POV: Maya SantosThe voicemail played three times because nobody wanted to believe it the first two. Daniel's voice sounded nothing like him, it had totally changed, prison really changes people. And for Daniel, it’s definitely not for good. He sounded desperate, and feral. Almost like a caged animal someone just unlocked."I'm out. And I'm coming for my daughter. Anyone who tries to stop me dies."Emma hit replay again. Ethan stood very still while it played. I'd learned to read that whenever he’s as still this, he’s at his most dangerous state.Emma sat on the couch holding baby Catherine so tight the infant started fussing, squirming to get comfortable.Catherine appeared in the doorway drawn by the alarm. She was still wearing her physical therapy clothes, her doctor came earlier."What happened?""Daniel escaped," I said.Her face went pale.The whole picture was unbearable, three generations of women Daniel had threatened, all in one room, all vulnerable.I started trying to thi

POV: Maya SantosThe vault door sealed and I was alone with Theodore and his mercenaries.Great.He walked closer, stopped about ten feet away."Your fiancé has ten minutes to come out voluntarily," he said loud enough for the vault door to hear. "After that, we motivate him."One of the mercenaries raised his weapon slightly.Not pointing at me yet but the message was clear.I assessed my options.Six professionals with military training versus me with zero combat skills and a law degree.Not good odds.Better stall."You know this triggered federal notification, right?" I said.Theodore smiled."No it didn't.""Yeah, it did. NeuroDyne has automated protocols. Unauthorized entry, vault access attempts, biometric rejection alerts, all of that pings federal systems automatically.""You're bluffing.""Am I?"I wasn't entirely bluffing.Lily had remotely triggered the notification the moment we confirmed Theodore's mercenaries were inside. FBI would get the alert eventually. Whether they

POV: Maya SantosDaniel was sitting on the cottage front step when we pulled up, hands visible on his knees, phone on the ground in front of him like he was making a point.Obsidian contractors had him surrounded but not restrained.He wasn't fighting, wasn’t running. Just sitting there waiting."Check him again," Adrian ordered for us to see.Two contractors patted Daniel down thoroughly."No weapons. Fully cooperative."Daniel looked up at me specifically."I need to talk to Maya.""Why me?" I asked."Because you'll actually listen. Ethan will just want to kill me, which I get, but I need someone to hear this first."Fair point actually.The cottage door opened and Emma appeared holding baby Catherine. She froze when she saw Daniel.Daniel saw his daughter for the first time since going to prison. His face did something complicated, like a mix of pain, love, relief.But he didn't move toward them, didn't reach out. He just looked at Catherine for a few seconds and then looked away.

POV: Maya SantosWe gathered at the cottage kitchen table to talk about Daniel's sentencing review. Everyone who mattered was there, Ethan, me, Marcus, Lily, Emma, and Caherine.Baby Catherine was asleep in the next room, completely oblivious to the conversation about how many years her father would spend in prison.Ethan laid it out plainly without sugar-coating anything."Agent Reeves called about an hour ago. Prosecutors are considering a reduced sentence for Daniel in exchange for his cooperation against Theodore's network. They want my input before they decide. So I'm asking what you all think."Marcus leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms."Honestly, man? This is completely your call. You're the one who lost the company. You're the one who nearly died in that hospital bed while Daniel stood there smirking. Whatever you decide, I'll support it. No judgment either way.""Same here," Lily said. "Like, Daniel's going to prison regardless of what happens. The question is just

POV: Maya SantosDays after Theodore died, Daniel surrendered, and Bernard Lau handed over the audit report, I woke up to the most ordinary Tuesday morning I'd experienced in months.Garbage trucks making their rounds on the cottage street. Birds doing whatever birds do at seven AM. Normal city sounds instead of crisis alerts.I sat on the cottage porch with coffee and just let the ordinariness of it actually land. No countdown timers. No system missions. No mercenaries positioning for assault.Just Tuesday.Been a long time I said that. Have I even ever?Ethan was inside with Catherine at the kitchen table, they'd been there since before I woke up, the audit report spread out between them, talking about James in voices too quiet for me to hear clearly.Emma was still asleep in the guest room with baby Catherine in the travel crib beside her, both of them completely exhausted from yesterday's emotional chaos.Marcus and Lily had left late last night around two AM, Marcus was still pro