LET'S BREAK THEM

CHAPTER 18: SAFE AT LAST

Step 17: He testifies.

Step 18: We’re safe. For now.

The news wouldn't stop.

`Carter Group CEO arrested for fraud and intimidation`

`Billionaire's son testifies against father`

`Student whistleblower hailed as hero`

My face was everywhere. On TV. On t****k. On the front page. On billboards.

"Kudo: The girl who took down Carter"

Ben did it. He gave the police everything. Bank records. Texts. Emails. Years of his dad’s crimes.

Hard drives. Voice notes. The files I didn't even have.

"I’m sorry," he told me in the police car. Handcuffs on his dad in the background. "For everything he did. For everything I didn’t stop."

My phone was chaos. 1000+ notifications.

Reporters. Lawyers. Strangers. Book agents.

Daniel: `BROOO YOU'RE A LEGEND`

Daniel: `Can you get me an interview?? Dreame wants to talk to you`

Unknown: `You're so brave`

Unknown: `You saved us all`

And then...

Unknown: `Watch your back, rat`

Unknown: `Carter will pay you`

Unknown: `This isn't over`

That made my blood go cold.

I rushed to the hospital to see Mom. She was awake, watching the news.

"Baby... are you safe?" she asked, pulling me into a hug. Frail but strong.

"I'm safe, Mom. It's over," I lied. Because I didn't know if it was.

Because the threats were still coming.

It wasn't really over.

That night, at 1:47am, a loud CRASH woke us up.

Glass exploding.

A brick came through our apartment window.

Shards everywhere. Mom screamed. I covered her.

Tied to the brick with red string was a note: `Snitches get stitches.`

My hands shook so bad I dropped my phone.

Couldn't breathe. This was Carter. Had to be.

10 minutes later, headlights in the driveway. Ben. With 2 security guards.

He kicked the door open. "Get your stuff," he said, no argument in his voice. "You're staying with me."

"I can't afford—"

"My house. My guest room. Free. Now, Kudo. Before they come back."

So that's how I ended up in Carter Mansion. The irony wasn't lost on me.

The house that tried to destroy me was now keeping me safe.

The house was empty. Cold. Echoey. His dad's stuff was already being packed up by the FBI in boxes labeled EVIDENCE.

Paintings off the walls. Safe open. Papers everywhere.

Ben walked me to the guest room. It was bigger than my whole apartment. White sheets. Ocean view.

"Bathroom's there. Food's in the kitchen. Guards are outside 24/7. Cameras too."

"Thank you," I whispered. "For this. For everything."

At 2am I couldn't sleep. The quiet was too loud.

I found Ben in the kitchen making noodles. He burnt them. Smoke alarm beeping.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pushing the bowl to me. "I don't cook. I don't do anything normal."

"It's okay," I said, eating it anyway. It tasted like home. Like 2am and fear and safety. "Thank you for saving me. Again."

He looked down at the counter. Ashamed. "I should've done it sooner. Before you got hurt. Before the brick."

Before the rooftop. Before all of it.

Silence. But not awkward. Just tired. Two people who'd been fighting for too long. Two people who were finally on the same side.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure."

"Why did you help me? At the start? You could've let me fall off that roof. No one would've blamed you."

"You could've stayed the golden boy."

He stirred his burnt noodles. Didn't look up. "Because you were the only person who looked at me and didn't see Carter money.

You saw me. Ben. The i***t who’s bad at noodles. The kid who hated his dad."

"You made me want to be better."

He tried to smile. It was sad. Real.

My heart did something weird in my chest.

My phone buzzed on the counter. Email from Dreame.

Subject: `Congratulations! Your story LET'S BREAK THEM has qualified for Lv2 Contract`

`Exclusive. 50k advance. Royalties.`

I stared at it. Read it 3 times. Then looked at Ben.

Tears in my eyes. Happy tears. Scared tears. All of it.

"We did it," I whispered. "Lv2."

He grinned. The first real one in weeks. Tired but proud. "Told you we would. Told you your story mattered."

"Told you the world would listen."

Step 18: Complete.

Safe at last.

In the enemy’s house.

With the enemy’s son.

Writing our story.

`Chapter 18.

The arrest.

The brick.

The noodles.

The contract.

We survived.

-K`