Paper Trails. Back in the dingy basement of an office, Damien and Amelia stood at a long wooden table, a stack of dusty files between them.The room smelled like old paper and was quite dim. Small light bulbs hung from the ceiling, casting a weak, yellow glow over the boxes piled on the floor."My father’s team monitors every digital search," Amelia whispered, her voice echoing slightly in the quiet room. "If we had looked this up at the office, he would have received an alert in seconds. But he doesn't care about paper. He thinks the past is buried under layers of dust."Damien pulled a folder from the box. The edges were yellowed and curled, and a thin layer of dirt coated his fingers. "People like your father always forget that paper leaves a trail. They think a screen is the only thing that matters because it’s easier to delete."Amelia began flipping through a thick ledger. Her fingers were stained with gray dust, but she didn't seem to notice, she was focused, her eyes moving

The Tracking Game.The small apartment was quiet, except for the sound of rain hitting the roof. Chloe stood in the middle of the room, her eyes darting toward the door. Eleanor was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. Nicholas was gone, likely out at a bar trying to find someone to buy him a drink."Did you get the money?" Eleanor asked, looking up, her voice was thin."I have the card," Chloe said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the black plastic card Damien had given her. "But we can't use it for the rent. Not yet. I have to make sure he’s okay.""The boy?" Eleanor whispered. "Chloe, if Damien finds out we still have a link to that place, he will never let us go. We should just walk away.""We can't walk away," Chloe snapped. "If the people at the facility don't get paid, they’ll talk. They don't care about the Pierce or Sterling name anymore. They just want their cash."Chloe grabbed her coat, she didn't look at her mother again as she walked out. She

The Calm Before The Massacre. While Eleanor was running away from the past, Nicholas refused to come to terms with his current reality. He was cooked up in the small apartment. The walls of the small apartment felt like they were closing in, Nicholas sat at a small table in the kitchen, a half-empty bottle in front of him. The overhead light was broken, flickering every few seconds and casting long, shaky shadows across the room. He didn't have a glass. He just took slow, heavy swallows from the bottle, his eyes fixed on the peeling wallpaper. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," Nicholas muttered. His voice was thick and slurred. "I'm a Pierce. I’m not a nobody." In the other room, Chloe was moving quickly. She had a small suitcase open on the bed; she wasn't folding her clothes, but stuffing them inside. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed whatever she could find. She took a few silk scarves, her last pair of expensive heels, and a small pile of cash she had hidde

Wrong Intentions.Damien strode forward, his gaze intense."You went there?" Damien inquired again, his voice was low and controlled.Amelia swallowed, her breath caught within."I only stayed outside."Marcus muttered under his breath. "Jesus Christ."Amelia's gaze darted to Marcus, then back to Damien. "What's wrong?" she asked carefully."You interfered with our surveillance," Daniel revealed slowly.At his words, Amelia stood still for a second, her eyes scrunched."What? How?" She looked at Damien quickly. "I wasn't trying to interfere with anything. I just wanted to check something first before telling you.""You ruined our operation.""I... I didn't know.""The entire area was under surveillance.""I didn’t know that!" she snapped back immediately. "You never told me."Damien took a step closer. "And you thought going there alone was smart?"Her face dropped, her voice dropping as well."I’m sorry."Damien scoffed loudly before retorting."That makes it better?""I was tryin

Gone.Damien turned off the engine and stepped out into the storm. The rain hit him instantly, soaking through his shirt as he walked quickly toward the bench.Amelia was curled into a small ball, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest to keep from shaking. Her hair was wet, sticking to her pale cheeks, she sat, staring at the wet ground as though she was helpless.Damien stopped in front of her. His jaw clenched hard. "What are you doing?"Amelia lifted her head slowly. She hadn't heard him approach. Her lips looked blue, her eyes widened while her body went still as soon as she saw him, "...Damien."Damien frowned deeper. "You’re sitting outside in a storm."Amelia gave a small, weak shrug. "I was just trying to figure out where to go.""You were told to stay out of the operation," Damien said, his voice sharp with a mix of anger and guilt. "Not to disappear into the night."Amelia looked up at him, her teeth chattering slightly from the cold, her eyes burning within"You to