Chapter 17: Fractures and Firelight
608 Words
The late afternoon sun bathed the villa in soft amber, casting long shadows through the tall glass windows. Lyra stood near the balcony of Riven’s study, her eyes locked on the coastline below. The sound of waves crashing seemed to echo the storm inside her.
She had waited until the kids were napping and her parents were out for a walk. She needed answers. Now.
The door creaked open behind her. Riven entered, holding two cups of coffee. He paused the moment he saw her standing with that still, quiet intensity.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said gently, placing one cup on the nearby table.
“I was at the West Coast branch,” she said without turning.
Silence followed.
Riven exhaled slowly. “I know.”
That made her turn. Her eyes were sharp. “You were there. That night. I saw you.”
He met her gaze, unflinching. “Yes.”
She stepped forward. “You’ve been investigating the Steel Enterprise offshore account. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He walked closer, slowly, like approaching something fragile. “Because it was dangerous. Because the closer I got, the more I realized it wasn’t just about missing funds—it’s about Charles. And I had to be sure.”
“Riven…” her voice cracked. “What are you not telling me?”
He sat down on the edge of his desk and looked at her, the weight of years behind his eyes. “Three weeks before Charles’s plane crash, he contacted me. He told me he found anomalies—coded accounts linked to someone inside the board. Offshore. Quiet transfers to private firms in Europe and the Caribbean.”
Lyra’s hand went to her mouth. “He knew...?”
“He didn’t trust anyone. But he trusted me. He asked me to look into it if anything happened to him.” Riven looked away, jaw tight. “When the plane went down... I knew it wasn’t an accident.”
Lyra sat in silence, her chest tight. “So all this time...”
“I’ve been tracing digital threads, tracing money... and it all leads to someone close. Someone powerful.” He paused. “My brother, Ravel.”
Lyra’s head snapped up. “You have a brother?”
“Half-brother. Illegitimate son of my father. Raised in the dark. Swallowed by greed, by resentment. He always hated what our father built—because he was never included in it.” Riven ran a hand through his hair. “Now he wants to burn it all down.”
“And he’s behind the stolen funds?” she asked.
“And more,” Riven whispered. “He was the last known person Charles tried to expose.”
Lyra stepped back, trying to breathe. “You should have told me.”
“I was trying to protect you,” Riven said firmly, standing. “But I see now... we’re in this together. I won’t keep you in the dark anymore.”
A long silence passed between them. Then she slowly stepped forward.
“I want in,” she said quietly. “No more secrets.”
Riven nodded. “Then there’s something else you need to see.”
He walked over to a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf. With a click, a screen lit up, revealing surveillance footage, account logs, and an AI-driven mapping of the Steel Enterprise network.
In the center of it all—Ravel’s name.
Lyra stared at the screen, her expression hardening. “We take him down.”
Riven looked at her, the fire in his eyes matching hers.
“Together,” he said.
- Writer
