The lights flickered once, then went out completely.Adrian killed the engine and stepped out first, scanning the shadows. “We’re clear,” he said. “For now.”Leonard helped Elena out. Her hand trembled slightly, but her chin was high. “Where are we?” she asked, looking around at the vast, empty space filled with the smell of oil and damp steel.“Safe house,” Adrian replied. “One of ours. Off-grid.”Leonard closed the van door and turned to Adrian. “You said Marina’s data trail led to the east docks?”Adrian nodded, opening his tablet. “Yeah. An unregistered data server hidden under one of Stonecliff’s old storage yards. It’s encrypted, but the access key matches Marina’s personal code.”Elena frowned. “So… Marina wasn’t just some Stonecliff executive?”Leonard’s jaw tightened. “No. She was higher than that. She was part of the inner circle the same people who signed off on my family’s extermination.”Elena’s face paled. “Then why help you now?”“That’s what I intend to find out.”Ad

The safehouse was silent except for the low noise of the generator.Leonard stood by the window, watching dawn stretch pale across the city skyline. He hadn’t slept. Adrian was slumped over the table beside his laptop, fingers still on the keyboard, half-asleep. Elena sat across from him, clutching a mug of untouched coffee.She’d been staring at Leonard for almost an hour.Finally, she spoke. “You’re avoiding me.”Leonard didn’t turn. “I’m thinking.”“About what? How to tell me my father’s a criminal?”He exhaled, jaw tight. “Don’t start.”Elena rose, setting the mug down with a thud. “Don’t start? Leonard, we nearly got killed last night, and now you’re just standing there like it’s another day at the office!”Adrian stirred, blinking awake. “Okay… maybe we could yell after breakfast?”Neither of them looked at him.Elena’s voice cracked. “I saw his name. ‘Harrison Carter.’ You can’t pretend I didn’t.”Leonard finally turned to face her. His expression was calm, but his eyes were da

The safe house was silent, except for the low hum of the generator.Adrian locked the steel door and set down his gun. “They’re off our trail. For now.”Leonard stood by the window, watching the flickering streetlight outside. His shirt was torn, streaked with dust and blood. He didn’t move.Elena sat on the couch, hands trembling slightly. “You’re not going to say anything?”Leonard’s jaw tightened. “About what?”She looked up at him, eyes burning. “You know what. Quinn said you were there the night my father died.”Adrian glanced between them, uneasy. “Maybe now’s not ”“Stay out of this,” Elena snapped, her voice breaking.Leonard finally turned, his face unreadable. “Yes. I was there.”The words dropped like stones.Elena rose slowly. “You… were there?”Leonard nodded. “Robert called me that night. He said he’d discovered something Stonecliff’s connection to the offshore accounts, and someone inside his company feeding them information.”Her voice wavered. “And you didn’t tell me?

The next morning, the city buzzed with rumors. Every major news outlet had one name on their front page Leonard Kane.“Breaking: Westwood heir under investigation for corporate espionage.”“Anonymous source leaks Kane Consortium documents.”“Rumors of betrayal shake the Westwood empire.”Elena stared at the TV in disbelief. “They turned everything on you.”Leonard stood by the window of his penthouse office, calm but unreadable. “Victor moves fast. I expected that.”Adrian tossed a newspaper onto the desk. “This isn’t just fast it’s surgical. He leaked fake ledgers with your name tied to Stonecliff’s accounts.”Leonard’s lips curved slightly. “Quinn’s handiwork.”Elena frowned. “You sound almost… calm.”Leonard turned toward her. “Because this is exactly what I wanted.”Adrian blinked. “You wanted to get framed?”Leonard’s voice was steady. “They think they’re cornering me. But to expose their network, I needed them to make the first move.”Elena crossed her arms. “You’re playing with

The private jet touched down in Geneva at dawn.Leonard didn’t sleep the entire flight.Neither did Elena.Adrian was the first to break the silence.“So… we’re just walking into another country on a rumor?”Leonard’s voice was low. “Not a rumor. A lead.”Elena stared at him. “Leonard, she died in your arms. You think she lied with her last breath?”“I think everyone lies when they’re scared,” he said. “Even the dying.”Adrian exhaled. “You know what I hate most about following you? The fact that you might actually be right.”They left the airport quietly, blending into the early crowd.Leonard’s contact an old Interpol fixer was waiting by a gray sedan.“Mr. Kane,” the man greeted. “I was told you’re looking for a ghost.”Leonard’s eyes narrowed. “He has a name.”The fixer nodded. “Everything leaves a trail. Even the dead. But you won’t like what I found.”Elena frowned. “Where is he?”The man handed Leonard a folder. “Hotel Du Lys. Suite 801. Under the name Dr. Everett Hale. Arrived