CHAPTER 28

The air in the penthouse grew thick with tension as Marcus explained the latest development.

“William isn’t just silencing Alan Wright through threats or bribes. He’s activating his full arsenal. Alan’s name is already being scrubbed from public records, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a manufactured scandal surfaces to ruin his credibility entirely,” Marcus said.

Darwin leaned against the edge of the desk, his jaw tight. “How long do we have before Alan’s entirely untouchable?”

Marcus checked his phone. “At the rate William’s moving? A day. Maybe less.”

Fiona, seated on the couch, wrapped her arms around herself. “If William discredits Alan, won’t that weaken our case? It’ll be our word against his.”

“Exactly,” Darwin replied. “That’s why we need to get to Alan first.”

Thalassa, sitting cross-legged in an armchair, raised an eyebrow. “And what’s the plan? It’s not like we can just knock on his door and ask him to hand over evidence.”

Darwin exchanged a look with Marcus. “We don’t have to. Alan’s been hiding assets offshore. We’ve traced one of his accounts to a financial firm in Bay City. If we can access those records, we’ll have leverage.”

Thalassa frowned. “You’re talking about hacking into a financial institution. That’s—”

“Illegal,” Darwin finished. “I know. But desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Fiona stood, her voice firm. “I’m coming with you.”

Darwin turned to her, surprised. “Fiona, this isn’t your fight—”

“Yes, it is,” she interrupted. “William dragged me into this, and I’m not going to sit back while you risk everything to fix it. I need to do something.”

Darwin studied her for a moment before nodding. “Alright. But we do this carefully.”

---

The next morning, the team gathered in the penthouse study. Marcus had secured a meeting with a contact who could grant them temporary access to Alan Wright’s account. The catch? The contact was deep inside Bay City’s underworld.

“We’re walking a fine line here,” Marcus warned. “This guy, Theo, doesn’t do favors for free. And he doesn’t play by the rules.”

Darwin nodded. “We’ll handle Theo. Just get us the meeting.”

---

The meeting took place in a dimly lit basement of an upscale restaurant in Bay City. Theo, a wiry man with sharp eyes and a dangerous smirk, lounged in a leather chair as Darwin and Fiona entered the room.

“Well, well,” Theo drawled, his voice laced with mockery. “The great Darwin Solomon. Didn’t think I’d ever see you stooping to my level.”

“I’m not here for pleasantries,” Darwin said, his tone cold. “We need access to Alan Wright’s offshore account.”

Theo chuckled. “Straight to the point. I like that. But you know the drill—nothing comes for free.”

Darwin slid a folder across the table. “You’ll find everything you need here. It’s worth more than what we’re asking for.”

Theo opened the folder, his eyes scanning the contents. He let out a low whistle. “Impressive. Alright, Solomon. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

---

That night, Darwin and Fiona waited anxiously as Marcus worked on extracting the data from Alan’s account. The process was painstakingly slow, each passing minute increasing the weight of anticipation.

Finally, Marcus leaned back, a triumphant grin on his face. “Got it.”

“What did you find?” Darwin asked.

Marcus pulled up a series of transactions on the screen. “Alan’s been moving money through dummy corporations linked to William’s shell companies. This is hard proof of their collaboration.”

Fiona’s breath caught. “This is enough to take them both down, right?”

Darwin nodded. “It’s a start. But we need to act quickly. William will realize we’re onto him soon.”

---

The next day, Darwin reached out to Rachel Hale. They met in a quiet café, far from prying eyes.

Rachel scanned the documents Darwin had brought, her expression growing more serious with each page. “This is explosive,” she said. “If this goes public, it’ll destroy William’s credibility.”

“That’s the goal,” Darwin replied. “But we need your help to ensure it reaches the right audience.”

Rachel hesitated. “You realize this will put a target on your back, too, right? William won’t take this lying down.”

Darwin’s expression was steely. “Let him come. I’m done playing by his rules.”

---

As the article was prepared for publication, Fiona couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. William had proven time and again that he was always one step ahead.

That night, as she lay in bed, her thoughts racing, her phone buzzed with a message.

Unknown Number: You think you’ve won, but this is far from over. Watch your back.

Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen. She rushed to the living room, where Darwin was reviewing documents.

He looked up, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

She handed him the phone, her hands trembling. “It’s him. He knows.”

Darwin’s jaw clenched as he read the message. “He’s trying to scare you. Don’t let him.”

Before Fiona could respond, Marcus burst into the room, his face pale.

“We have a problem,” he said. “William’s just called a press conference. He’s going to release a counter-narrative.”

Darwin’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of counter-narrative?”

Marcus hesitated. “He’s claiming that you and Fiona orchestrated a corporate espionage scheme to frame him. And he’s got doctored evidence to back it up.”

Fiona felt the room spin as the weight of the revelation sank in.

Darwin’s voice was cold and determined. “Let him play his hand. We’ll be ready.”

But as they braced for the next move in the battle, Fiona couldn’t shake the feeling that they were about to face their toughest challenge yet.