Chapter -20 The Trap

The streets of the city fell dark as Alexander brought Isabella and Lucas to a secure house on the periphery of the downtown area. Every shadow appeared to hide an enemy, every passing car a threat. Cassandra's reach extended beyond they'd imagined.

"Do we know this is secure?" Isabella whispered, her gaze sweeping the night outside the window. "Everything we do, she's always one step ahead of us."

Alexander didn’t answer immediately. He focused on the road, his mind calculating possibilities. “Safe is relative,” he said finally. “We just have to be smarter than her this time.”

Lucas, sitting in the back, scrolled through encrypted messages on his phone. “She’s moving her resources fast. I’ve traced a new shipment money, weapons, and intel. Whoever controls it could shift the balance entirely.”

A knock on the door of the safe house caused them to freeze. Isabella's eyes grew wide. "Who…?"

Alexander motioned for quiet. He crept forward, peeking through the peephole. A delivery person and a plain letter were in front of him. No others nearby.

"Leave it," Alexander whispered. But curiosity and perhaps youth's dangerous hubris overcame him. He opened it.

Inside was a USB drive and a piece of paper in Cassandra's lovely handwriting:

"One last chance. Plug it in… and see the truth. Or deny, and lose it all."

Isabella's hand trembled as she looked at Alexander. "This… this is a trap."

Alexander nodded, but his eyes did not leave the drive. "Every step she takes is a trap. That's why we use it to our advantage. Plug it in. Fast."

Lucas hesitated. "You're insane. What if it's a virus? Or worse something that follows us?"

"Then we're ready," Alexander replied. He plugged the drive into the laptop. The screen flashed, then played one video.

It was Cassandra. She was still, calm, but her eyes… they burned with an otherworldly ferocity.

"Alexander," she began, her voice smooth but icy. "You believe you can play me? That to take my files and expose my secrets would be received without consequence? You're smart. But smart doesn't suffice."

The video cut to footage of someone they knew—someone they trusted. Their friend, unveiled, helping Cassandra. Alexander's gut dropped.

"She's turned him over," Isabella panted, shocked.

Cassandra's voice returned, cold and commanding: "By the time you know who to trust, it'll be too late. Take this as your final warning… or the beginning of your downfall."

The video ended, with only the soft humming of the laptop remaining. The room was quiet, charged with fear and treachery.

Lucas slammed his fist on the table. "We walked right into her trap!"

Alexander gritted his teeth. "Not yet. She thinks she's won. But she underestimated the power of desperation."

Isabella raged at them, her eyes blazing. "Then what do we do? We can't fight an enemy who knows everything before we even move."

Alexander stood there, his eyes aglow with determination. "We trap her. We take the trap that she set and turn it on its head. We get her to think she's in control… while we're controlling her. But this time, we can't just respond. We strike… and we end this thing."

Rain pounded harder outside. Inside, the trio readied themselves. Cassandra had set the trap, indeed—but only the game was starting.