جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

That Same Night, Camellia Edet sat in her apartment, eyes red from lack of sleep and fear. Her brother's scholarship renewal deadline was two weeks away. The anonymous call still echoed in her mind like a poison she couldn’t spit out.“We don’t need you to betray her. We need you to delay her.”She had hung up. Blocked the number. But she knew it wasn’t over.Her email pinged.From: Unknown. Subject: You’ve got 48 hours.Attached was a photo of her brother — laughing on his university campus. Proof they were watching him.Camellia’s hand flew to her mouth. Her stomach turned.She grabbed her phone and typed out a message to Sophie — but deleted it before hitting send.The Next Morning , Sophie sat at the long conference table, dressed in a cream silk blouse and tailored navy trousers, hair slicked back, makeup subtle but firm. Rachel and Richard sat at opposite ends. Alexander was at her side. Camellia stood at the screen, projecting a fresh onslaught of news.“Opposition party calls

Later That Afternoon, Rachel and Richard met Sophie on the garden terrace. The sounds of clinking plates and wine glasses still echoed faintly from the ballroom, but Sophie welcomed the fresh air.“They’re getting bolder,” Rachel said, not bothering with pleasantries.Sophie leaned on the railing. “Belinda or Ethan?”“Both,” Richard answered. “But PulseWire wouldn’t have risked that unless they were certain someone on the inside fed them something solid.”Rachel crossed her arms. “Camellia?”Sophie hesitated. “She’s… been off. Jumpy. She almost dropped her notepad twice today. And she barely looked me in the eye after the ambush.”“She’s loyal and she has been your friend,” Richard said.“She’s scared,” Sophie corrected. “There’s a difference.”Rachel exchanged a look with Richard. “Want us to start monitoring her access?”“Not yet,” Sophie said. “I don’t want to spook her. Whoever’s pulling her strings might pull her out of play before we get the full picture.”“And what if she’s just

Later That Night Sophie was lying in her silk robe on the bed, her hair damp from a shower, a single glass of wine on the table beside her. Alexander entered the room holding two sealed envelopes.“Last-minute intel,” he said. “Two of the Geneva press members we approved have financial ties to Ethan’s firm.”Sophie sighed. “So we disinvite them.”He raised a brow. “Without raising suspicion?”“Send them a fabricated cancellation notice. Health alert. We’ll leak it after Geneva.”Alexander dropped the envelopes on the dresser and walked to her. “You’re ruthless.”“You sound surprised.” He sat beside her. “No. I’m impressed.”Their eyes locked.Then lingered. “Are you nervous?” he asked. “Yes,” she said, voice low. “Not of the sabotage. Of trusting people again.” He brushed his fingers along her jawline. “You trust me.”“I’m trying to.”“That’s enough.”He leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow.When she pulled him closer, she whispered, “Don’t make me regret it.”At a rooftop bar in B

The image hovered over the main screen like a ghost.Rachel was the first to speak. “This wasn’t paparazzi. It wasn’t posted. It was sent. Directly. Intentionally.”“Sent to all of us,” Richard added, holding up his phone. “Including me, you, Alexander… even Camellia.”Camellia flinched.“I didn’t—” she started.Sophie raised a hand. “I know. This isn’t about blame. This is about breach.”Alexander stood near the window, jaw tight. “The angle of the photo… it had to be taken from the east treeline. Maybe the old gardener’s path.”Rachel pulled up the estate map. “Only one person besides staff has clearance to the rear garden perimeter.”Sophie didn’t look away from the image. “Who?”“Michael Daxton.”Richard raised a brow. “Your former press manager?”Alexander exhaled slowly. “He was let go six months ago. NDA’d and paid out.”“Then why is he back?” Sophie asked.Rachel frowned. “He was spotted in town last week. Could’ve flown in undetected.”Sophie nodded slowly. “Track him. Today.”

At his penthouse, Ethan paced like a cornered animal.“They’re spinning everything,” he said. “No matter what we throw.”Belinda scrolled her phone. “Camellia’s still alive and talking. We should’ve silenced her when we had the chance.”Ethan turned. “Then do it now.”Belinda hesitated. “She’s more useful breathing. She’s emotionally tangled. Break the thread, and she unravels herself.”“What about Alexander?”Belinda grinned. “He’s leaking breadcrumbs. The family believes he’s flipping. We use that. Isolate Sophie. Make her question him.”Ethan smirked. “It’s almost poetic.”It was nearly midnight when Alexander slipped into Sophie’s room.She stood by the window, hair tied, arms crossed.“I know,” she said before he spoke. “They think you’ve switched sides.”“They don’t know the half of it.”He handed her the file from Milan. She flipped through it — fake bank statements, false text messages, ghost donor logs.“This could buy us time,” she said.“Or get me killed,” he added.She look