Melanie Morton had never liked tea.
Too soft. Too passive. Too civilized.
She preferred espresso, sharp, bitter, and unforgiving.
But when Jonas Vale invited her to a quiet tea house on the edge of the campus gardens, she accepted. Mostly out of curiosity. Partially out of suspicion.
She hadn't decided if she wanted to work with him… or expose him.
The tea house was quaint, ivy-covered walls, soft music, too many windows.
Jonas sat at the back, already sipping jasmine like he belonged there. He looked calm. Too calm.
Melanie slid into the seat across from him.
"You're not a student," she said.
He smiled. "Neither are you."
"Touché."
The silence between them stretched like piano wire.
"I've seen your logs," she said at last.
"You've hacked my encrypted logs?" he asked, amused.
"No. I bribed someone who could."
Jonas's smile faded.
Melanie leaned in. "You're here for them. I get it. But don't make the mistake of thinking you're the only predator in this garden."
Iris's Room – Night
"I don't trust her," Iris said, pacing like a caged animal.
"She wants answers," Ava said. "Same as us."
"She wants control."
"She already has some," Ava admitted. "But we can use her."
"You're getting too good at this."
Ava glanced up. "At what?"
"Lying to yourself."
Tea House - Continued
Melanie sipped her drink.
"I know what happened to my father wasn't natural," she said. "The coroner's full of crap. Julian Morton doesn't just drop dead."
Jonas said nothing.
"So here's the deal," Melanie continued. "You're good at tracking. I'm good at breaking people. We work together briefly. Then we walk away."
"And if I say no?"
She smiled.
"Then I report you to Vanguard's board, leak your file to five international outlets, and watch you get extracted like a cancer."
Jonas's eyes flickered.
"You're bluffing."
"Try me."
Later that night, Jonas stood under the shower, water scalding hot, eyes staring blankly at the tiled wall.
This was supposed to be a simple operation.
Now Melanie was in play.
And Ava Monroe… was slipping through his fingers.
He had seven days left to finish the mission.
After that, the Circle wouldn't just erase him.
Genevieve Blackthorn
Genevieve sat in the back of a moving car, files scattered across her lap. Her contact in Berlin had gone dark.
Another one erased.
She traced Ava's name with a gloved finger.
"Stay ahead of them, my little knife," she whispered. "Because once Harrow finishes its sweep… even I can't pull you back."