******Harper
The banquet buzzed with artificial smiles and wine-fueled chatter, all glittering beneath the crystal chandeliers. I lingered near a marble pillar, dressed in a black formal security uniform with a hidden blade in my boot and a map of the building committed to memory.
Everything about tonight reeked of power games.
Luna stood across the room in an elegant silver gown, blending seamlessly with the guests. Hay floated invisibly behind her, scanning and recording as needed. Chris was silent for now, giving me room to breathe.
"Mayor's office is clear," Chris finally whispered into my mind. "Now or never."
I touched the earpiece. "I'm going in."
Luna didn't answer, but her subtle nod was enough.
I left through one of the side corridors, flashing the fake ID clipped to my chest. The guards barely looked at it. Upstairs, the hallway was dim and empty—polished floors, cold silence. The mayor's private office waited at the end.
I slipped inside and locked the door behind me.
The room was extravagant—mahogany furniture, leather-bound books, a digital screen behind the desk—but I had no time for admiration.
I headed straight to the desk. Locked.
Chris flickered beside me in his glowing blue form. "Want help?"
"Just keep watch."
I picked the lock with a pin from my braid. It clicked open after a few tense seconds.
Inside were papers, strange encrypted coins, keys, and a sleek black flash drive with a red dot on it.
I picked it up. "This has to be it."
Then came the sound I hadn't wanted to hear.
A heel clicked against the floor behind me.
I turned.
The masked lady stood in the doorway, eyes cold and unreadable behind the mask. She shut the door with deliberate slowness.
"You really never learn, do you?" she said, stepping closer.
I pocketed the flash drive calmly. "Looks like I'm not the only one sneaking around."
She folded her arms. "You're either the dumbest girl alive or you're truly suicidal."
"Funny," I muttered. "You sound like someone who's not sure I'm wrong."
Something in her stiffened.
"You don't know what you're talking about," she snapped.
I kept my voice even. "Then tell me. Why would your father—one of the most powerful men in the city—invite me, his enemy, to a private banquet and make me head of security?"
Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
Chris's voice chimed faintly in my mind. *She's rattled. Push harder.*
I stepped forward. "You're not here because you're trusted. You're here because you're used. He doesn't tell you everything, does he? You're not his daughter. You're his puppet."
"Shut up."
Her breath hitched.
I could see the conflict break through her mask of control. The slightest tremble in her fingers. Her grip on the doorknob faltered.
"Stop talking."
I didn't. I leaned in.
"He's hiding something from you. Something big. And when you find out, it'll be too late."
"You don't know anything!"
I saw the anger building in her eyes—but beneath it was doubt. A growing crack in her perfect loyalty.
That was my opening.
While she stood frozen in denial, processing what I'd said, I walked past her—slowly, deliberately—and out the door. She didn't stop me.
Not because she couldn't.
Because, for the first time, she wasn't sure she should.
'one more thing'. I stopped to tell her.
"What?". She asked.
"I'll come for you sooner or later. I have a score to settle with you. Don't think I've forgotten".
I disappeared down the hallway before she could recover.
Chris whispered, "Now that… was bold."
"I hope it was worth it," I murmured, gripping the flash drive tightly.
Because if it held even a fraction of what I thought it did, this war was just beginning.
*****
Back in the safe house, the dusty light from a single lamp stretched over the wooden floor. Luna sat on the armrest of the couch, scrolling through her screen while Hay hovered near her shoulder like a quiet shadow. Chris materialized beside me in his light-blue holographic form, faintly flickering as he updated our system logs.
The door creaked open, and Elias stepped in.
"Finally," he muttered, pulling off his coat. "I thought you'd end up in a dungeon or something."
Chris and Hay quickly turned invisible.
"Good to see you too," I said dryly, lifting the edge of my sweater to reveal a small scratch on my waist. "Only a scratch."
"Glad to hear it." He walked over and dropped a flash drive onto the table. "What's this?"
I looked down, confused. "That's not mine."
"It was inside the envelope the mayor sent you… along with this."
Luna slid an alert across my screen. I gasped as I read the figures — it was a full transfer. Enough to cover Mom's treatment. Enough to move her to the best hospital in the city. Enough to give her a fighting chance.
I blinked hard, covering my mouth. "He really sent the money."
Luna stared at me. "Do you think he's playing at something?"
"Definitely. But… this part, I'll take. For Mom."
Chris projected the data from the flash drive. It was encrypted, but not deeply. Within seconds, we were looking at a series of files — one of them a video.
I clicked on it.
Static buzzed. Then came the footage — grainy, but real.
It showed the mayor… in his office. The date was from over two years ago.
My breath caught when I saw my father walk in.
He looked tense. Determined.
The video had no sound, but my father's gestures were clear. He was angry. Demanding answers.
The mayor sat quietly at first… then stood up and drew something from his desk — a syringe.
"No—" I whispered.
My father tried to leave.
The mayor moved behind him.
And the screen went black.
Chris paused it. "Timestamp ends there."
I slumped into the chair. "This is it. This is the truth."
Elias nodded slowly. "This is enough to destroy him."
Hay murmured, "But it also makes you a target, Harper."
"I've always been a target," I said, gripping the edge of the table. "Now I just have proof."
I looked at Elias with a questioning gaze.
"Why aren't you surprised about all these?"
"All what?". He asked instead.
"Aren't you curious about how I got involved in all these and who Luna is?"
He chuckled. "I've always knew you were something else"
"Is that in a positive way or....
"Doesn't matter harpie".
He said and I let out a smile.
---
*****Mayor's Office
The mayor stormed into his office, his cape flaring behind him. The door slammed so hard the glass trembled in its frame.
He strode to his desk and yanked open the bottom drawer.
Empty.
His eyes widened.
"No… no, no, no!" he bellowed, hurling the contents of his desk to the floor.
The masked lady stood at the door, watching him silently.
"Where is it?!" he roared, turning to her. "That file was not for public eyes. You said you secured the room!"
"I did," she said calmly. "She took the one I planted."
He froze.
"What?"
"I anticipated she'd try to snoop," she replied, lowering her gaze. "The one she found was a decoy. It has enough to raise suspicion, but not enough to connect anything concrete back to you. The real file is still here."
For a moment, the mayor stared at her, chest heaving. Then he slowly backed away from the desk.
"…You let her go," he said, voice lower now.
"You said to forget her". The masked lady replied.
"Really? If you knew she was after the file then you should've killed her on the spot! Don't forget that you are the real culprit! I am just covering for you "
"Yes father. I know you took the blame because you love me right?"
The Mayor became silent.
"Whatever. All this… and you still let her go."
The masked lady didn't respond.
"Get out of my sight," he snapped, brushing past her. "You're useless."
She flinched — barely. But enough to notice.
With a silent bow, she turned and walked out.
The hallway was empty. Cold. She paused by the stairwell, her hand resting on the rail.
A single tear slipped beneath the edge of her mask.
"…Forgive me, Father," she whispered, her voice almost trembling. "For what I'm about to do."
Then she descended into the shadows, and the door behind her closed.