The game had shifted. This was no longer a matter of corporate espionage or bruised egos it was war. With each passing hour, the threat loomed larger, more insidious, and now unbearably personal. Bella could feel it in the cold tightness of her chest, in the way her gaze never strayed far from her phone, expecting another anonymous message, another veiled threat. But it wasn't herself she feared for—it was Lila. Her daughter had become the center of this dangerous game, the ultimate prize.
Jason's entire demeanor had changed. The protective shell he once kept so carefully measured had cracked. Now, he was all edge, operating on cold fury and precise urgency. He wasn't just fighting for Bella anymore. He was fighting for his child.
Mark Jenkins delivered the first breakthrough.
"We've tracked a physical address," Jenkins said in his usual gravelly monotone, standing in Jason's office like a silent predator. "The original server registered under an inactive shell corporation was linked to a tech firm in upstate New York. Off the books. Very private."
Jason's jaw clenched. "And the owner?"
"Silas Thorne." Jenkins paused. Even he looked unnerved. "He's not on any official radar, but he's got a quiet reputation in certain... circles. Specializes in digital invisibility. He builds secure data tunnels for clients who need their secrets to stay buried."
Jason exchanged a glance with Bella, his expression darkening. "My father worked with Thorne once. Years ago. There were whispers he used him to erase certain deals off the grid." His voice lowered. "If Silas is involved, this goes deeper than we thought. We're not just dealing with Veronica... We're dealing with a network. A machine."
Bella swallowed hard. "And my daughter is at the center of it."
The pain in her voice cut through the room.
Later that day, Bella made a decision one she'd been avoiding. She drove back to Boston, her heart pounding in her chest as she pulled up to her mother's modest home. Martha opened the door with tired eyes, already trembling as if she'd expected this moment to come.
"Mom," Bella began, her voice rough with betrayal. "Veronica knows. She knows about the money. George paid you to get rid of me. Why?"
Martha's face crumpled, and for a moment, the strong woman Bella had always known looked impossibly small. "He said he'd ruin you," she whispered, voice breaking. "He told me if I didn't cooperate, he'd ensure you'd never have a career again. He said… he said he'd protect you by cutting ties. That it was for your own good."
Bella's breath caught. "So you helped him end my marriage. You helped him destroy everything I had."
"I thought I was protecting you," Martha sobbed, reaching out. "I was scared, Bella. He made it sound like... like he was saving you from a life of pain."
Bella stepped back, tears prickling her eyes. "You didn't protect me. You delivered me to him."
There were no more words. Only silence, and the hollow sound of trust shattering.
When Bella returned to New York that night, her emotional wounds barely held together, Jason was waiting. He didn't speak right away. He only held out his tablet, showing her the wire transfer from one of George Reed's offshore accounts directly linked to a company under Silas Thorne's umbrella.
"He's the architect," Jason said grimly. "The threats, the surveillance, the false trail leading to embezzlement charges. Silas built the whole system. And he did it with my father's blessing."
Bella stared at the screen, the numbers swimming. "And Veronica?"
"She's the face," Jason said. "But she's being used possibly willingly. The real mastermind? My father. He's tearing down Reed International from the inside. Maybe to regain full control. Maybe for revenge. But Lila is leverage. And now, we need to turn this game around."
Before Bella could respond, her phone buzzed. A message from Dean Carter.
"Bella. Olivia just saw Veronica meeting with Sterling Hayes. It looked intense. She had a flash drive with her. Do you know what that could mean?"
Bella froze. Sterling Hayes, George Reed's trusted financial advisor. The man who ran the offshore accounts. If he was meeting with Veronica, and she was carrying a drive...
"She has something," Bella whispered. "Something damaging. And she's about to use it."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "Then we need to move. Now."
They were no longer chasing ghosts they were in open conflict. The web was tightening around them, but for the first time, they had a thread to pull. The enemy had overplayed their hand.
Now, it was time to strike back.