Chapter 202

No.1

August's jaw locked so tightly the muscles looked like they might snap under his skin.

He stood frozen in the center of the Michelin-starred restaurant. The European bankers beside him stopped talking, confused by the sudden,terrifying drop in temperature radiating from the billionaire.

August forced himself to tear his eyes away from Elisa's mocking toast. His chest heaved once.He turned his broad shoulders and marched toward the VIP private dining room at the very back of the restaurant, his heavy footsteps echoing like a death march.

Elisa watched his retreating back. The smirk vanished from her face, replaced by absolute ice.

She brought the crystal glass to her lips and swallowed the red wine in one fluid motion. She set the empty glass down with a sharp clink.

"Sign the term sheet, Preston," Elisa demanded,her voice flat. "Right now."

Preston leaned back against the plush leather

booth. A sly, greasy smile spread across his face.He picked up the three-hundred-million-dollar investment intent document and slowly slid it back across the table toward himself.

"This piece of paper is just the appetizer, Faye,"Preston said, his eyes scanning her body with blatant disrespect. "The actual signature requires you to prove you have enough...commitment to this partnership. My hotel suite is five minutes away."

No.2

A cold, homicidal spike of adrenaline shot through Elisa's veins.

He never intended to give her the money.He knew Aethel was bleeding out. He was just playing a sadistic game, trying to humiliate a woman he thought was cornered.

Elisa did not yell. She did not throw her drink.

She stood up with terrifying grace. She picked up her black cashmere coat and draped it over her shoulders. She looked down at Preston as if he were a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"Your chips are too cheap for this table, Mr. Vance,"Elisa said, her voice ringing with absolute, crushing authority.

She turned on her heel and walked away. She left the financial documents sitting on the table. She left Preston sitting alone, his face flushing a violent,ugly red as he realized he had just been publicly discarded.

Elisa pushed open the heavy front doors of Le Coucou. The freezing Manhattan wind hit her face,but it felt clean compared to the air inside.

Alastair's black Maybach was already idling at the curb.

She walked quickly down the stone steps.

No.3

Suddenly, a shadow moved behind the glass.August Chambers appeared at the floor-to-ceiling window of the restaurant. He stood there, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his dark eyes burning holes into her back as she walked away from Preston.

Elisa felt his stare. She did not turn around. She pulled open the heavy car door, slid into the passenger seat, and slammed it shut. The thick armored glass instantly severed August's visual tether.

Alastair put the car in drive and merged into the heavy New York traffic. He gripped the steering wheel,his knuckles white.

"Well?" Alastair asked, his voice tight.

Elisa rubbed her temples. A dull, throbbing headache was building behind her eyes.

"It was a complete tactical failure," Elisa admitted,staring out the window. "Preston is a predator.He wanted to use the term sheet to force me into a hotel room. He has no intention of funding Project Chiron."

Alastair slammed his foot on the brake. The heavy Maybach lurched to a violent stop at a red light.

He turned his head. His eyes were blazing with unhinged fury. No one treated his Chief Architect like a prostitute.

Alastair reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone. "I am wiring three hundred million from my offshore holding company in the Cayman Islands right now. I will plug the hole myself."

No.4

Elisa reached out and grabbed his wrist. Her grip was surprisingly strong.

"No," Elisa said firmly. "If you dump three hundred million of untraceable offshore cash into Aethel right now, it will trigger an immediate red flag with the SEC. The Securities and Exchange Commission will freeze our accounts. Allena will use that to

prove her fake rumors about our illegal activites."

Alastair took a deep, shuddering breath. He dropped the phone into his lap. He knew she was right. The financial laws of the United States were a cage they could not simply break with brute force.

"Then what is the next move?" Alastair asked.

Elisa reached into her bag and pulled out her tablet.She tapped the screen, bringing up a highly detailed schedule.

"Tomorrow morning,the Global Smart Healthcare Venture Summit begins in Miami," Elisa said. The lethal, calculating light returned to her eyes."Half the independent venture capitalists in America will be there. We are going to Miami. We are going to bypass Wall Street entirely and raise the money directly."

She looked at Alastair. "It also gets us out of New York. It removes Preston's geographical leverage."

Fifteen minutes later, they walked into the top-floor executive suite of Aethel Intelligence.

No.5

Elisa walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. She pulled out her encrypted phone and dialed Jewel.

Jewel answered on the first ring.

"Is the extraction complete?" Elisa asked, keeping her voice low.

"Yes," Jewel said, her voice tight with anxiety."The unedited Netflix footage of Allena poisoning her brother is locked inside an offline cold wallet. But it's legally useless as is. I have to fly to Miami tomorrowv. I tracked down a former Netflix security architect who lives there. He's the only person who can provide the forensic certification to make this video an irrefutable piece of evidence in federal court. Without his digital signature, the Chambers legal team will tear it apart as a deepfake."

Elisa's stomach tightened. That video was the nuclear bomb she needed to destroy Allena and the Chambers family forever.

"Be careful, Jewel," Elisa whispered. "Do not let anyone see that drive."

Elisa ended the call. She turned around. Alastair was standing by his desk, holding two printed boarding passes.

"First class to Miami. Wheels up at 7 AM," Alastair said. His voice left no room for argument. "I am going with you. I failed to protect you from that garbage tonight. In Miami, no one gets within ten feet of you."

Elisa looked at the fierce, unyielding loyalty in Alastair's eyes. A small, genuine warmth bloomed in her chest. She nodded.

No.6

At that exact moment, back in the VIP room of Le

Coucou, August Chambers was losing his mind.

He sat at the head of the table. The European bankers were presenting a billion-dollar acquisition strategy, but August heard nothing but static. His brain was looping the image of Elisa sitting across from Preston.

August violently ripped his silk tie loose. He pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial for his Chief of Staff, Simon.

"Simon, I want a full surveillance package on Preston Vance's movements in Miami," August barked into the phone, his voice dropping to a freezing, psychotic register. "He's making a play that could disrupt our summit agenda. I want to know every meeting he takes, every call he makes.As for Elisa Wilder... report her location to me as well. I won't have that woman creating a media circus that reflects poorly on the Chambers name."

Five minutes later, a text message pinged on August's screen.

[Elisa Wilder is booked on a 7 AM flight to Miami.

Preston Vance has filed a flight plan for his private jet to Miami tomorrow evening.]

August stared at the glowing screen. The two separate pieces of information violently collided in his brain, forming a completely illogical but devastating conclusion.

No.7

They are going to Miami together. They are going to a hotel.

August stood up so fast his heavy oak chair crashed backward onto the floor.

"Prep the jet," August snarled into the phone,ignoring the shocked bankers. "We are going to Miami."