The penthouse was quiet too quiet.
Aria sat at her desk, the city lights flickering through the wide glass windows behind her. Her laptop glowed in the dark as she plugged in the flash drive Liam gave her.
No password,no encryption just a single folder labeled:
For Aria.
Her hand paused over the mouse, breath shallow she clicked.
Inside were several files — documents, videos, audio recordings. But one name immediately caught her eye:
Project Phoenix – Lin Corporation
She opened the file.
---
CONFIDENTIAL – LIN CORPORATION – INTERNAL REPORT
Subject: Diversion of Inherited Assets
Target: Aria Lin
Plan Summary:
1. Forge financial transactions under Aria's name
2. Transfer stocks to offshore account (held by Lin Yu – Chairman)
3. Eliminate connections to Aria's late mother's estate
4. In case of legal exposure — cut ties, isolate subject, disown publicly*
Aria's hands trembled this wasn't just betrayal.
This was a strategy — to erase her, frame her, and claim what her mother left behind.
---
She clicked on an audio file next.
Her father's voice. If she keeps asking questions, let the media eat her alive no one will believe a spoiled heiress especially after the Chen boy drops her. It'll be a clean sweep.
What if she fights back?another voice asked
Then we bury her the way we did her mother.
Silence then laughter.
Aria's blood ran cold.
She sat back, heart racing they didn't just frame her,they killed her mother.
---
Just then, her email chimed.
Unknown Sender:
I see you opened the files good.
Now you understand who your real enemies are.
This isn't just about business,its about legacy.
Your mother died protecting it are you ready to finish what she started?
Attached was an old photograph.
A woman in a red coat — her mother — standing beside a younger Chairman Lin and an unfamiliar man in a gray suit. Behind them, a faded sign: "Phoenix Foundation – 1996."
She zoomed in.
The man beside her father wore the same ring Aria found in her mother's box.
This wasn't random this was blood,this was war.
---
Aria stood and walked to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back, calm and focused.
If they wanted a pawn, they should've buried her deeper.
Now?
She was ready to burn them all.
---
❓ Reader Questions:
1. Do you think Aria's mother was murdered… or was it an accident covered up?
2. Who do you think the man in the photo is — a new villain, or a forgotten ally?
3. Should Aria go public with the recordings… or gather more evidence first?
4. What is the "Phoenix Foundation"? Could it be a hidden fortune or secret legacy?