Mia's phone buzzed again, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts. The notification flashed on her screen—a message from Leo.
"Sophie's made her move. I need you here. Now."
The urgency in Leo's message snapped Mia back to reality. There was no time for reflection, no time for wondering what had gone wrong with Adrian or questioning her every move. Sophie, despite everything, was still fighting back. It was far from over. Mia had worked too hard and sacrificed too much to let Sophie crawl her way back into the limelight.
She quickly made her way to Leo's office, her thoughts racing. She had been prepared for this—the inevitable retaliation from Sophie. But even with all the evidence they had already uncovered, Mia couldn't shake the feeling that Sophie was always two steps ahead. It was that unnerving sense that the real battle had only just begun.
---
Leo's office was cramped, cluttered with piles of papers and various computer equipment, but it was where Mia felt most at home. It was the place where she and Adrian had worked tirelessly for months, uncovering the truth, piece by piece. But now, as Mia entered, the atmosphere was different. Leo, usually calm and collected, was pacing in front of his desk, his face tight with tension.
"What's going on?" Mia asked, her voice steady despite the tightness in her chest.
Leo stopped pacing and turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. "It's bad, Mia. Sophie's been digging. She's been going through every piece of information we've put out there. And it looks like she found something—a loophole we missed."
Mia's heart skipped a beat. "A loophole?"
Leo nodded. "There's a document—one that we never flagged. It's an old financial report, and if Sophie makes it public, it could change everything. She's got leverage, Mia. Real leverage."
"Where is it?" Mia asked, her mind already running through the possibilities. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard. If Sophie had found something that could destroy all their hard work, they needed to act immediately.
Leo hesitated, his expression conflicted. "The document's locked in a secure server. Only a few people have access to it. But the problem is, it's been encrypted in a way we didn't anticipate. We're talking about a network of files—highly classified."
Mia felt a sense of panic rising, but she kept it in check. "How do we get access?"
Leo sighed, running his hands through his hair. "That's where it gets tricky. The encryption is nearly impossible to break. But… I think I know someone who can do it. Someone who's got the skills we need."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Leo's gaze flickered with hesitation before he spoke again. "An old contact of mine. A hacker, but not exactly on the legal side of things. If we want to get into Sophie's files, we'll need him."
Mia didn't like the sound of that. The idea of bringing in someone from the criminal underworld was risky—too risky. But she knew they had no other choice. Sophie was close to winning, and Mia couldn't afford to let that happen.
"Get in touch with him," Mia said firmly. "And make sure we get those files."
---
It took several hours for Leo to track down his contact, but by late evening, they had arranged a meeting. Mia wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as they arrived at a rundown building in a forgotten part of the city, her instincts kicked in. This wasn't a place for trust—it was a place for secrets.
Inside, the room smelled of stale air and dust, the kind of place where people went to hide away from the world. The man Leo had called in was sitting at a table, his face hidden behind a dark hood. His posture was rigid, and he seemed completely detached from the chaos surrounding him.
Leo introduced them. "Mia, meet Anton. He's the best at what he does."
Anton didn't make eye contact. "You want the files? I can get them for you. But it'll cost you."
Mia wasn't surprised by the condition. She'd expected as much. "What's the price?" she asked, trying to mask the tension in her voice.
Anton finally looked up, his eyes piercing, as if trying to assess whether Mia could be trusted. "One million," he said coldly. "Cash. Upfront."
Mia wasn't prepared for the number, but she didn't flinch. She knew how high the stakes were. "Done," she said. She would find a way to make it work.
---
The next few days passed in a blur of urgency. Anton worked tirelessly, and Mia remained glued to her phone, fielding calls from Adrian, Leo, and their legal team. Every moment felt like an eternity as the clock ticked down to Sophie's next move. Mia couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking a tightrope—one misstep, and everything they'd worked for would collapse.
Finally, late one night, Leo's message came through.
"It's done. We have access."
Mia's heart skipped a beat. This was it. The breakthrough they had been waiting for. She rushed to Leo's office, barely able to contain her anticipation. As soon as she arrived, Leo showed her the screen.
There it was—the document that could change everything. It was a financial report from a shell company that Sophie had hidden in plain sight. It detailed a series of illicit transactions, none of which Mia had seen before. The document was a bombshell. It linked Sophie to international money laundering, implicating not just Sophie but a web of powerful allies that Mia had never imagined. This was beyond anything they had uncovered so far.
Mia leaned forward, her breath caught in her throat. "This is it. This is what we needed."
Leo nodded. "We're going to have to move quickly, though. Sophie won't let this slide."
Mia took a deep breath, her mind racing. She knew what had to be done. They would leak the information, but they couldn't afford to make it look too convenient. They needed to craft the story carefully—expose the truth without allowing Sophie a chance to manipulate the narrative.
She glanced at the screen again, her resolve hardening. The fight wasn't over. In fact, it was just beginning.
---
As Mia and Leo began planning their next steps, a gnawing unease took root in the back of her mind. Sophie was relentless, and Mia knew the closer they got to the truth, the more dangerous the game would become.
But she wasn't going to back down. Sophie had crossed a line, and now it was Mia's turn to finish what they had started.
"Let's do it," Mia said, her voice filled with determination. "We expose everything. We take Sophie down once and for all."
And with that, the next phase of their war began. Sophie may have thought she was in control, but Mia was prepared to shatter her empire for good.