Chapter 9: Shadows Everywhere
The plane hummed softly as it crossed into international airspace.
Elara held Leo close, watching the clouds blur past the window.
Aaron sat beside her, eyes fixed on a laptop screen filled with live news feeds.
"Coverage is massive," he said. "They're calling it the biggest corporate scandal of the decade."
Elara nodded, but her heart wasn't in the headlines.
"We've only bought time," she whispered. "They'll come for us harder than ever."
The phone buzzed.
Elara answered. It was Rook.
"They want to meet," Rook said flatly. "A representative from the Roth family. They want to negotiate."
Elara's fingers tightened around the phone.
"Don't trust them," Aaron warned.
"Neither do I," she said. "But we need to know what they want."
The next day, they met in a nondescript café in Geneva.
A man in a tailored suit approached, eyes sharp as knives.
"Ms. Hart," he said smoothly. "I'm Victor Lane. I represent the Roth family's interests."
Elara's smile was cold. "I'm listening."
Victor slid an envelope across the table.
"Inside is a proposal. Enough to keep you and your son safe—for now."
Aaron's eyes flicked to the envelope but said nothing.
Elara opened it. The offer was large. Too large.
Victor's voice was low. "Accept it, and the past disappears. Decline, and the consequences will be swift."
Back at the safehouse, Elara paced.
"This isn't over," she said. "Not by a long shot."
Aaron took her hand. "Whatever happens, we face it together."
Leo tugged at her sleeve. "Mommy, will the bad guys come here?"
She smiled through the fear. "Not if I keep you safe."
That night, Aaron uncovered a new threat.
Encrypted messages on the dark web—contracts out on them.
"The Roths hired assassins," he said grimly. "We're on a countdown."
Elara stared into the darkness. "Then we fight. No more running."
In the shadows of a faraway city, a figure watched news reports of Elara's story.
A woman with icy eyes and a cruel smile.
"She's alive," the woman whispered.
"And making enemies fast," a voice replied.
Elara was no longer just a target.
She was a spark.
And the wildfire was about to spread.