By morning, Jayden's face was plastered all over the news.
Every network, every headline.
"Ex-Politician Caught in Criminal Conspiracy Plot."
"Jayden Exposed in Leaked Café Sting Operation."
"Attempted Threat, Bribery, and Firearms Possession—Caught on Camera."
Lynn sipped her coffee slowly, watching it all unfold on the café's mounted TV. The sting video had gone viral. His confession. The gun. Her calm takedown. People were calling her a hero, a genius, even a vigilante.
But she didn't care for praise.
She cared that the threat was finally out of her way.
Michael sat across from her, scrolling through the news feed. "He's being charged with six counts already. Might be more by the end of the day."
"And Mokoena?" Lynn asked without looking away from the screen.
"Silent. Too silent."
Lynn leaned back in her chair. "Then he's planning something."
---
Meanwhile, behind a thick glass wall in a high-rise office, Mokoena watched the footage with a blank expression. His advisors stood frozen behind him, waiting for an order.
"She's clever," he finally said, folding his hands. "And dangerous."
"Do we hit back?" one man asked.
"No," Mokoena replied. "We disappear."
Confused silence.
"We let the fire burn itself out. She thinks she's won—but soon, she'll realize the real game hasn't even started."
---
That evening, Lynn sat on the rooftop again, staring out at the lights of the city. For the first time in weeks, she let herself breathe.
But only for a moment.
Her phone buzzed.
> "It's not over. — M"
She didn't need to ask who it was.
She simply typed back:
> "I'm not done either."
The war wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
---