The rain hadn’t let up. It pounded against the windows of the cabin, a constant reminder of the storm raging outside—and inside me. Victor’s message weighed heavily in my mind: “You’re too late. It’s already in motion.” My pulse hammered in my ears. Every second mattered now. I had no room for fear. Only action. Oliver stood beside me, dripping wet, his jaw tight with frustration. Ava sat on the couch with Mikey tucked under her arm, her eyes wide with worry. They were waiting—for me to make the call.I inhaled sharply. Using the information Victor had given us was risky—dangerous, even. If I followed the lead on the patents and Dominic’s plans, I could be walking straight into a trap. But if I didn’t? Everything my father built, everything I loved, could crumble at Dominic’s feet.Oliver’s gaze met mine. “What’s the play, Emily?” I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the weight of the decision settle on my shoulders. There was no safe choice—only the lesser of two evils.“We use
The room was a storm of motion—Dominic’s men surrounded us, their weapons raised. The red light on the bomb blinked faster, each pulse driving fear deeper into my chest. This was the endgame. Dominic had orchestrated everything to perfection.Oliver was locked in a brutal struggle with one of the men, the two of them rolling across the wooden floor in a tangle of fists. Ava crouched by the couch, clutching Mikey protectively, her wide eyes darting toward me. Think, Emily. Think. I couldn’t let it end here. Not like this. I forced myself to focus on the blinking bomb—three wires: red, blue, and yellow. A classic trap, designed to make me overthink. I could disarm it. I had to. But that wouldn’t solve everything. We were still cornered. I needed to flip the situation—use their overconfidence against them. I took a deep breath, steadying my thoughts. “Oliver!” I called, my voice sharp and clear. “Buy me 30 seconds!” He shot me a grim look, then threw a brutal punch that sent his o
My breath hitched as the imposter’s cold mask faltered. This wasn’t just any deception—it was a betrayal far worse than I could have ever imagined. He stood rigid, trapped between my gaze and the truth that was closing in around him like a noose. Oliver tensed at my side, clutching the stolen drive. Ava whispered softly to Mikey, her arms wrapped protectively around him, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. Every second felt like an eternity, teetering on the edge of revelation. Then the mask slipped, revealing a face I thought I knew. My stomach dropped as his features shifted from cold calculation to something horrifyingly familiar. The way he looked at me—like a man with nothing left to hide—ripped through me like a knife. “Dominic Vale?” I whispered, the name suddenly tasting bitter on my tongue. “No... it can’t be.” The man smirked—an expression that felt too personal, too intimate. Then he spoke, his voice softer, more familiar than I wanted to believe. “You
The room was thick with tension, the air electric with the weight of Nathan's threat hanging over us. The detonator in his hand felt like a ticking time bomb, and I could barely breathe, my chest tightening as panic coursed through me. All my instincts screamed to flee, but I stood frozen in place, grappling with the reality that Nathan, my oldest friend, had betrayed me. “What do you think you’re going to do?” I asked, forcing the words past my clenched throat. “You really think this will end well for you?” Nathan’s smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating look that sent a chill racing down my spine. “You don’t understand, Emily. This isn’t about me. It’s about you finally facing the truth.” He stepped closer, the device still clenched tightly in his fist. “You’ve been manipulating everyone around you—including me. You had no idea how your ambition would push me into the shadows, did you?” I felt a wave of anger wash over me, mixed with disbelief. “I never wanted to push
Nathan’s words echoed in my mind, a haunting whisper that refused to fade. _“Promise me you’ll find out the truth, Emily.”_ But what truth? What else could I possibly not know after all the layers of betrayal? I stood frozen for a second, staring at the door Nathan had slipped through, my heart a tangle of emotions—rage, heartbreak, confusion. Revenge tasted so sweet in theory, but now, with everything unraveling, doubt crept in. Did I want revenge for myself, or did I just want to stop more people from getting hurt?Oliver’s voice snapped me out of my daze. "Emily, we don’t have time." He grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hallway toward the back stairwell of the building. We ran through the dim corridor, my heels clicking against the floor, every sound magnified by the pounding of my heart. If Nathan was telling the truth—if there was something deeper I wasn’t seeing—how much more was at stake than I realized? I felt the cold sting of betrayal laced with every thought. Nath
Oliver and I stepped through the heavy metal door of the warehouse, the sharp scent of saltwater and rust hanging in the air. The silence was too perfect, too deliberate, like the lull before a storm. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing louder in the eerie stillness. Nathan was waiting for us. I knew it. But so was the key to stopping him. This wasn’t just about uncovering his hidden weakness—it was about exploiting it before he could adjust. Everything we’d fought for was balanced on a knife’s edge, and the clock was running out. Oliver gave me a quick glance as he pulled out his phone, keeping his other hand near the concealed gun at his side. "I’m tapping into the security feeds now," he whispered. His fingers moved with a speed born of experience—steady, reliable. Oliver was one of the few people I could still trust without reservation, and I clung to that trust like a lifeline. The screen flickered, and grainy surveillance footage from inside the warehouse popped
The roar of the explosion still echoed in my ears as I staggered through the debris, coughing against the thick smoke. The warehouse was falling apart—beams groaned under their weight, and shards of glass rained down like jagged snow. But none of that mattered now. I wasn’t leaving until this ended. One way or another. Oliver’s voice crackled through my earpiece. “Emily! The exit is blocked—can you make it to the south side?” “No.” My voice was hoarse but resolute. There was no running now. Not when everything—my company, my legacy, the people I loved—hung in the balance. Nathan stood on the far end of the warehouse, silhouetted against the flickering flames. Beside him was Abby, my sister, her expression cold and unreadable, as if we were nothing more than strangers now. Nathan’s grin widened, the kind of smile you give when you know you’ve already won. "This is where it ends, Emily. You should’ve stayed out of it."I stepped forward, every muscle in my body coiled tight. “You
I stood frozen as the sirens faded, Nathan’s parting words echoing in my mind like a twisted symphony: “You’re the key to everything.” The cold steel of realization wrapped around me, tighter with each passing second. What the hell had I stumbled into? The air inside the ruined warehouse reeked of smoke, dust, and betrayal. I tried to focus on Oliver as he approached me, his face taut with concern. “Emily, are you okay?” I wanted to answer, to say something that would make sense of what just happened, but nothing in my life made sense anymore. Nathan’s cryptic words rattled in my brain like a puzzle missing too many pieces. How could I be the target? What did they know about me that I didn’t?I brushed past Oliver, barely aware of the bruises blossoming across my body. My phone buzzed in my pocket. The vibration felt like a bomb ticking down to zero. I fished it out with trembling hands and stared at the unknown number flashing across the screen.“Emily.” Oliver placed a firm hand