As she drifted off to sleep, the fragments of his speech were too overwhelming to access. Processing the voice recording, documents, and files left behind by her father was manifesting into something more dangerous. Each revelation forced her deeper into a nightmarish alternate reality where her father risked everything for a game that ensnared him like a spider's web. For every move he made, there was someone orchestrating the chaos. The man pulling the strings was none other than Kamal.
The moment Aidan sent a message instructing her to meet him at the warehouse in two hours, I knew there was no time to spare.
"Get yourself ready for the sprint," she thought to herself, reflecting on her earlier assumption that if Kamal was as ingenious as she imagined, he had some sort of strategic plans in place.
Inevitably, focusing on the positives, I had an opportunity to potentially win against Kamal. This was possible due to the fact Aidan's character was easily the least reliable figure I could have joined forces with.The documents and USB from the Raven Project had not just given her power. They had given her the means to unlock the questions which were shackling every child wondering where their father had vanished. She could, with a few clicks, transform the fight over the inheritance—one which promised no reruns—into a war over the remnants of her father's broken legacy, diving deep into the truth.
Her thoughts were interrupted when, two hours later, she found herself staring at the deserted warehouse on the city's border. The entire area was foreign to her, trapped in between skyscrapers and vacant fields. To her, Aidan's world was clearly cut off, but for her comprehension, that void was actual and she was willing to meet the repercussions right where the fighting was set to take place.
The musty smell of dampness and the cooler winds grabbed her attention as she walked past the threshold. She was welcomed with the light pouring in from the above but only showcasing the darkness, still, it was enough for her to spot Aidan at the far end of the room. The restricted, dim light did not help with the superiority of his tall figure dominating the room.
"Aidan you came." She attented to Aidan in such a low and harsh voice that she could barely realize Aidan's attention was on countless screens on his desk. He was already scheming and planning for an assortment of tasks that seemed far too likely to be interconnected.
"Everything is ready," she said while lifting the documents with the USB drive. "Let's discuss your expectations first."
Aidan turned his head to her slowly. Emotionless eyes landed on her and seemed to freeze. "You and I both know what I want, Layla." He chuckled, showing his wicked teeth. "You just haven't accepted it yet."
For a second, she stopped breathing, and her heart began to race. That was not what I was hoping to hear. "Aidan, I'm doing this because of my father. The ties and bonds Kamal extracted from him is what makes the blade sink deeper."
"Don't twist my words because you are too eager." Aidan smirked. "What I want is anything and everything, and your access to it depends on Kamal's removal."
Her body started shaking but steadying herself did not sway her. "What if we start with a plan?" she offered in a calm tone.
Aidan nodded in agreement. "And that is why we are going to strike his finances first. He has been siphoning money through a shell network, hiding tens of billions in unlisted accounts. We will take that money and ensure he will never have access ever again."
"More than money. He has resources… and connections," Layla interjected bluntly.
"Which is exactly why we are going after everything. The Raven Project is what guarantees the ensuring of his downfall once and for all. By hacking the system he's been using, we gain the upper hand in the narrative he has been weaving: we have everything." Aidan's smile widened before immediately fading into serious, calculated focus.
The ire of Kamal's might hitting was ruminations surrounding the project that had previously eluded her understanding, which had set her father on edge. "This is precisely why you've been warned..." Her figure twisted along the path laid out—one filled with red alerts, branching off toward nebulous concerns of power. Now, Kamal could wield it. But this brings him down. Contemplation and clarity was at odds.
"On what?" She asked, spoiler alert, fully presuming the answer to be multifaceted.
Aidan exhaled sharply, leaning back in his chair as he focused on her. "I need you to make some calls with your father. The Raven Project isn't just leverage, Layla. It's a bomb. And you know how to detonate it. You have studied the documents, you understand the potential it possesses."
"Layla," he continued, "I am going to need you to dance with fire." He added with a net of anger spinning around his voice. "This isn't professional, not anymore. It becomes personal when you bring my family. Bring in my father."
"I need you to counter the approach I gave you," Aidan said with an edge in his voice. "Wench, I hope you know what you're wishing for when I say that. Oh, seek vengeance? Let me show you how to obtain it."
They both sat quiet in the room that went dead silent for what felt like an eternity as they mulled over nightly tussles that clipped the edges to their emotional remains. "Kamal has taken everything from me," she hissed beneath her breath. "Aidan… Aidan is what's missing in everything I need in my life," she revealed.
She started walking towards the table where documents were carelessly sprawled out, placing her hands on the files. Each file uncovered a sliver of a story, each step was a march toward unraveling the big picture—but the price she had to pay was unknown. All she knew was some action had to be taken, and soon.
"His price for everything he has done is long overdue," she stated, and I without the need to ask her, figured that she did not wish to reason with Kamal. Her eyes shifted in disbelief to Aidan.
My intention was not to sound angry or raise my voice. In fact I told her to relax, think, and for once, use her head.
She might have seen with her ears that Aidan was the one to first 'sweep her off her feet,' as she so delightfully put it.
The resolution was as swift as the pacing. At least she seemed to stick to one plan.
Surprisingly, and rather straightforward, I found her stance very wishy washy.
And that's when one of the lads had the bright side and decided to go for the lovely face and choose for her grab the faux hand put of the wrong place to the wrong face on a very controversial head.