grainy but clear enough to see Isabel standing beside Jake, her hand resting possessively on his arm. An

and signatures she recognized as Jake's. Her eyes scanned the pag

m my family's company," she said,

position in the family and access your family's weal

gined. She thought she had endured the worst of it, but this r

" she asked, her voice sharpe

truth. I've been gathering evidence against them for months, but I need s

was asking. "I don't know if I can do this," she said, he

ave to go back. Just work with me from the outside. Help m

anger bubbling just beneath the surface. She had spent months enduring Isabel's cruelty and Jake's indifference,

ice steady despite the storm rag

x's lips, but his eyes remained serious.

to the passenger seat, Alex reached for the gearshift. The car began to r

d the quiet night. The car lurched as one of the windows ex

ng her head below the dashboar

short, panicked gasps. The sharp scent of gunpowder filled the air,

uealing against the pavement. Alex's jaw was se

arah managed to gasp,

y. "Or someone he sent.

er veins. Her chest heaved as she struggled to calm her breathing, her fingers gripping the edge of the seat like it was the only

ped the steering wheel. The faint glow of streetlights illuminated the

ife apart, and now she was fleeing bullets, her baby's life and her own hanging by a

d. "To keep you quiet. You know too m

y wanted-it was control. Jake and Isabel had already stolen s

nced, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach. "We can't o

a fraction of a second. "We won't have to.

g louder as their pursuers gained ground. A flash of headlights appear

r words were drowned out

h ducked, her heart pounding as she curled protectively around her stomach. The car j

e to follow. For a brief moment, silence fell, broken only

vigating the labyrinth of alleyways with practiced precisio

its façade dark and unassuming. Alex jumped out first, his movemen

move," he sa

she stepped out, her body trembling from the adrenaline still coursing through