Chapter 6 - The Glass Fortress
Elena was not a woman of loyalty; she was a woman of survival. Back at the Blackwood estate—which was already under quiet legal review—the tension between her and Julian had turned physical.
"You said you were untouchable!" Elena screamed, throwing a crystal vase that shattered against the wall. "Everyone is laughing at us! The Vanes are buying up our debt, Julian! I’ve seen the notices!"
Julian, defeated and drunk, only stared at the floor. "I thought I could outplay them. I didn't think she was one of them."
Seeing that there was no future left with him, Elena made her move. She reached out to a contact she believed was a rival developer, intending to sell Julian’s remaining passwords and private server keys. She didn't know that the contact was a front—an agent employed by Silas, Clara’s brother.
She met the 'buyer' in a dark, underground parking garage. As she handed over the encrypted drive, the headlights of two trucks flooded the space. Silas stepped out, his face unreadable.
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"Thank you, Elena," he said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "You’ve just handed us everything we needed for the grand jury. You’ve been very… cooperative."
Elena realized the trap too late. She had committed digital treason against the man she was trying to save herself from, and she had done it directly into the hands of the family she had tried to ruin.
