The message burned into my screen all night.
I stared at those four words until the glow of my phone faded into dawn. I didn’t sleep. Couldn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father in that hospital bed, helpless, while some faceless monster toyed with his life like it was a pawn in a sick game.
By morning, my body was running on caffeine and fear. My nonprofit had already been slipping through my fingers. Now, someone wanted me to believe the people I loved were nothing more than bargaining chips.
The first hit of the day landed before I’d even set foot inside the office.
“Jane!” My assistant, Maria, rushed to me, her eyes wide. “You need to see this.”
She shoved a folded letter into my hands, no envelope this time, just a single sheet of paper.
It read:
“Your supplier has b
