LET'S BREAK THEM

CHAPTER 06: INSIDE THE ENEMY

Step 1: Make them underestimate me.

Step 2: Cut off Ben’s reputation.

Step 3: Take everything Arya has.

Step 4: Make Ben have nobody left but me.

Step 5: Walk into their house and burn it down.

Two weeks after the rain.

Ben still texts me.

"Can you send notes?"

"You free after school?"

"Don't tell anyone we talk."

I reply with "ok" and "sure".

One word answers.

Keep him wanting more.

Keep him wondering why I’m not desperate like everyone else.

But texts weren't enough.

Texts are safe.

I needed to be closer.

Inside.

Where the real secrets live.

So I applied for the Carter Group High School Internship.

10,000 applicants. 5 spots.

Essay: "Why I want to learn from the best."

Translation: "Why I want to destroy you from the inside."

I got in.

First day. Carter Group Tower. 50 floors of glass and ego.

The receptionist looked at my name tag. Then at me.

"Kudo? Charity case Kudo?"

She said it like a joke.

I smiled. Sweet. Harmless.

"That's me."

My department: PR and Social Media.

My supervisor: Mrs. Lin. Ben's aunt.

She had his eyes. His coldness.

"Interns don't get access to the 40th floor," she said on day one.

"That's family only. Private offices."

Noted.

Locked doors just make me curious.

Lunch break, day 3. I "got lost" on purpose.

Stared at the elevator panel. Bit my lip.

Pressed 40.

The doors opened to a penthouse office.

Marble floors. City view. Walls of awards.

And family photos everywhere.

Ben in a suit at 12. Arya and Ben at prom. Mr. and Mrs. Carter at a gala.

All smiles. All lies.

And on Ben's desk... a pink diary.

"Arya" written in gold on the cover.

Left open. Like she forgot it.

My heart pounded so hard I thought Mrs. Lin could hear it downstairs.

This was it.

Evidence. Secrets. Leverage.

The thing that could end them.

I picked it up. Flipped one page. Just one.

"Ben's dad says we have to date for the merger. I hate it but we need the money. Ben doesn't know. He thinks I like him."

Bingo.

The elevator dinged behind me.

Footsteps. Fast.

I shoved the diary in my bag in one move.

Heart in my throat.

Played dumb. Played scared.

"Who are you?"

Ben's voice. Cold. Behind me.

Angry.

I turned slowly. Held up my intern badge with shaking hands.

"New PR intern. Got lost looking for the bathroom. I'm so sorry, Mr. Carter."

Eyes down. The girl he used to ignore.

He stared at me. Then at his desk.

Then at his bag.

Something was off.

He knew.

"Get out," he said. Low. Dangerous.

"Now."

I walked past him. Shoulder to shoulder.

As I did, I whispered. So only he could hear:

"You should check who your girlfriend really is, Ben."

"Before you trust her."

And I left.

Didn't run. Walked.

Like I had nothing to hide.

That night my phone blew up.

73 notifications.

But only 1 mattered.

1 new message. From Ben.

No "hey". No "Kudo".

`Meet me. Rooftop. 8pm. Alone.`

He knows something.

He suspects something.

Good.

Let him be suspicious.

Let him be angry.

Let him come to me.

Because Step 5 just started.

And I’m already inside the enemy house.

Now I just need to light the match.

I rode the bus home with Arya’s diary burning a hole in my bag.

Every stop I checked if anyone was watching me.

Every red light I thought: what if Ben calls the police?

What if Mrs. Lin fires me tomorrow?

But I didn’t care.

For the first time in my life, I had power.

Real power.

And I wasn’t giving it back.

`Chapter 6.

I’m in their tower.

And I have Arya’s secrets.

-K`