“You dumped him… on purpose?” Evie, my best friend, blinked once, twice, and then shook her head as I stopped the television on SpongeBob SquarePants.

“Yup.” I reached for a marshmallow from the oversized bowl between us, popping it into my mouth with zero remorse.

“You hacked into DeLuca Innovations, walked into the competition room like some kind of tech goddess, handed them their own security breach on a USB drive, and then walked out?” Evie’s voice climbed an octave with each word as though I had just confessed to robbing Fort Knox.

“Correction. I sauntered out,” I said, grinning. “I have a flair for dramatics, you know.”

Evie groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Jaden Bell, you are unbelievable. Do you have any idea how many women would kill to marry Darric DeLuca? Or at least, you know, spend a lifetime swimming in his Scrooge McDuck-level fortune?”

I shrugged, even as my heart betrayed me with a little flutter. Darric DeLuca. The Prince of Tech. The man with a jawline sharp enough to cut glass, eyes that could hack your soul faster than I’d hacked his company’s firewalls, and a voice smooth enough to convince you to buy an upgrade you didn’t need.

“Look,” I said, stretching my legs out on the couch, “it wasn’t about him. It was about proving I could do it. That I was better than the pompous, overconfident tech bros who think a woman like me shouldn’t be playing in their sandbox. I broke the system. I won the competition. And now, I’m done.”

Evie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then why haven’t you stopped talking about him?”

My mouth opened, then shut.

I hadn’t meant to keep talking about him, but there was something about how Darric looked at me when I handed over the USB drive—a mix of disbelief, annoyance, and… curiosity. Like I was a puzzle he hadn’t solved yet.

“Whatever,” I said, tossing the remote aside. “Darric’s probably already forgotten about me. Rich tech geniuses don’t have time to chase after hackers who ruin their Christmas contests.”

Or so I thought.

“She what?” Darric’s mother, Lucinda DeLuca, practically growled over the speakerphone.

Darric pinched the bridge of his nose, pacing the length of his office. “She hacked the system, won the competition, and left.”

“And you let her?” Lucinda’s voice had the same bite it did when he refused to eat his broccoli as a child.

“She’s not a pet, Mother,” Darric said, frustration lacing his tone. “She’s… complicated.”

“She’s the woman you’re supposed to marry! If I have to sit through one more gala with the board asking about your bachelor status, I swear I’ll—”

“Enough.” Darric ran a hand through his hair. His mother meant well, but this wasn’t her problem to solve. It was his.

And truthfully? Jaden Bell was already under his skin.

The way she’d stood there, petite but unshakable, with that teasing smirk and her wild curls that refused to obey gravity—she was a contradiction in every way. A brilliant, maddening enigma who had walked out of his life without a second glance.

Well, not for long.

Darric DeLuca didn’t lose—not in business, not in technology, and certainly not in love. He had one week to find his “Cinderella Hacker” before Christmas.

Game on.

Jaden leaned back in her chair, the glow of her laptop screen reflecting on her face. She’d planned on spending the week before Christmas binge-watching cheesy rom-coms and avoiding her nosy neighbor, Mrs. McGregor. What she hadn’t planned on was a knock at her door.

When she opened it, Darric DeLuca stood on her porch, holding a steaming cup of hot cocoa and a lopsided grin.

“Miss Bell,” he said, his deep voice sending a shiver down her spine, “you owe me a conversation.”

The snow fell in soft, whispering flurries, blanketing the world in a serene hush. Jaden stood on the balcony of the sprawling DeLuca estate, her breath curling in soft puffs in the crisp winter air. Behind her, the grand Christmas tree glittered with a thousand golden lights, casting a warm glow over the scene. Somewhere in the distance, the faint sound of carolers drifted through the night, mingling with the soft hum of her own heartbeat.

She turned, her gaze falling on Darric as he stepped out onto the balcony carrying two steaming mugs of hot cocoa. He was a vision of effortless charm, his strong frame wrapped in a tailored coat and dark hair dusted with snowflakes. His eyes—intense, searching, and warm—found hers immediately.

“You’re impossible to surprise, you know that?” he said with a teasing grin, handing her a mug.

Jaden smiled, the heat from the cocoa warming her hands. “It’s not my fault you’re predictable, Mr. DeLuca. Grand gestures are kind of your thing.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Touché. But I have one last surprise up my sleeve, and I promise, it’s a good one.”

Her brow lifted, curiosity flickering in her gaze. “Oh? Should I be worried?”

“Not at all,” he said, stepping closer until there was barely an inch between them. “But you should be ready.”

For a moment, the world seemed to pause. Darric set his mug down on the railing, his hands sliding into his coat pockets as he stared at her, his expression shifting to something quieter, more vulnerable.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment since the day you walked out of my office with that ridiculous smirk on your face,” he began, his voice low and rich. “You hacked my system, dismantled every assumption I had about myself and my world, and then vanished. Do you know how infuriating you are?”

Jaden smirked, leaning against the railing. “I have an idea.”

“Good. Then you’ll understand why I couldn’t just let you go,” Darric said, stepping closer. His voice softened, and for the first time, she saw not the tech mogul, not the billionaire genius, but the man behind it all. “Jaden, I’ve spent my life-solving problems and building systems that connect the world. But none of it has ever felt as real as being here with you. You make me laugh. You make me crazy. And you make me want to be better.”

Her breath caught as he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and dropped to one knee. The sight of him there—vulnerable, earnest, and utterly hers—sent a rush of warmth through her that had nothing to do with the cocoa in her hands.

“I never wanted a Christmas bride,” he said, his voice trembling just enough to betray his nerves. “But then you came along and turned my world upside down. I don’t care if it’s today, tomorrow, or ten years from now—just promise me one thing. Let’s build something together, firewall-free.”

The words were simple, but they hit her harder than any romantic script or grand gesture ever could. Her lips parted, and she could feel the hot sting of tears gathering in her eyes.

“Darric…” Her voice broke, and she laughed softly, shaking her head. “You really are the most infuriating man I’ve ever met.”

His lips twitched into a grin. “Is that a yes?”

Jaden placed the cocoa on the railing, letting it teeter dangerously as she dropped to her knees in front of him, the velvet box still perched in his hand.

“Yes,” she said, her voice steady despite the emotion surging through her. “Yes, but only if I get admin privileges.”

The laughter that bubbled out of him was pure joy. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a kiss that stole her breath and left her dizzy. Around them, the snow swirled like confetti, and the distant carolers launched into a jubilant chorus of “Joy to the World.”

As they pulled back, her cheeks flushed, and her lips tingled. She couldn’t resist adding, “And if your mother has any complaints, I’ll handle her.”

Darric chuckled, brushing a stray curl from her face. “I’m not worried. Something tells me you’re the only one who could ever win an argument with her.”

Jaden grinned mischievously, pulling him close. “Speaking of winning… does your mother have anything against a sponge wearing square pants?”

His laughter echoed into the night, and as they sat together on the balcony, surrounded by the glow of the season, Jaden realized that sometimes, the most unexpected connections were the ones worth holding onto forever.