Chapter 9 - ISABELLA'S COUNTERMOVEWe escaped the tunnel through an emergency shaft.
Mother survived.
Dr. Voss survived.
Jasper vanished again.
But something had changed.
Mother finally stopped lying.
Victor Hale had once been her closest friend.
Before our father.
Before the marriage.
Before Jasper.
Victor had built the financial network with Marcus Montgomery.
They had started together.
Then they discovered Elena had been secretly recording their operations.
Marcus wanted to expose everything.
Victor wanted the money.
The partnership collapsed.
Elena disappeared.
Marcus died.
Mother became the keeper of the remaining evidence.
Jasper entered the family years later.
He was recruited because Victor believed he could manipulate Isabella.
And he was right.
Until Isabella stopped being afraid.
She stood in the underground control room and studied the financial records.
"What if we don't fight them?"
I looked at her.
"What?"
"What if we make them fight each other?"
She pointed at the transactions.
"Jasper has been stealing from Victor."
I stared.
"How much?"
"Twenty-eight million."
Mother's face went pale.
"That's impossible."
Isabella shook her head.
"It's all here."
Jasper had been siphoning money through fake construction companies.
Victor was using the foundation to move money.
Jasper had been taking a percentage for himself.
And the encrypted drive contained proof.
"Victor will kill him," I said.
"Maybe."
Isabella looked at me.
"But he won't know Jasper stole from him."
"What are you thinking?"
She smiled for the first time since the warehouse.
"Let's tell him."
We sent an anonymous packet to one of Victor's shell companies.
It contained one financial statement.
Nothing else.
Enough to suggest Jasper had secretly diverted millions.
Then we waited.
Two hours later, Victor made his move.
Three shell companies froze.
Jasper's accounts disappeared.
His lawyers resigned.
His security team vanished.
And then Jasper called me.
"You did this."
"I sent Victor the truth."
Silence.
"You don't understand what you've started."
"Maybe not."
I smiled.
"But you do."
Jasper's breathing changed.
"You think Victor will spare you?"
"No."
"You think he'll spare Isabella?"
"No."
"Then why?"
I looked at my sister.
"Because now you're both afraid."
Jasper hung up.
Ten minutes later, an email arrived.
A video.
Jasper was sitting in a dark room.
Blood covered his collar.
Victor stood behind him.
"You have until midnight," Victor said.
Jasper looked at the camera.
"Caleb..."
The video ended.
Isabella looked at me.
"What happens at midnight?"
I opened the metadata.
Coordinates.
An old theater downtown.
Mother whispered:
"The Blackwood Auction."
I looked at her.
"What is that?"
"The place where Victor sells identities."
I stared.
"Identities?"
"Passports. companies. entire lives."
May you like
Mother looked toward the screen.
"And tomorrow night, he's selling yours."
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