The quiet hum of Elias’s study was broken only by the soft tapping of a keyboard. The light from his laptop screen illuminated his face as he leaned forward, focused and unblinking. Across the room, one of his most trusted tech experts—an anonymous hacker known only by the alias “Kade”—was sitting on the couch, connected remotely through a secure video call.“She was careful,” Kade said, his voice low but confident. “She used shell accounts and bounced the money through multiple channels. But she made a mistake.”Elias sat up straighter. “Go on.”“There’s a flagged transaction—sixty thousand transferred from a dormant account that just became active last month. The funds were converted to crypto, then rerouted, but I traced the origin back to a private account under the name of a fake company—‘LN Consulting.’ But the registry? It’s linked to Lena Marquez.”Elias’s jaw tightened.“She set it up quietly a year ago. No activity until recently,” Kade continued. “And get this—two of the SI
The next morning, the villa was quiet and still. Elias sat propped up on the couch, a blanket over his legs and a warm cup of tea cradled in his hands. His injuries still ached, but he felt stronger than he had in days. Part of that was thanks to Maya—her quiet care, her steady presence—but part of it came from something else entirely. A nagging thought that had rooted itself in his mind after Daniel’s unexpected visit.Maya entered the room quietly, holding a tray with some toast and cut fruit.“You didn’t have to get up so early,” she said with a small smile as she set the tray down. “You need rest.”“I’ve rested enough,” Elias replied. His voice was calm, but there was a sharpness behind it that Maya immediately noticed. She paused, watching him as he stared ahead, lost in thought.“What is it?” she asked softly.Elias looked at her for a moment, debating whether to speak. But then he set the teacup aside and motioned for her to sit.“When Daniel came here last night… it made me t
Maya sat quietly on the edge of the couch, folding Elias’s freshly laundered blanket and placing it at the foot of his bed. He had just fallen asleep after a light dinner, and she had spent the last hour checking on his bandage, adjusting his pillows, and quietly cleaning up around the guest room.The room smelled faintly of chamomile tea and clean linens. She looked at Elias’s resting face for a moment, her heart heavy with guilt and gratitude. He had taken a bullet for her and Anika. Without hesitation. Without question.As she straightened up and brushed a few crumbs from the table, she exhaled deeply. The weight of the past few days sat heavily on her shoulders. The false accusations. The online rumors. The confusion and fear in people’s eyes when they looked at her. It was all too much—but here, in this quiet moment, she allowed herself to feel just a little peace.She picked up her phone, checked the time, and glanced back once more at Elias. Satisfied that he was resting comfor
Daniel was halfway through checking emails in his home office when Lena stepped inside, holding her phone. Her expression was unreadable. “You haven’t seen the new gist yet, have you?” Daniel barely looked up. “No. Why?” She hesitated, then handed him the phone. “You should see this.” He took it from her, expecting a business headline or political scandal—but what he saw made his stomach turn. The screen displayed a breaking news segment. A reporter stood outside a gated property, speaking urgently into the microphone. Behind her, footage rolled of flashing lights, emergency responders, and a familiar estate. “The Denovan family has confirmed that their young daughter was safely recovered after being kidnapped earlier this week. However, in a shocking turn, the suspects allegedly named a woman they claimed had hired them. That name? Maya—one of the designers frequently associated with the family…” Daniel blinked. The next clip showed shaky footage taken from across the street—b
The front door clicked shut as Daniel stepped into the house. He loosened his tie, feeling the tension of a long workday slowly fade. The rich smell of roasted meat, warm spices, and fresh bread drifted from the dining room, instantly catching his attention.“Lena?” he called.“In here,” she replied calmly.Daniel walked in and blinked in surprise. The dining table was set beautifully—silverware gleamed, wine glasses sparkled, and the dishes were arranged with care. Roasted chicken with herbs sat at the center, surrounded by bowls of colorful vegetables and rice. A bottle of wine stood uncorked beside two glasses.“This looks… nice,” he said, a bit wary but touched.Lena stood near the table, wiping her hands on a folded cloth. She wore a soft green dress, her hair tied neatly, her expression unreadable. “I thought we should have a proper dinner tonight. It’s been a while.”Daniel nodded slowly. “Yeah. It has.”He sat down, and she poured the wine without saying anything. For a few mi
The days after the rescue were supposed to bring peace. Maya hoped that after Anika was safe, things would go back to normal. But they didn’t. In fact, everything got worse.At first, there were only whispers—small things that Maya could ignore. A few people stared at her longer than usual when she walked into a room. Some designers, who once smiled and greeted her kindly, now looked away or quickly found reasons to leave the conversation.Then, it began online.Maya didn’t notice it right away. She had been staying offline, trying to focus on work and Elias’s recovery. But one morning, she opened her email and saw an alert from a blog that sometimes wrote about fashion and design.The headline read: “Rising Star or Hidden Threat? Designer Linked to Kidnapping Scandal.”Her heart dropped.She clicked on it. The article didn’t use her name directly, but it mentioned enough to make it clear who they were talking about. It said a young designer, who recently grew close to a noble family