Chapter 11 - Jason's Last CardJason crossed the street slowly.
I didn't move.
He stopped several feet away.
“You lied to me,” I said.
He smiled faintly.
“You lied to me first.”
“About what?”
“Who you were.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
“You hid a company worth billions.”
“Because I knew exactly what people would do if they knew.”
He looked at me.
“You were right.”
I stared at the device in his hand.
“What is that?”
“Your access key.”
“I never gave it to you.”
He smiled.
“You gave it to me.”
My mind raced.
Then I remembered.
Our anniversary.
A laptop.
A shared password.
A file I thought contained vacation photos.
My stomach dropped.
“You copied my authentication token.”
“Months ago.”
“So the whole wedding…”
“Was the easiest way to get close to you without triggering suspicion.”
I looked at him.
“Did you ever love me?”
He didn't answer.
That was enough.
I stepped closer.
“You almost made me your wife.”
“I was supposed to.”
“To destroy me.”
“To unlock you.”
His words made no sense.
“What does that mean?”
Jason lowered his voice.
“Your grandfather never disappeared because he was afraid of Black Ledger.”
“Then why?”
“Because he was afraid of you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You're insane.”
“No.”
He held up the device.
“Your grandfather designed Sentinel to respond only to your biological authentication.”
I froze.
“That's impossible.”
“It's true.”
He smiled.
“That's why they needed you.”
I looked at the building.
The countdown was still running.
41:12
Jason continued.
“The loan was a way to create legal leverage.”
“The wedding was to trap me.”
“The documents were to force you into signing.”
“And when that failed?”
He shrugged.
“We would have taken another route.”
My mother stepped outside.
“Enough.”
Jason looked at her.
“You knew?”
“For years.”
I stared at my mother.
“You really sold me.”
She looked at me.
“I protected the family.”
“You protected yourself.”
She didn't deny it.
Then Sydney stepped forward.
“I didn't know.”
I turned toward her.
“You knew enough.”
Tears ran down her face.
“I knew they were using you. I didn't know what they were really doing.”
“Then why help them?”
She looked at her stomach.
“Because they threatened Terrence.”
I went silent.
“What?”
“My mother told me she'd destroy his business.”
I stared at her.
“And Daniel?”
Sydney closed her eyes.
“I made a mistake.”
Daniel laughed.
“You made several.”
Terrence appeared behind them.
He had been following.
He looked at Sydney.
“Tell her the rest.”
Sydney began crying.
“I met Daniel before I met you.”
Terrence looked shattered.
“He promised he'd leave his wife.”
Daniel smiled.
“I never promised that.”
Sydney's eyes filled with hatred.
Then she whispered,
“He lied to me too.”
I almost laughed.
Everyone here had betrayed everyone.
It was like watching a house collapse from every wall simultaneously.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from the emergency board.
THE VOTE IS IN.
My mother looked at me.
“You're no longer CEO.”
I stared at her.
Then I smiled.
“Good.”
She frowned.
“What?”
I held up my phone.
“Because you just removed a CEO from a company she doesn't legally own.”
She froze.
“What?”
I looked at Jason.
“You forgot one thing.”
He stared.
“What?”
“I told you my family couldn't touch my assets.”
“Yes.”
“But you never asked whether they could touch the company.”
His face changed.
I turned toward the building.
“Meridian Shield is owned by a trust.”
My grandfather had created it.
I had never known why.
Until now.
And the trust had one controlling provision.
It activated only if I was attacked by someone inside my family.
The countdown hit ten minutes.
The lobby lights went red.
A voice announced over the building speakers:
“Shadow Vault compromise confirmed.”
Jason looked at me.
“How did you do that?”
I smiled.
“I didn't.”
Then I heard another voice from the building.
Old.
Calm.
Familiar.
My grandfather.
May you like
“I did.”
Everyone froze.
