Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Decision

Three days passed.

No calls. No messages. No threats. Volkov had gone silent again. The silence was worse than the noise.

I worked. I stayed busy. I met with Sarah Chen. She'd finished her article. She was ready to publish. She wanted my blessing. I gave it.

I worked through lunch. I worked through dinner. I didn't sleep much. But I didn't think about Volkov. Not consciously. Not on purpose.

On the third night, I found Adrian in the living room.

He was sitting on the couch. He wasn't reading. He wasn't working. He was just sitting.

I sat beside him.

We didn't speak.

After a while, I said, "He's not going to come. Not yet. He's waiting."

"I know."

"He's waiting for us to let our guard down."

"I know."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"We can't let our guard down," I said.

"We won't."

I leaned back. I closed my eyes.

"Get some sleep," he said.

I didn't move. Neither did he.

---

The next morning, Sarah Chen called.

"The article is ready," she said. "The full story. Everything. It's going to run tomorrow."

I sat at my desk. I folded my hands.

"Good."

"There's something else."

"What?"

"Henry Ashford's lawyers have reached out. They want to settle. They want to avoid a trial."

I didn't respond.

"Elena?"

"I heard you."

"What do you want me to do?"

I considered the question. I thought about my mother. I thought about her journal. I thought about her hope.

"Tell them no," I said. "We're going to trial. We're going to expose everything. We're going to make sure everyone knows what he did."

"And if they fight?"

"Let them fight. We'll win."

I hung up.

---

That afternoon, I found Daniel in the living room.

He was sitting on the couch. He was reading. He looked up when I entered.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I am. Actually."

I sat beside him.

"I've been thinking," he said. "About what comes next. About what I want to do."

"And?"

"I want to work with you. With Adrian. With Felix. I want to help."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"You don't have to," I said.

"I know. I want to."

I considered this. I thought about everything he'd been through. Everything he'd survived.

"Okay," I said.

He almost smiled. Almost.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For letting me stay."

I didn't respond. I didn't know how.

We sat there. The city hummed outside. The clock ticked.

After a while, he said, "I'm glad you're my sister."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"I'm glad you're my brother," I said.

He nodded. He stood. He walked to his room.

I stayed on the couch. I didn't stare at the wall. I didn't think about the past.

I thought about the future. And for the first time, I wasn't afraid of it.

---

That evening, I found Adrian in his office.

He was on the phone. He hung up when he saw me.

"Sarah Chen," he said.

"You heard."

"Felix told me."

"Felix tells you everything."

"He does."

I sat across from him. I folded my hands on his desk.

"Henry wants to settle. She told them no."

He looked at me. He didn't blink.

"Good."

I stood. I walked to the door. I paused.

"Adrian."

He looked up.

"Thank you. For everything."

He didn't respond. He just looked at me.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. "We haven't won anything."

"We will."

He held my gaze. Neither of us spoke.

I left.

---

That night, I sat in my office.

I didn't sleep. I didn't try to. I just sat at my desk and stared at the wall.

I thought about my mother. About her letter. About her hope. I thought about Daniel. About his future. About the life he was building. I thought about Adrian. About his patience. About his steadiness. About the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't looking.

I thought about the woman I used to be. The woman who trusted too easily. The woman who died.

I wasn't her anymore.

I stood. I walked to the window. I looked at the city.

Tomorrow, the article runs. Tomorrow, Henry faces trial.

Tomorrow, everything changes.