Chapter 42: RACHEAL’S REVENGE

I stood frozen, the weight of the revelation from the new adversary still settling in. This new player, someone with ties to both Daniel and me, had already begun to shift the balance of power. But as the door to my office closed behind me with a soft thud, I could feel something more ominous creeping in.

My phone buzzed on the desk, dragging me out of my thoughts. It was a message from Oliver.

_"We need to talk. Urgent."_

Before I could respond, another alert came in—this time an anonymous email. I hesitated for a moment, my finger hovering over the screen. Instinct screamed at me to be cautious, but curiosity won out. I opened the message, my stomach twisting as I read the short but chilling line.

**"Rachel’s next target is someone close to you."**

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I tried to breathe but the suffocating thought of Rachel still being several steps ahead of me closed in. My first instinct was to protect Mikey. He was too young, too innocent to be drawn into th