Chapter 4: Secrets in the Soil
The clock on Cassia's wall read 3:17 a.m.
Elira sat cross-legged on the floor of her small apartment, lit only by the faint glow of her laptop. The USB stick Noah had stolen from the Valen archive trembled slightly in her hand as she plugged it into the port.
Cassia, wrapped in a fluffy robe and armed with a tub of pistachio ice cream, hovered over her shoulder like a nosy raven.
"If this crashes your computer or releases some evil virus, I'll personally avenge you," she whispered.
"You're such a comfort."
The folder opened.
One click.
Two.
And then...
Lines of code, architectural renderings, budget files, surveillance maps.
Cassia's brows lifted. "What the hell is this?"
Elira scanned the files. One label blinked at the top: PROJECT V — Confidential Access: A. Valen + L. Cross.
She opened a subfolder titled: The Soil Initiative.
"It's not just about flowers," Elira murmured. "He's been planning something bigger."
She pulled up a 3D model—a green skyscraper towering over the city skyline, with rooftop gardens, solar integration, and underground irrigation systems.
Cassia gasped. "That's not just green. That's revolutionary."
Elira clicked another file: Confidential – District X – Eviction Strategy.
Her stomach turned.
"It's the neighborhood near 9th Street," she whispered. "Low-income families. He's using the green project as a cover… to wipe them out."
Cassia's voice darkened. "Classic corporate whitewash. Build something shiny to hide the rot."
A new sound pinged.
Incoming call: Noah
Elira answered. "We cracked it."
Noah's voice came fast. "Good. Because you just got company."
"What?"
"There's a black SUV outside your building. Two men in suits. Not paparazzi. Not cops."
Elira froze. "How do you know?"
"I hacked the city traffic cam. They've been parked there for 15 minutes, engine running. Someone knows you took something."
Cassia dropped her spoon. "Phantom Men in Black vibes. I don't like it."
Elira closed her laptop fast and yanked the USB out. "We need to go. Now."
---
Thirty Minutes Later – Safehouse
Noah's uncle's old bookstore in Brooklyn served as a makeshift hideout. Dusty, cluttered, and filled with stacks of conspiracy novels—it was perfect.
Elira paced while Noah locked down the Wi-Fi.
"They're watching us," she muttered.
Cassia flopped onto a beanbag. "No kidding. We just uncovered the blueprint to eco-gentrification—weaponized greenery."
Noah typed furiously. "There's something else. I recognized a name in the file: Dr. Ira Delgado. Environmental engineer. Used to work for Valen Corp until she disappeared two years ago. Rumor was… she knew too much."
Elira's pulse quickened. "Find her. If she's alive, she might be the key."
---
Later That Day – Valen Corp HQ
Ares Valen stood in a glass conference room, watching the board members argue like crows over a carcass. Selene D'Amour leaned lazily in her chair, sipping espresso. Across from her sat Vincent Crane, a stone-faced investor with eyes like daggers.
"She's a liability," Crane said. "This girl—Elira Song—she's all over the news. You've made her a symbol, and symbols are dangerous."
"I disagree," Selene chimed. "She's beautiful. Bold. Controversial. We need that fire. The media loves her."
"She's unpredictable," Crane snapped. "And now, there's talk of leaked data."
Ares didn't flinch. "There was no breach."
Crane narrowed his eyes. "If I find out otherwise, I'll bury this company before the flowers bloom."
After the meeting, Selene caught up to Ares near the elevator.
"I like her," she said casually. "She bites."
Ares ignored her.
"But darling," she added, lowering her voice, "just be sure she doesn't bite you too deep. You're bleeding, whether you admit it or not."
---
That Night – Abandoned Greenhouse, Queens
Elira found Dr. Ira Delgado in a rusted greenhouse on the edge of an old botanical research facility. The woman had once been a respected environmental scientist—now, she looked like a ghost in worn boots and a faded lab coat.
"You shouldn't have come," Ira said, eyes darting to the windows.
"I need the truth."
Ira hesitated. Then she handed Elira a sealed envelope.
"Project V was meant to rebuild New York from its roots. But the board twisted it. They used my soil algorithms to map out 'desirable' land for gentrification."
"And Ares?" Elira asked.
"He fought it. At first," Ira said quietly. "But power changes people. And heartbreak changes them faster."
"What do you mean?"
"Liana's betrayal destroyed him. He stopped trusting anyone—even himself. That's when he started to make dangerous compromises."
Elira's fingers tightened around the envelope.
"Then it's true," she whispered. "He became the thing he swore to fight."
---
Back at the Safehouse
Cassia read the documents aloud.
"Eviction plans. Payoffs to city inspectors. Suppressed media leaks. They've buried people—literally and figuratively."
Noah looked at Elira. "We release this to the press, and Ares is finished."
Elira hesitated.
Because buried under anger… something else lived.
Doubt.
He had warned her not to look. Not because he was hiding from guilt—but because he was protecting her from the truth.
She remembered his voice:
"I'll make you believe in me, Elira Song. Whether you like it or not."
And deep down, a part of her… wanted to.
---
Meanwhile – Valen's Penthouse
Ares stood alone in the rooftop garden he'd built himself.
The flowers were blooming. The city lights blinked far below.
But he was cold.
Because somewhere out there, Elira held the one thing that could burn his empire to the ground.
And for the first time in years—
He didn't know whether to fight her…
Or trust her.