"Miss Lyvana?"

Marco’s deep voice broke through her thoughts. His eyes met hers briefly in the rearview mirror.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I’m fine."

Marco did not respond immediately. They both knew that was a lie. His hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel as the car moved smoothly through the quiet streets.

"You’ve been saying that a lot lately," he said quietly.

Lyvana let out a quiet breath and turned her gaze back toward the window.

"What would you prefer I say?"

Marco’s jaw flexed. "The truth."

A bitter smile touched her lips for only a second.

"The truth changes nothing," she told him.

Silence filled the car once more. Outside, the city remained alive, restaurants glowing with warm light, couples laughing on sidewalks, music drifting faintly from open bars. Ordinary people living ordinary lives.

It felt strangely distant from her now.

As though she were watching the world from behind a glass.

"I used to think, that if I worked hard enough... if I became strong enough... eventually things would calm down."

Marco listened quietly.

"But it never stops," she continued. "There’s always another enemy. Another betrayal. Another disaster waiting around the corner. What if people start getting hurt because of me."

"That’s not your fault."

"It is," she said quietly. She closed her eyes briefly before continuing more quietly. "Catalina hates me. What happens when it gets worse?" she asked softly. "What happens when someone dies because they stayed beside me?"

Marco’s expression hardened instantly.

"It won’t happen."

"You can’t promise that."

"No," he admitted. "But I can promise that you won’t face it alone."

Lyvana looked down, her chest tightening painfully at the quiet certainty in his voice. He knew she was talking about Julian.

"You blame yourself for everything," he added. "But evil people make their own choices, Miss Lyvana. None of that is your sin."

Lyvana gave a faint, tired laugh that held no humor. "You make it sound simple."

Her fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of her coat as she stared out at the passing lights.

....

In a luxurious private room on the other side of town, Victoria, Catalina’s mother, was almost going mad from waiting.

She paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.

She took out her phone and called Catalina. It went straight to voicemail.

"What the hell is going on?" she muttered into the phone. "Don’t tell me something went wrong."

Victoria threw her phone onto the plush velvet sofa in frustration. She couldn’t shake the terrible feeling that their perfect plan was falling apart. Unable to sit still, she grabbed the phone again and called her husband.

"Has Catalina contacted you?" she asked the moment he picked up, her voice sharp with anxiety.

"No," Mr. Windsor replied, his voice groggy. "Why? Did something happen?"

"No, no... it’s just that..." Victoria hesitated, her throat suddenly dry. She didn’t know how to tell him.

"What happened to her, Victoria?" Mr. Windsor asked, his tone shifting from sleepy to alert.

"I just... I can’t get in touch with her now."

Mr. Windsor, who was already in bed, sat up completely straight. He rubbed his temples, a sigh leaking through the line.

"Vic, our daughter isn’t actually a child. You know that, right? She’s probably just busy."

"Yes, I know, but... it’s just that..."

"What exactly happened?" he demanded, his voice hardening.

Knowing she couldn’t hide it anymore, Victoria took a deep breath and explained the entire situation, the warehouse, the fake goods, and the trap they had set for Lyvana Montclair. By the time she finished, Mr. Windsor was beyond angry. He threw the covers off, his face dark with rage as he shouted into the receiver.

"I told you two to give it up! What is this mess?!" he roared. "Do you have any idea what will happen to our family reputation if she is caught?"

"Don’t yell at me!" Victoria snapped back defensively, her own panic turning into anger. "It wasn’t my idea!"

"It wasn’t your idea?!" his voice boomed through the speaker, so loud that Victoria had to pull the phone away from her ear. "You are her mother, Victoria! You were supposed to be the voice of reason, not a cheerleader for her insane schemes!"

"We were trying to secure her future!" Victoria cried out, pacing toward the large glass windows overlooking the city lights. "If Lyvana’s brand succeeded, Catalina would have been pushed completely out of the social circle! Everything we’ve built would have been overshadowed by that girl!"

"And now? Are you even listening to yourself? If the police trace those counterfeit goods back to Catalina, you won’t just be overshadowed, we’ll all be ruined!"

He slammed his fist down onto his nightstand. "I am calling our legal team right now, to lock down our personal accounts. If Catalina calls you, you tell her to stay exactly where she is and keep her mouth shut."

The line went dead before Victoria could say another word.

She stared at her phone in absolute shock, her hands trembling so violently that she almost dropped it. Her husband had never spoken to her like that before. The sheer panic in his voice made the danger feel incredibly real.

But what did he mean by locking down our personal accounts.

Suddenly, her eyes flashed to the tv screen which she had left on a low volume.

The broadcast had suddenly cut to a bright red banner: BREAKING NEWS.

The screen was showing a live video feed of the warehouse entrance.

Victoria’s heart stopped. She quickly increased the volume.

A news anchor with a serious expression appeared on screen, standing in front of a live feed of a massive, well-lit building.

"We are coming to you live from the northern industrial district, where a massive joint task force operation is currently underway. Sources confirm that federal authorities, acting on an emergency tip regarding high-profile corporate espionage and trademark fraud, have raided a primary transit warehouse..."

Victoria’s breath hitched. She stumbled closer to the television, her eyes wide.

"Reports indicate that millions of dollars worth of counterfeit luxury apparel have been seized. Authorities believe the operation was connected to a planned attempt to damage the reputation of one of the country’s fastest-growing fashion companies, Aurora. Sources claim several suspects may already be in custody, though authorities have not yet released names."

Victoria’s knees nearly gave out beneath her.

"No..." she whispered.

She quickly dialed her husband number once again.