My pulse races as I stand at the edge of the room, scanning the faces of my inner circle. Every gaze that meets mine carries a hidden weight-guilt, fear, or perhaps betrayal.
Someone in this room is playing me, and I need to figure out who before they rip everything from under me.
I grip the back of a chair to steady myself. “We need to talk,” I say, my voice sharp enough to cut through the uneasy silence.
The men and women seated around the table shift nervously, exchanging glances. They know this isn’t just another meeting.
The weight of the murder video is still fresh on my mind, and the knowledge that someone among them is feeding Ethan and Xavier makes the air feel thick with deceit. They aren’t just allies anymore-they’re suspects.
Alyssa: “I need answers.” I let my eyes land on each of them, slowly, deliberately. “Who carried out the hit on Marcus Trent?”
A murmur spreads across the table, but no one volunteers an answer. The silence only feeds my fury.
Alyssa: “If I find out any of you knew-and didn’t tell me-I swear, you’ll regret it.”
Victor, one of my oldest lieutenants, clears his throat. “With all due respect, Alyssa, we didn’t know anything about it. None of us would move on Trent without your order.”
I lean forward, hands braced on the table. “Then explain to me how Marcus ends up dead in a video sent from an unknown number. Explain how Isabella-one of my closest allies-carried it out.”
Victor flinches, but his expression remains blank. “Maybe she was acting on someone else’s orders. Ethan, maybe? Or Xavier?”
Alyssa: “Or Robert.” I say it without missing a beat, and the room shifts uneasily. No one dares to say it out loud, but they’re all thinking the same thing: Robert’s influence reaches too far, even into my own ranks.
Maria, the logistics head, speaks up next. “If Isabella’s involved, we have to assume it wasn’t a random act. It was planned.” She pauses, choosing her words carefully.
“We need to consider the possibility that the leak isn’t just coming from outside. It’s… one of us.”
Alyssa: “I’ve already considered that.” My voice turns cold, but inside, every nerve is burning. “What I need is proof. And whoever it is-they’ve been feeding Ethan and Xavier my moves from the start.”
I gesture to Victor. “Who do you trust?”
Victor frowns, as if the question has caught him off guard. “In this room? Everyone.”
I give him a thin, humorless smile. “That’s the wrong answer, Victor. Try again.”
He stiffens, glancing at the others. Everyone’s on edge now, sensing that the walls are closing in. I watch their reactions closely, searching for the smallest flicker of guilt.
Alyssa: “What about you, Maria?” I turn to her, my stare unwavering. “You’ve always been good at sniffing out lies. Who do you think is feeding Ethan and Xavier?”
Maria shifts in her seat, looking uncomfortable under my gaze. “If I knew, I’d tell you.”
I lean closer, lowering my voice. “Would you? Or are you the one doing it?”
Maria’s face pales, and she shakes her head furiously. “No, Alyssa. I’d never betray you.”
Alyssa: “We’ll see.”
I straighten, pacing the length of the room, the silence hanging heavy. I need to apply pressure-enough to force the traitor to crack without spooking them into running.
Alyssa: “Here’s how this is going to work.” I stop at the head of the table, folding my arms. “I want everything-every message, every conversation, every deal any of you have made in the last two weeks. I’ll have my team comb through it all.”
There are a few murmurs of protest, but I raise a hand to silence them.
Alyssa: “If any of you have something to hide, now’s your chance to come clean.” I let the words hang in the air for a moment. “Because if I find out you’ve been working against me, I won’t show mercy.”
The tension in the room is suffocating. I can see the fear settling in, like sharks circling blood in the water. But I also see something else-subtle glances exchanged, unease blooming between certain people.
It’s in those small, telling movements that I catch my first clue. Victor avoids making eye contact with Maria. Maria, in turn, shifts uncomfortably, her fingers tapping anxiously against the table.
Something clicks in my mind. They’re hiding something-together.
Alyssa: “Victor,” I say, my voice sharp. “When was the last time you spoke to Ethan?”
Victor stiffens, and I know I’ve hit a nerve.
Victor: “I-I haven’t. Not recently.”
Alyssa: “Liar.” I slam my hands on the table, causing everyone to jump. “You’ve been working both sides, haven’t you?”
Victor’s mouth opens, but no sound comes out. He glances desperately at Maria, as if begging for her help. She looks away.
Alyssa: “And Maria,” I continue, turning my gaze to her. “What role do you play in all of this?”
Maria shakes her head. “I’m not involved, I swear-”
Alyssa: “Save it.” I pull out my phone and start scrolling. “Let’s see what the messages say, shall we?”
I tap through a few screens, pretending to have access to more than I do. Victor’s face drains of color, and that’s when I know I’ve got him.
Alyssa: “It’s over, Victor.” My voice is low but deadly. “You’ve been feeding information to Ethan-and probably Xavier too. Haven’t you?”
Victor swallows hard. He knows there’s no way out now.
Victor: “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he whispers. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Alyssa: “There’s always a choice.” I lean closer, fury burning in my chest. “You made the wrong one.”
Just as I prepare to press further, my phone buzzes with a new message. My stomach churns as I glance at the screen. It’s another video-sent from the same unknown number.
I tap it open, and what I see sends ice through my veins. It’s a clip of Victor and Maria meeting with Ethan-just last night.
In the video, Ethan leans in close, whispering something to Victor. “Keep feeding her the right information,” Ethan says. “And when the time comes, she’ll be ours.”
I look up slowly, my heart pounding in my chest. The betrayal is deeper than I thought. Victor and Maria aren’t just informants-they’ve been playing me from the start, shaping my every move to serve Ethan and Xavier’s agendas.
Alyssa: “You’ve made your choice,” I whisper, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Now it’s my turn.”