Her family. Broken, complicated, forged in crisis, and bound by love that transcended biology and betrayal.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to the servers, to the research, to the dreams she'd built here. "But you're not worth more than my daughter."
Twenty-three minutes later, the corruption was complete.
Every database, every research file, every communication protocol all of it compromised in ways that would be discovered too late to prevent catastrophic failures.
Aria initiated the final sequence: a cascading security breach that would lock down all systems and trigger emergency protocols.
Alarms began blaring throughout the building.
She disconnected her tablet and ran for the elevator, her heart racing as security personnel emerged from other floors.
"Dr. Vale! What's happening?"
