CHAPTER 85

The sound of the news broadcast rang in Fiona’s ears as she stared at the chaos unfolding on screen. Security personnel were scrambling to contain the situation while employees poured out of the Atlas Group’s headquarters, fear evident on their faces. Smoke billowed from one of the upper floors, and though no flames were visible, the damage was undeniable.

Darwin clenched his fists. “William’s not wasting time.”

Thalassa’s voice was tight with urgency. “We need to move. Now.”

Without hesitation, Darwin strode toward the door. Fiona and Thalassa followed, their minds racing as they processed the gravity of the situation. They had known William would retaliate, but this—an outright assault on Atlas—was a declaration of war.

As they entered the elevator, Fiona turned to Darwin. “What’s the plan?”

He exhaled sharply. “We secure the building and assess the damage. I need to know exactly what William did and how far this goes.”

Thalassa nodded. “I’ll coordinate with Marcus. If William was behind this, he would have left some kind of digital trail. We can use that to expose him.”

Fiona’s heart pounded as the elevator doors opened to the lobby. The moment they stepped out, they were met with a flurry of activity. Security teams were directing employees to safety while firefighters rushed past them toward the affected floors.

Darwin wasted no time. He turned to Claire, who was already barking orders at the remaining staff. “Get me a full report. I want to know where the breach happened and if anything was stolen.”

Claire nodded, her expression grim. “It wasn’t just a break-in, sir. The server room was targeted. It is still assessing the damage, but preliminary reports indicate a cyberattack was launched at the same time as the physical assault.”

Fiona exchanged a sharp look with Thalassa. “William’s trying to erase something.”

Darwin’s jaw tightened. “Or plant something.”

Before anyone could respond, one of the security leads approached. “Sir, we found something on the 15th floor.”

Darwin’s eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

The guard hesitated before answering. “A message. For you.”

Fiona felt a cold chill run down her spine.

Darwin didn’t waste time. “Show me.”

They followed the guard to the 15th floor, where the smell of burnt wiring lingered in the air. The hallway was eerily silent, save for the distant sound of sirens. At the end of the corridor, just outside Darwin’s office, a single piece of paper was taped to the shattered glass wall.

Darwin tore it down and read the words aloud.

“Checkmate.”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Thalassa cursed under her breath. “He’s taunting you.”

Fiona clenched her fists. “No. He thinks he’s won.”

Darwin crumpled the note in his hand, his eyes blazing with fury. “Then let’s show him how wrong he is.”

---

Two Hours Later – The War Room

The conference room had been transformed into a command center. Screens displayed security footage, financial data, and a live feed from the IT department as they worked to contain the cyber breach.

Marcus leaned over the table, scrolling through lines of code. “William covered his tracks well, but we managed to recover fragments of deleted data. He wasn’t just erasing files—he was planting false evidence.”

Darwin’s expression darkened. “Against who?”

Marcus tapped a few keys, and a new screen popped up. Fiona’s breath caught as she saw her name flashing across various documents.

“He’s trying to frame Fiona,” Marcus said grimly. “Fabricated financial transactions, fake email correspondences—he’s making it look like she was the one leaking Atlas secrets to R&K.”

Fiona’s stomach twisted.

Thalassa scoffed. “How original.”

Darwin’s fingers curled into the table. “This won’t work. We’ll expose the truth before he has a chance to use this.”

Marcus nodded. “We already have evidence linking him to the attack. Once we compile everything, we take this to the authorities.”

Fiona exhaled, trying to steady herself. “That’s assuming we have time. William isn’t going to sit back and wait for us to take him down.”

Darwin turned to her, his voice unwavering. “Then we make our move first.”

Fiona met his gaze, and for the first time in a long while, she saw something that had been missing between them for too long—trust.

“Let’s end this,” she said.

Darwin gave a firm nod. “Once and for all.”

---

Midnight – A Meeting in the Shadows

William leaned back in his leather chair, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand as he listened to his informant. The dimly lit office cast long shadows against the walls, but his sharp eyes caught every flicker of movement.

“They’re digging, sir,” the man reported. “Marcus and Thalassa have already started piecing together the deleted files.”

William smirked. “Let them. By the time they think they have enough evidence, the final nail will already be in the coffin.”

The informant hesitated. “And Fiona?”

William’s expression darkened. “She’s a loose end I should have dealt with a long time ago. But no matter. She won’t be a problem for much longer.”

The man shifted uneasily. “You’re certain?”

William’s smirk widened. “She thinks she’s playing a game with me. But she doesn’t realize—” He leaned forward, his voice like ice. “—I don’t play games. I win them.”

---

Back at Atlas – Fiona and Darwin’s Strategy

Fiona paced the length of the room, her mind racing. “William has someone feeding him information from the inside. That’s the only way he knew to launch his attack while we were still investigating.”

Darwin nodded. “And that means he’s still watching us.”

Marcus pulled up a list of employees who had access to the server room. “I’ll start running background checks. If William planted someone, we’ll find them.”

Thalassa sighed. “The problem is, we don’t have time. The longer we take, the more control William gains over the situation.”

Fiona stopped pacing. “Then let’s turn the tables.”

Darwin raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”

She crossed her arms. “William thinks he’s in control because he has a spy and has framed me. But what if we make him think he’s won—just long enough to expose him?”

Thalassa’s lips curled into a slow grin. “A trap.”

Marcus glanced at Darwin. “It’s risky.”

Darwin met Fiona’s gaze, a spark of understanding passing between them.

“Then let’s make sure he falls right into it,” he said.