The anonymous video of Lila was no longer just a threat, it was a declaration of war. Bella stared at the screen long after it went dark, the image of her daughter's innocent laughter now tainted by fear. Her hands trembled, not just from panic, but from the unshakable realization that whoever was behind this knew everything. Lila wasn't just collateral anymore; she was the weapon.
Bella couldn't wait. As soon as Jason walked into Reed International's private conference room, she closed the blinds and locked the door. Her eyes were bloodshot, her voice hoarse with urgency.
"Jason, we have to do something. Something about what I showed you earlier."
Jason tensed, immediately sensing the weight in her tone. Without a word, she handed him her phone. The screen lit up with the video Lila in a park, the camera zooming in too closely, too intentionally.
Jason's face drained of color. His hand trembled as he gripped the phone, staring at his daughter — his daughter — unaware she was being hunted like prey. His knuckles went white, his voice barely human.
"Who sent this?"
"I don't know," Bella whispered. "It came right after Veronica threatened me... and Olivia Carter's been talking. Gossiping. Someone's been watching us for a while."
Jason stood frozen for a second longer then snapped into motion. His phone was out before she could speak again.
"This is Walker. I want a full threat assessment now. Lila Quinn. Eyes on her 24/7. No exposure. I want surveillance logs for the past week. And I want a trace on every anonymous message sent to Bella Quinn, starting with this one. Use the cybersecurity unit. Go dark. No paper trail."
Bella watched him, her chest tight. His rage wasn't loud. It was cold, terrifyingly focused the rage of a father who had just realized how close he was to losing something he hadn't even known he had.
When he turned back to her, his voice softened just enough to crack. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I wanted to… but everything was chaos. And I didn't know if I could trust anyone. Not until now."
Jason nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. "You can now."
While Jason mobilized his private security and digital intelligence team, Ryan pushed deeper into the accounting labyrinth. Late that night, he and Jason pored over the coded web of financial trails, eyes bleary from hours of cross-checking offshore transfers and paperless shell corporations.
"This isn't just Veronica," Ryan said grimly, tapping a series of red-flagged transactions. "Look here these move through George's old philanthropic trust. But that trust hasn't been active since the merger five years ago. Yet someone's been draining it in million-dollar increments. Hidden in severance payouts. Slush funds."
Jason leaned in, his breath caught. "That's his move. George always buries the truth beneath ten layers of fake legality."
"Exactly. And it's recent. These last three transactions? They happened right after Veronica got promoted."
Jason exhaled sharply. His father wasn't just complicit. He was pulling the strings, using Veronica as cover while he siphoned funds and manipulated records. It was textbook George Reed: insidious, calculated, and utterly devoid of remorse.
That afternoon, Bella's phone rang. The name on the screen made her chest tighten.
MOM.
She hesitated — then answered.
"Martha?"
Her mother's voice came through in a whisper, shaking, like the sound of someone hiding in a corner. "Bella… sweetheart. You have to stop. I heard you've been digging into old Reed files again. Please you don't know what you're getting into."
Bella's blood turned to ice. "What do you know, Mom?"
"George Reed is not a man you cross. He's more dangerous than you realize. You need to leave New York. Come back home. Bring Lila. Don't talk to anyone. Just leave it alone."
"Martha, what did he do? What happened back then? Tell me the truth!"
There was a pause, and Bella could hear the effort it took for her mother not to break down.
"I can't," Martha finally choked out. "It's not safe. He ruined lives, Bella. People disappeared. Don't let that happen to you. Or to her."
Before Bella could plead further, the line went dead.
She sat motionless, the phone still pressed to her ear. Her mother's panicked voice echoed in her skull. There was no doubt now Martha knew something. Something pivotal. And her desperation sounded a lot more like guilt than fear.
Bella met Jason again that night. The storm outside mirrored the chaos within.
"I think my mother was part of it," she said quietly. "Not just an observer. I think she helped George... or covered for him."
Jason looked at her, sympathy and fury warring in his eyes. "Why?"
"I don't know. But she sounded like someone who's been haunted for years. And now she's terrified of what we might uncover."
Jason nodded slowly. "Then we keep digging. Carefully. Quietly. We protect Lila. And we bring them all down."
Bella stared out the window, the rain streaking like ghostly fingers across the glass. The past was no longer content with staying buried. It clawed its way to the surface, whispering secrets and warnings, growing louder with every truth they uncovered.
And in those whispers, Bella began to hear not just the echoes of betrayal but the promise of a reckoning long overdue.