Chapter 11: The Final Ledger
278 Words
Felicity gripped the USB, its cold edges biting her palm as she stood on the mansion’s rooftop terrace, the city’s distant lights flickering below. Jarden’s confession—I love you—clashed with Marcus’s proof of his crimes. The Haven Project wasn’t just laundering; it was a web of payoffs, silencing families like hers to hide a bigger sin: trafficking data stolen from small towns like hers to fund Jarden’s empire. Her father’s debt was a pawn in this game.
She turned to Jarden, who stood by the railing, his face raw under the night sky. “You said you protected me,” she said, voice firm. “But you used my family’s pain for your deals. Why should I stay?”
His eyes met hers, unguarded. “Because I’m ending it. The Project, the rivals—they’re closing in. That USB can expose them, not just me. Help me stop it, Felicity.”
Before she could answer, a helicopter’s roar cut the air. Floodlights swept the terrace, and Elara’s voice crackled through a radio on Jarden’s belt. “They’re here. You trusted her, and now we’re done.”
Figures in black rappelled down, guns glinting. Trent stepped forward, smirking, not alone—Jarden’s rivals had hired him. “Hand over the drive, Feli.”
Marcus appeared, grabbing her arm. “Give it to me. I can get it to the feds.”
Felicity’s heart pounded. Jarden’s plea, Marcus’s urgency, Trent’s threat—she chose. She tossed the USB to Jarden. “End it, like you said.”
He caught it, his nod heavy with promise. As gunfire erupted, Felicity ran, knowing her choice had chang
ed everything.
- Writer
