The burnt scrap of silk had done its job. Sofia Thorne—formerly Sofia Vance—was no longer a woman driven by greed; she was a woman driven by primitive, bone-deep fear. While Julian spent his nights drinking and staring at the stock market tickers, Sofia spent hers jumping at every shadow in the hallway.
She couldn't stay in the penthouse anymore. Every mirror felt like an eye, and every draft of wind felt like a cold hand on her shoulder.
"I can't do this, Julian," she had whispered that morning. "You'll do exactly what I tell you," he had roared back, his face gaunt. "If we fall, we fall together. Don't think for a second that I won't tell the police you were the one who suggested we move the body."
That was the breaking point. Sofia realized that Julian wouldn't hesitate to throw her to the wolves to save himself. She needed a way out. She needed to know if Elena Vance was a ghost, a demon, or a savior.
Elena sat in a secluded corner of an old, gothic-style tea house on the outskirts of the city. It was a place for whispers and shadows, far from the prying eyes of the corporate elite. Liam's security team was stationed outside, invisible but lethal.
When Sofia entered, she looked like a shadow of herself. She was wearing oversized sunglasses and a heavy trench coat, her hands trembling as she clutched her designer handbag. She scanned the room like a fugitive before sliding into the booth across from Elena.
Elena didn't look up from her cup of black tea. "You're late, Sofia. Tardiness was always your worst trait. That, and your inability to keep your hands off things that don't belong to you."
Sofia gasped, her face turning a sickly shade of grey. She slowly removed her sunglasses, revealing eyes that were bloodshot and sunken.
"Who are you?" Sofia whispered, her voice cracking. "I saw the silk. I saw the scarf. Julian says you're a fake, but Julian is losing his mind. Please... if you're Rose... if you're my sister... tell me."
Elena finally looked up. Her forest-green eyes were cold, reflecting none of the warmth Sofia was looking for.
"Rose Thorne died on that balcony, Sofia. You were there. You watched her fall. You even made sure the door was locked so she couldn't run back inside. Why would you look for a dead woman?"
Sofia flinched as if she had been slapped. "It was his idea! He said we would be rich. He said Father never loved me anyway, that I was just a 'spare'. I was jealous, yes, but I never wanted... I never wanted you to die!"
"And yet, you didn't call an ambulance," Elena said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm level. "You didn't scream for help. You helped him draft a suicide note while my blood was still staining the rocks. Don't talk to me about what you 'wanted'."
Sofia burst into silent, racking sobs, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle the sound. "He has a gun, Rose. Elena... whoever you are. He keeps it on the nightstand. He talks to himself. He says if the 'ghost' comes back, he'll finish the job for good. I'm scared. He'll kill me too."
Elena leaned forward, her presence suddenly suffocating. "Then give me what I want, and I might let you live to see the end of this."
"Anything," Sofia pleaded. "What do you want?"
"The second ledger," Elena commanded. "I know my father kept a private record of the offshore accounts—the ones Julian hasn't been able to find yet. The ones that contain the original deeds to the Onyx Bay land. Julian needs those to finalize the merger. Without them, his contract with the bankers is worthless."
Sofia hesitated. "If he finds out it's gone... he'll know it was me."
"He's going to find out eventually," Elena said, signaling the waiter for the check. "The question is, do you want to be inside the house when it burns down, or do you want to be halfway to Europe with a new identity and enough money to disappear?"
Elena slid a small, encrypted flash drive across the table.
"Put the files on this. I'll give you forty-eight hours. If I don't have the ledger by then, I'll send the recording of our little chat today straight to Julian. I wonder how he'll react when he finds out his 'loyal' partner is selling him out to the ghost."
Elena walked out of the tea house, the cold afternoon air hitting her face. She felt a strange lack of satisfaction. Seeing Sofia broken didn't feel as good as she thought it would. It just felt... empty.
A black SUV pulled up, and the door opened. Liam was inside, his laptop open on his knees.
"How did she take the bait?" Liam asked as Elena climbed in.
"She's terrified," Elena replied, leaning her head back against the leather seat. "She'll give us the ledger. She's more afraid of Julian than she is of me now."
Liam closed his laptop and looked at her. He noticed the slight tremor in her hands. He reached out, his hand covering hers. It was the first time he had initiated a touch that wasn't for "training" or "show."
"You're doing well, Elena. Most people would have crumbled under the weight of that conversation."
"I feel like I'm becoming like them," she whispered, looking out the window. "The lying, the threats... is this what it takes to win?"
Liam squeezed her hand, his gaze intense. "In this world, you are either the hammer or the nail. You've spent your whole life being the nail, Rose. Let yourself be the hammer. Just for a little while longer. Once he is gone, you can find your soul again. I'll help you find it."
Elena turned to look at him. "And you, Liam? Have you found yours? Or are you just waiting for your own vengeance to be over?"
Liam didn't answer. He simply looked at her, his eyes unreadable in the twilight. He pulled her hand toward his lips, kissing her knuckles with a lingering, silent promise.
"My vengeance is just the beginning," he murmured. "Our story doesn't end with Julian's fall."