d their carefully curated routines. To an outsider, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But for Elena, the air was thick with tension. She now possessed enough evid

and backed up in the cloud, thanks to Daniel's help. Ms. Harper had promised to begin assembling a case, but they all knew the clock was ticking. That

one flat, "Mr. Harrington reque

, masking

n sat behind his massive desk, his piercing eyes fixed on her. L

is voice deceptively calm. "Do y

eplied, keeping

d to a cha

hands clasped ti

aid, leaning back in his chair. "And I'm not the only

ia, whose expression

dia added. "And you've been seen

," Elena said carefully. "I've been tr

g. "I don't tolerate dishonesty, Elena. If there's

ced herself to remain calm. "I

ent, the silence stretching p

this-trust is earned, not

she said, ri

could feel Lydia's ey

ermination. The Harringtons were clearly suspicious, which

he met Daniel i

nervously. "They called me into the study tod

"Did they mentio

een... different. Lydia's

rper's working on the case, but we need more leverage. Somethin

the other families? The

ng out to them could alert my parents.

n show that this isn't just about my family, it wil

her victims. Using the information from the documents, they identified sev

while others had moved away or disappeared entirely. But a few w

é in the city. She had lost her family's farm yea

said, her voice trembling with emotion. "We were blacklisted, houn

'm so sorry for what you've been through. We'

rce. "If it means bringing that ma

compiling testimonies and evidence, preparing for the inevita

ajar. Her heart sank as she stepped inside. The room had been searched-h

compartment Daniel had helped her create. But the message was clear: the Harri

said, her voice shaking. "The

ned. "We need to ge

leave now, they'll know we're u

they f

cutting him off. "Not if

through his hair. "You're br

ll smile. "We're

us. She avoided the Harringtons as much as possible, keepi

ngton was wat

as she passed h

urning slowl

nreadable. "I expect to see you

ied, her voice stead

, surrounded by the Harringtons and a few of their close associate

tively sweet. "You've been with us for some

ng, ma'am," Elena

smile sharp. "But we expect loyalty ab

on Elena. "Absolutely. Loyalty is th

e, her palms sweati

ng for any cracks in her resolve. But she refused to break. Because she knew the truth was her gre