Transmigrated: Stealing the CEO husband-Chapter 51: Baited

Ariana pushed a hand against Luiss’s chest, gasping softly for air. Her lips were slightly swollen, her breath uneven. "I think—I think we should stop now."

Luiss looked at her, his dark eyes filled with reluctance. It was clear that he didn’t want to stop, but he wasn’t the type to force things either. With a controlled breath, he slowly pulled away, his body still radiating warmth. His fingers lingered at her waist for just a second longer before he finally let go.

She quickly turned, her heart pounding, and hurried to the closet to change into something more appropriate. Behind her, Luiss exhaled, running a hand through his slightly tousled hair before leaning back against the couch. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in the air between them was thick.

By the time Ariana returned, dressed in a simple but elegant outfit, the heat of the moment had dissipated—at least on the surface. She smoothed down the creases of her dress and composed herself. Luiss, who had been watching her closely, stood up, reaching into his pocket.

"Right, I needed to discuss something with you," he said, pulling out a sleek, metallic card and placing it on the table. "I originally came to give this to you for saving me last night."

Ariana’s gaze landed on the item, and her eyes widened in recognition. The Premium Gold Membership card of Celestial Plaza.

She swallowed hard. "This... This is one of the rarest VIP memberships in the country," she said, picking it up carefully, almost afraid it would vanish. "Only about a hundred of these exist."

Luiss shrugged nonchalantly. "And now, one of them belongs to you."

"I can’t take this." Ariana shook her head, even as her fingers curled protectively around the card. "It’s too much."

"Throw it away if you want," Luiss said, crossing his arms. "I’ve already given it to you."

Throw away such a precious thing? Was he insane? She wasn’t mad enough to do something so reckless.

Ariana sighed in defeat, bowing her head slightly as she accepted the card. "Then, I suppose I’ll have to thank President Luiss properly."

Luiss gave her a small, satisfied smirk but said nothing.

A sudden thought hit Ariana, and she frowned. "Speaking of which, how did you even enter?"

"That’s what I wanted to talk to you about," Luiss said, his playful expression shifting into something more serious. His sharp eyes locked onto hers. "Your door was already open when I arrived."

Ariana stiffened. "That’s impossible. I remember closing it before taking a bath."

Luiss took a step closer, his face unreadable. "Which means someone must have entered your apartment while you were in the bathroom."

Ariana’s stomach clenched. Her gaze darted to her belongings—her laptop, important documents, the drawers where she kept confidential information. She immediately moved to check everything, flipping through her files, scanning her screen for any unauthorized activity. Nothing seemed out of place. But that only made her more uneasy.

"If someone came in, wouldn’t they have tried to cover their tracks?" she murmured, brows furrowing. "Why leave the door open?"

Luiss was quiet for a moment before he suddenly straightened, his gaze sharp and alert. His next move caught Ariana completely off guard—he stepped forward, closing the distance between them, until he was mere inches away.

"What are you—" She instinctively took a step back, but Luiss placed a firm hand at the small of her back, preventing her from retreating further.

His warm breath tickled the shell of her ear as he leaned in and whispered, "The thief is still inside your house."

Ariana’s pulse spiked.

Luiss’s eyes flickered toward the hallway leading to the second bedroom. His voice was calm, calculated. "My guess? He’s in your spare room right now."

Ariana swallowed hard, forcing her expression to remain neutral. Her mind raced through the possibilities. If the intruder was still inside, they couldn’t risk making it obvious that they knew.

"Then shouldn’t we catch him?" she whispered back.

Luiss smirked. "Catching him won’t do us as much good as feeding him false information."

Ariana caught on immediately. Her lips curled into a small, knowing smile.

Without missing a beat, she moved to her desk and quickly began printing out fabricated documents. She altered the data in her laptop, replacing sensitive information with misleading but highly convincing reports. At the same time, she discreetly adjusted the angle of her pen camera, placing it at a hidden spot to capture every move their uninvited guest would make.

Once everything was set, she turned to Luiss.

"Why don’t we go out for dinner?" she suggested loudly, ensuring her voice would carry through the walls. "The Voss family has arranged a special buffet for us."

Luiss immediately played along. "Why not?" he replied in an equally loud voice, standing up and adjusting his cufflinks.

A few more meaningless sentences were exchanged as they pretended to leave, making sure the apartment door closed with a definitive click.

Then, silence.

Moments later, a man dressed in all black cautiously emerged from inside the second bedroom closet. His eyes darted around the room, his muscles tense as he listened for any sound of movement.

Only when he was certain the apartment was empty did he let out a sigh of relief.

Wasting no time, he moved swiftly to Ariana’s desk, rifling through the documents she had left behind. His sharp eyes scanned the pages, and after deeming them valuable, he pulled out a USB drive and inserted it into Ariana’s laptop. Within seconds, he began transferring what he believed to be critical company data.

As soon as the progress bar hit 100%, he unplugged the drive and disappeared out the door.

The restaurant was bathed in golden light, the scent of grilled delicacies and expensive wine lingering in the air. Ariana and President Luiss sat at a secluded corner table, their conversation hidden behind the hum of the busy dining hall.

As Ariana elegantly sipped her wine, her fingers subtly drummed against the table. "If it’s Gerald, then we can expect action within twenty-four hours. He’s impatient and reckless."

Luiss smirked, swirling his own drink lazily. "And if it’s Voss Corporation?"

"Then they’ll be more careful. It could take a few days before they act. Either way, our little guest will reveal who he’s truly working for soon enough."

Luiss leaned in, lowering his voice. "Are you sure the fake documents were convincing?"

Ariana gave a knowing smile. "Of course. I made them just believable enough to be tempting, but with one fatal flaw. If anyone tries to use them, it will be obvious that the data is corrupted."

Luiss exhaled, pleased. "Then it’s only a matter of waiting."

Just as Ariana set her glass down, a voice interrupted them.

"President Luiss, Miss Ariana, what a pleasant surprise."

Ariana glanced up, her posture instantly guarded. Standing before them was Gerald Lancaster, dressed in a crisp navy suit, his signature smug smirk plastered across his face.

"President Gerald," Ariana greeted, feigning politeness.

Gerald pulled out a chair uninvited and sat down, making himself comfortable. "Fancy seeing you both here. A private dinner, huh? Or is this a strategic meeting?"

Luiss chuckled, unaffected. "Can’t it be both?"

Gerald’s eyes twinkled with amusement, but Ariana knew him too well. He was here for a reason.

"Ariana," Gerald turned his attention to her, "I heard an interesting rumor today. Apparently, some new acquisition data about the Luiss Group has been leaked. Now, I wouldn’t normally think much of it... except some sources claim it came from your personal files."

Ariana raised a perfectly sculpted brow. "Oh? How intriguing."

Luiss, too, played along, looking at her with mock suspicion. "Ariana, do you have something to confess?"

Ariana gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "Oh dear. I do hope my files weren’t tampered with. That would be... unfortunate."

Gerald studied her face, but Ariana remained unreadable.

"Well," Gerald leaned back, flashing a fake smile, "I guess we’ll see soon enough if this leak causes any damage. I just thought you’d want to be informed."

Ariana tilted her head slightly. "How thoughtful of you, President Gerald. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the situation."

Gerald’s smirk faltered for a split second. Then, he stood up, nodding to both of them. "Enjoy your dinner."

As soon as he was gone, Luiss chuckled under his breath. "He took the bait."

Ariana smirked. "Of course, he did. Now, let’s see what he does next."