2026-01-14 00:28:23
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Ch 38. Witnessed
Clara’s apartment looked like a war room after the battle.Three monitors still glowing. Energy drink cans forming a small army on the desk. Papers everywhere, from printed screenshots and timestamps to connection maps drawn in red marker.Her keyboard had that a dull, mechanical sound, like it was too tired to click properly.And Clara? Clara looked like death had offered her a deal and she’d counter-offered.“Have you slept?” I asked from the doorway.She didn’t look up. “Sleep is for people who aren’t building a case file.”“That’s a no.”“That’s a no.”I stepped inside. Clara was still in yesterday’s “sudo make me a sandwich” hoodie, hair escaping from a bun that had given up hours ago.On the main screen: a timeline. Every Derek interaction documented. Forum posts. Camera footage. VPN logs. The Marcus connection map in the corner.It was impressive. It was also not going to get Derek arrested right now, and she couldn’t keep doing this.“Clara.”“Mm.”“Clara, look at me.”She fin
Ch 37. The Net Tightens
"How long have you been tracking this?" Jade asked, leaning over to see the screen."Since Evan left for the gala," Clara said, fingers already flying. "I set up facial recognition on every external camera feed I could access within a two-mile radius of the convention center.""That's..." I started."Illegal? Probably. Effective? Yes." She pulled up another frame. Same crowd. Different angle. Derek, partially hidden behind a pillar, phone in hand. "He wasn't there by accident. He knew you'd be there.""He follows the news," I said. "Anyone could've seen the coverage about the panel."Clara zoomed in on his phone. The screen was barely visible but enough to make out the glow of a camera app. "He was recording.""Recording what?" Jade asked, though her tone suggested she already knew."Me," I said quietly. "On stage. Talking about... everything."Clara nodded. "The fundraiser. Danny. The panel discussion. All of it. He's building a file.""A file for what?""I don't know yet." She pulle
Ch 36. Transparency Tax
I stood on the sidewalk for approximately forty-five seconds before my phone buzzed.Clara: You alive?Me: Technically.Clara: Drop by my place. Jade's eating all the leftovers.Jade: They were mine.Clara: They were communal.I stared at the group chat, my brain still running on Leona's perfume and whatever the hell had just happened in that car."Mira?""Yeah?""Did Leona just proposition me?""Observationally, yes. Romantically, probably. Professionally, definitely.""So all three at once?""Welcome to the Influence Path."I went upstairs.Clara's apartment was exactly the chaos I remembered with monitors glowing and empty energy drinks. Jade on the couch in sweats, hair down, looking like she'd ditched the black dress approximately thirty seconds after I'd left.They both looked at me when I walked in."How'd it go?" Jade asked, mouth full of what looked like leftover stir-fry."The panel was good. I called out Marcus. He didn't kill me on stage. Small wins.""And Leona?" Clara as
Ch 35. The Gala Panel
We entered the convention center.The gala was already in full swing. Hundreds of people, all dressed like they had money to burn. Waiters with champagne. String quartet in the corner.I felt wildly out of place.Leona guided me through the crowd with practiced ease, introducing me to people whose names I immediately forgot.Every introduction felt like a test. A showcase. Look at my interesting new acquisition."This is Evan Cross," she'd say, and people would look at me with calculating eyes.Some recognized me from the viral video. Others just saw Leona's arm linked with mine and assumed I was important."You're doing well," Leona murmured during a break between introductions. "Better than I expected.""I'm faking it.""Everyone here is faking it one way or another."A waiter passed with champagne. Leona took two glasses, handed me one."Drink. It'll help."I drank. It was expensive and tasted like sophisticated bubbles."Not bad," I said."It's a 2015 Dom Pérignon. It's better tha
Ch 34. Leona’s Companion
Thursday morning arrived with all the subtlety of a brick through a window when my phone alarm went off at 7 AM. I silenced it before it could wake Clara and Jade.My phone buzzed. A delivery notification.The suit had arrived.I got up and retrieved the package from the front door.The suit was perfect. Perfectly tailored, perfectly pressed, perfectly terrifying.I tried it on in the bathroom.It fit like it was made for me. Which, technically, it was.I looked in the mirror."Who the hell are you?" I asked my reflection.My reflection didn't answer, which was probably for the best.***The day crawled by with agonizing slowness. Every hour felt like three. Every minute, an eternity.At around 5 PM, the doorbell rang. I opened it to find Jade standing there, and my brain immediately short-circuited.She wore a sleek black mini dress with a thigh-high slit that revealed dangerous amounts of leg. The neckline plunged just enough to make my mouth go dry. Heels that made her already inti
Ch 33. Measurements
"So we're doing this?" I asked. "I'm actually saying yes to Leona?""Yes. Fake it till you make it," Jade said.Clara nodded. "You'll need a suit that doesn't look like you rented it from a funeral home.""I have a suit!""You have a polyester tragedy," Clara said."Fine. I'll borrow one."My phone buzzed again. Another text. I was starting to hate the sound.Marcus: Looking forward to Thursday, champ. Don't forget to smile for the cameras. 😉The emoji made it worse somehow. Like he was enjoying this."I'm texting him back," I said."Don't," Clara warned.I was already typing.Me: See you there.I hit send before I could overthink it.Jade raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No witty comeback? No subtle threat?""Less is more.""Or you just chickened out.""That too."Clara was back on her laptop, already pulling up formal wear websites. "We have less than forty-eight hours. This needs to be perfect.""Define perfect.""You walk in looking like you belong there. Like Marcus is the one who
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