The penthouse was too quiet.
No phones ringing, no screens flashing. Just the hum of the city below, steady as a warning.
Lena dropped her jacket over the arm of the couch and exhaled for the first time all day.
The board meeting replayed in her mind Adrian's smug smile, his deliberate use of Ms. Hale, the moment the files disappeared from his screen.
A small, perfect victory.
But victories this clean never lasted long.
Nathaniel stood by the window, tie loosened, staring out at the skyline. "You handled him better than I expected."
"Meaning what?" she said without turning.
"Meaning most people crumble when Adrian pulls their past into the room."
He glanced over. "You didn't."
Lena shrugged. "I've been underestimated my whole life. Men like him are just louder about it."
Ethan entered quietly, setting his laptop on the counter. "We've got about six hours before the system fully resets from the counter-hack. After that, we're blind until I can re-encrypt the backup drive."
"Do it," Lena said.
Nathaniel folded his arms. "He won't stop at that. You humiliated him in front of the board."
"I exposed him," she corrected.
"Same thing, in his head," Ethan muttered. "He's not going to sleep until he burns you for it."
Nathaniel turned to Lena again. "You sure you want to do this the hard way?"
"The hard way is the only one that works."
She picked up a glass of water, studied the reflection of the city lights in it. "He wants control. I want freedom. Those don't coexist."
Nathaniel stepped closer. "And what if he drags the company down with him?"
"Then I'll build it again. Without him."
Something flickered in his expression a mix of respect and warning. "You sound like me ten years ago."
"I sound like someone who's done being cornered," she said, meeting his gaze.
The silence between them was charged not romantic, but heavy, full of unspoken plans and risks.
Ethan's voice broke it. "There's one thing I can't explain. The message that triggered the board's leak wasn't fully Adrian's code. It was… layered."
Nathaniel frowned. "Meaning?"
"Meaning someone else piggybacked on his system." Ethan's hands hovered over the keys. "It's like a second ghost in the network. Cleaner. Smarter."
Lena froze. "Can you trace it?"
"Trying," he said. "But whoever they are they're good. They didn't want Adrian to notice."
Nathaniel's eyes darkened. "So someone's playing both sides."
The lights flickered once a brief surge, then steady again.
Ethan looked up from the screen. "That wasn't me."
Lena glanced toward the window. The city below glowed as usual except for one tower across the street. Dark, No lights, No movement.
Nathaniel followed her gaze. "That building's been empty for months."
Ethan checked the network. "No. It hasn't."
He turned the screen toward them a live feed. A signal spike originating from that same dark tower.
Lena's pulse quickened. "They're watching us."
Nathaniel's jaw tightened. "Then let them."
He reached for his phone, typing a message. "If they want a show, we'll give them one."
Ethan swallowed hard. "Sir, that could bait them into"
"That's the point," Nathaniel cut in.
Lena stepped closer to the window, her reflection framed against the city lights. "They think they're watching a target. Let's make them watch a trap."
Outside, thunder rolled again soft, distant, and promising.
The quiet storm had begun.