Sophia couldn't sleep that night. The ominous note from Elena's messenger weighed heavily on her mind. She turned the events of the day over and over in her head. Peter's betrayal, Damian's relentless determination, the shadowy threat—it was all becoming too real.
By morning, Sophia was more resolved than ever. She wasn't going to back down. Elena wanted her scared, distracted. Instead, Sophia would do what she always did best: stay two steps ahead.
---
At the office, Damian immediately noticed her sharp focus.
"You look ready to go to war," he remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"I am," Sophia replied. She handed him the envelope from the night before.
Damian's jaw tightened as he read the note. "She's making this personal now."
"She already has," Sophia said firmly. "But we can use this. If she's resorting to threats, it means she's running out of options."
Damian's lips curved into a faint smirk. "You're learning fast, Miss Grant. What's your plan?"
Sophia took a deep breath. "Peter may have handed her some information, but it's unlikely she has everything. We need to bait her into overplaying her hand. If we can lure her into making a mistake, we'll have what we need to end this for good."
Damian leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "Go on."
---
The plan hinged on setting a trap. Sophia suggested creating a fake acquisition deal—one that appeared critical to Blackwood Enterprises' future but was entirely fabricated. They would use the company's encrypted servers to plant details about the "deal," knowing Elena's spies were still in the system.
"If she takes the bait and tries to sabotage the deal, we'll catch her red-handed," Sophia explained.
Damian nodded, his mind already working through the details. "We'll need to move quickly. Elena will sense something's off if we don't make it convincing."
"I'll handle the groundwork," Sophia said. "But we'll need someone on the tech side to monitor her movements."
Damian's expression darkened. "I know just the person. He owes me a favor."
---
The next few days were a flurry of activity. Sophia coordinated with Damian's trusted tech expert, a reclusive genius named Julian, who set up the digital trap. Together, they created fake financial documents, emails, and a series of internal communications detailing the acquisition of a nonexistent tech startup called NovaDynamics.
Sophia crafted the narrative carefully, ensuring it appeared vital to Blackwood Enterprises' survival. She even orchestrated a meeting with a fake "founder," complete with photos and a fabricated contract.
By the end of the week, the bait was set. Now, they just had to wait for Elena to take it.
---
The trap sprang faster than expected. Two days after planting the fake information, Julian called Sophia late at night.
"She's in," Julian said, his voice crackling over the line. "Elena's people accessed the NovaDynamics files an hour ago. They've already started contacting our fake 'partners' to dig deeper."
Sophia's pulse quickened. "Is she trying to sabotage it?"
"Not just sabotage," Julian replied. "She's trying to buy it out from under us."
Sophia smirked. "Perfect."
---
The next morning, Damian called a press conference. He announced Blackwood Enterprises' "intention" to acquire NovaDynamics, highlighting the company's supposed groundbreaking technology. It was a calculated move, designed to push Elena into making her next move publicly.
Sure enough, within hours, Elena's counterstrike came. She called her own press conference, declaring that her team had secured an exclusive deal with NovaDynamics. She painted Damian as incompetent, accusing him of failing to protect the company's interests.
The media ate it up. Headlines blared: "Sibling Rivalry Heats Up as Elena Blackwood Outmaneuvers Damian Again."
But behind the scenes, Damian and Sophia were ready.
---
Sophia stood by Damian's side as he entered the boardroom later that day, the air thick with tension. The board members were visibly divided—some impressed by Elena's bold move, others skeptical of her methods.
"Before we begin," Damian said calmly, "I'd like to present some evidence regarding my sister's recent activities."
He nodded to Sophia, who stepped forward with a stack of documents.
"These are communications and financial records showing that Elena's acquisition of NovaDynamics is based on falsified information," Sophia said, her voice steady. "The company doesn't exist. The deal doesn't exist. It was all a fabrication—designed to expose her unethical practices."
The board erupted in murmurs as Sophia laid out the details, supported by timestamps and digital records provided by Julian.
Damian delivered the final blow. "Elena's willingness to manipulate the media and deceive this board proves she's unfit to lead. Her actions put the company's reputation at risk, and they jeopardize everything our family has built."
Elena's face turned pale as the board members turned to her, their expressions ranging from shock to anger.
"You can't seriously believe this!" she protested. "This is a setup!"
Damian's smirk was razor-sharp. "The only setup here is the one you walked into. You underestimated me, Elena. And you underestimated Sophia."
---
By the end of the meeting, the board voted unanimously to strip Elena of her remaining authority within the company. She stormed out, her defeat palpable.
As the door slammed behind her, Damian turned to Sophia.
"You've done more than I ever expected," he said, his voice tinged with genuine gratitude. "I couldn't have pulled this off without you."
Sophia allowed herself a small smile. "We're not done yet. Elena won't stop until she has nothing left to lose."
Damian nodded, his expression grim. "Then we'll be ready."
But as they left the boardroom, Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that the victory was too easy. Elena had been cornered, yes—but a cornered enemy was often the most dangerous.
Somewhere, in the shadows, she knew Elena was already plotting her next move.