CHAPTER 4: STARLIGHT MOTEL

Vespera's POV 

I didn't wait to see who was inside the black sedan.

Fear seized my heart, colder than the icy rain soaking my skin. Pushing myself up from the wet asphalt, I turned and sprinted down the narrow alleyway as fast as my aching legs could carry me. The tires hummed behind me for a brief second before the car quietly disappeared into the dark city streets.

I kept running until my lungs felt like they were on fire.

Corner after corner, I stumbled through the shadowy streets of Midtown, far away from the glittering towers of Wall Street. Eventually, I collapsed against the brick wall of a flickering neon sign that read: *Starlight Motel*. It was a miserable, rundown place, smelling of damp carpet and old exhaust fumes, but right now, it looked like a sanctuary.

I dug my shivering hands deep into my wet plastic bag, desperately feeling around the bottom of my emptied leather wallet. My thumb caught on a small slit in the inner lining.

My heart skipped a beat. A crumpled, wet twenty-dollar bill was tucked inside—a backup bill I had stashed months ago and completely forgotten about.

"Thank God," I whispered, tears of relief welling in my eyes.

I dragged myself inside the warm, dimly lit lobby. A tired man with heavy eyelids sat behind a scratched glass counter, barely glancing up from his television screen.

"Twenty bucks," I rasped, my voice trembling violently as I slid the wet bill across the glass. "Please. Just a room for a few hours. And... and a phone."

The man looked at my ruined dress, my torn shoulder, and my waterlogged hair. He didn't ask questions. He simply swapped the bill for a rusty metal key attached to a plastic tag and pointed to a clunky black rotary phone mounted on the wall nearby.

"Room 104," he grunted. "The phone line is active. Local calls only."

My hands shook so hard I could barely lift the heavy receiver. Dialing the ten-digit number from memory, I pressed the plastic speaker against my ear, listening to the long, dull ringing sounds on the other end.

Ring... ring... ring...

"Hello?" a soft, sleepy voice answered on the fourth ring.

"Maren..." I choked out, a wave of raw emotion crashing over me the moment I heard her voice. "Maren, it's me."

There was a sudden, sharp gasp on the line, followed by the sound of sheets rustling frantically.

"Vespera?!" Maren cried out, her tone instantly laced with sheer panic. 

"Oh my God, Vespera! Is that really you?! Where are you? Are you okay? I've been watching the news everywhere! They're saying terrible things about you!"

Hearing my sister's voice broke whatever strength I had left. Tears spilled freely down my cold cheeks, dripping off my chin.

"Maren, he ruined me," I sobbed into the receiver, pressing my forehead against the cool, dusty wall of the lobby. "Everett set me up. He took me to the gala, stood in front of hundreds of people, and accused me of stealing twelve million dollars from his company. He threw fake papers at my feet... papers with my digital signature on them."

"No, no, no!" Maren wept loudly over the phone, her sobs sounding heavy and broken. "That monster! How could he do that to you after everything you gave him?!"

"Maren, listen to me," I said, trying to catch my breath through the tight knot in my chest. "The digital signature... It's the private key we created together for our old small business account. The one we promised never to share with anyone. Only you and I know that password. How did Everett get it? How did he use it to frame me?"

The phone line went dead silent for two long, excruciating seconds. All I could hear was Maren's ragged breathing.

"Maren?" I murmured, a fresh wave of anxiety tightening around my ribs. "Are you still there?"

"Vesper..." Maren burst into loud, heartbroken wails, her voice trembling so violently I could barely understand her. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Vespera! Please don't hate me!"

My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. "What are you talking about? What happened?"

"Everett came to my apartment last week," Maren cried out, sounding completely terrified. "He had two heavy security guards with him, Vesper. He cornered me in my own living room! He said if I didn't give him the backup drive with our private encryption password, he would lie to the police and have me thrown in prison for fraud! He threatened to ruin my life, Vesper... I was so scared! I tried to fight him, I swear I did, but he forced me to hand it over!"

A heavy mixture of shock, guilt, and deep heartbreak washed over me.

All this time, I thought Everett had targeted only me. But he had gone after my sweet, fragile foster sister too. He had terrified her, backed her into a corner, and forced her to betray me to save herself. Maren had grown up in the same cold foster homes as me. She was gentle, delicate, and easily frightened. How could I blame her for crumbling under a billionaire's threat?

"Oh, Maren..." I whispered, my heart aching with intense gratitude and sisterly sorrow. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I brought that evil man into your life."

"No, Vespera, it's my fault!" Maren sobbed, sniffing loudly. "I should have warned you! I tried to call you, but Everett had your phone monitored! I've been sick to my stomach all night thinking about what he did to you at the gala!"

"It's okay," I said softly, wiping my wet cheeks with the back of my sleeve. "You're safe, and that's all that matters to me. I'm going to figure this out, Maren. I swear I will clear my name."

"Where are you right now?" Maren asked hurriedly, her tone filled with urgent concern. "Are you somewhere safe? Tell me the address, Vespera. I'll take a taxi right now and come get you!"

I looked around the rundown, shadowy lobby, then down at the rusty key in my hand.

"I'm at a cheap motel in Midtown," I replied gently. "The Starlight Motel on 38th Street. Room 104."

"Okay, okay, stay right there!" Maren said quickly. "Don't open the door for anyone else, okay? The media is hunting for you everywhere."

"I won't," I promised. "Thank you, Maren. You're the only family I have left."

"I love you, Vesper," Maren whispered. "Just sit on the bed and rest. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"I love you too," I said softly.

I was just about to pull the heavy phone receiver away from my ear when Maren spoke one last time, her voice cutting through the crackling static line.

"Oh, and Vespera?" Maren added.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you keep that altered financial flash drive hidden in your purse before I get there."

Click.

The line went dead.

I stood completely frozen in the quiet motel lobby, the black receiver still pressed tightly against my ear.

My heart stopped beating.

A wave of icy, paralyzing dread rushed straight down my spine, turning my blood to stone.

I had never mentioned a flash drive to Maren. I hadn't said a single

word about financial files or altered drives. I hadn't even mentioned my purse.

How did she know?