Nova's POV
I can't just sit here.
On the monitor, Caspian fights like a man possessed. He takes down three men in seconds, moving with lethal grace. But more keep coming.
Too many.
My hands shake as I pound on the steel door again. Caspian! Let me out!
Nothing. The door is sealed tight.
I spin back to the monitor. Caspian just disarmed another attacker, using the man's own weapon against him. But I see blood on his shoulder. He's hurt.
And Sienna is leading more reinforcements into the building.
My sister. Helping them kill me.
Rage burns through my fear. I turn to the computer terminal in the safe room—Caspian's files are still open from when he transferred everything to me.
If I can't fight, I can find ammunition.
I pull up the files about Sienna. The ones Caspian showed me before. Text messages with Julian. Photos. But there's more here. So much more.
Financial records. I click on them with trembling fingers.
Wire transfers from Julian's account to Sienna's. Not recent. Going back two years.
Two years.
My chest tightens. Two years ago, Julian and I were still engaged. Still planning our wedding. Still happy.
I thought.
I open the first transfer. $50,000. The note says: For services rendered.
Services. What services?
I keep scrolling. More transfers. $25,000. $40,000. $75,000. All marked the same way.
Then I find the emails.
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Nova's Schedule
She's working late again tonight. Won't be home until 10 PM. You'll have plenty of time to access her laptop. The password is still Prometheus2024. She never changes it.
The date—six months before my arrest.
My hands start shaking so hard I can barely control the mouse.
I open another email.
Nova keeps all her algorithm research in a folder called 'Personal Projects.' She backs it up to an external drive hidden in her bedroom closet. Second shelf, behind the shoe boxes.
I remember that drive. The one that mysteriously disappeared when the police searched my apartment. The one they said I must have destroyed to hide evidence.
Sienna told Julian where it was.
Another email.
Nova suspects something's wrong with our relationship. She keeps asking questions about us. You need to move faster. Frame her before she figures it out.
My vision blurs with tears.
She didn't just betray me. She orchestrated it. Planned every detail. Fed Julian information for months.
On the monitor, gunfire erupts. Caspian drops behind cover. More men are breaching the penthouse.
I force myself to focus. Keep reading.
There's a video file. Dated three days before my arrest.
I click it with numb fingers.
The video shows Sienna in my apartment. My apartment. She's alone, moving through my bedroom like she owns it.
She pulls out an external hard drive from her purse. Connects it to my computer.
I watch in horror as she uploads files. Corporate documents from Helix Technologies. Confidential files I never had access to. Evidence that would later be discovered on my computer.
She's planting the evidence herself.
No, I whisper. No, no, no
The video continues. Sienna finishes uploading, then looks directly at the camera.
She smiles.
Sorry, big sister, she says to the camera. To me. But you always had everything. The perfect job. The perfect boyfriend. The perfect life. It's my turn now.
She blows a kiss at the camera and leaves.
I'm going to be sick.
A new message pops up on my screen. From Caspian's computer system. He must have it set to automatically forward to the safe room.
It's another video. Live feed.
Lex appears on screen. Still tied to that chair. But now Julian stands beside her.
Nova, Julian says smoothly. I know you're watching. I know Mercer locked you in his safe room. He smiles. Smart move. But it won't save you. Or your friend here.
He rests his hand on Lex's shoulder. She flinches.
You have thirty minutes, Julian continues. Mercer will be dead by then. My men always finish the job. And when he's gone, you'll have no protection.
On the other monitor, I see Caspian take a bullet to the leg. He stumbles but keeps fighting.
Come out, Julian says. Surrender to Sienna. She's waiting downstairs with my best team. Do it, and I'll let your friend live. Refuse, and I'll kill her slowly while you watch.
The video zooms in on Lex's face. She's terrified but trying to stay strong.
Don't do it, Nova, she calls out. Don't you dare
Someone hits her. She cries out in pain.
Rage like I've never felt before floods through me.
Julian is still talking. Your sister is very eager to see you, by the way. She has so much she wants to say.
The camera shifts. Sienna steps into frame.
My baby sister. The girl I raised. Protected. Loved.
She looks beautiful. Happy. Wearing expensive clothes I know I paid for with my destroyed career.
Hi, Nova, she says brightly. Like we're meeting for coffee. I know you're upset. But you have to understand—I didn't have a choice.
You had every choice, I say to the screen, even though she can't hear me.
You were always Dad's favorite, Sienna continues. Always the smart one. The successful one. I was just... the disappointment. Her smile turns cold. So I took what should have been mine. Julian. Your job. Your reputation. And now, I'll take your life too.
She steps closer to the camera.
Come face me, Nova. If you're so brave. If you're so strong. Come down and let's finish this. Sister to sister.
The video ends.
I stare at the blank screen, shaking with fury.
On the other monitor, Caspian is still fighting. But he's slowing down. Bleeding. Running out of ammunition.
I can't let him die for me. Can't let Lex die for me.
I turn back to the computer. Caspian said these files contain everything. Bank accounts. Passwords. Access codes.
If I can't fight physically, I'll fight the way I know best.
With code.
My fingers fly across the keyboard. I pull up Caspian's security system. The one that controls the entire building.
If Sienna wants to face me, she'll get her wish.
But on my terms.
I hack into the building's systems with vicious efficiency. Elevator controls. Door locks. Security cameras. Power grid.
Everything Caspian taught me about his fortress, I'm about to use as a weapon.
I route the video feed to every screen in the building. Pull up all the evidence I just found. Sienna's emails. The planted evidence. The wire transfers.
Then I find the intercom system. Building-wide broadcast.
I take a deep breath and hit the button.
Hello, Sienna, I say, my voice echoing through every speaker in the building. You wanted to talk? Let's talk.
On the monitor, I see Sienna freeze in the lobby. Looking around for the source of my voice.
I found your emails, I continue. The evidence you planted. The money Julian paid you to destroy me. And you know what? I'm going to make sure everyone sees it.
I hit enter. The video of Sienna planting evidence plays on every screen. Lobby monitors. Hallway displays. Even the attackers' phones—I hacked those too.
That's you framing your own sister, I announce. That's you destroying my life for money.
Sienna's face on the camera goes white with rage.
You want me to come down? I say. Fine. But first, let me show you what I can do from up here.
I trigger the lockdown protocol. Doors slam shut throughout the building. Elevators freeze between floors. Emergency lighting activates.
The attackers on the fifteenth floor suddenly find themselves trapped in a hallway with no exits.
I'm Nova Ashford, I announce to the entire building. The woman you all think is a criminal. The woman my sister framed. And I'm about to prove exactly who the real criminal is.
I pull up more files. Julian's syndicate deal. Volkov's involvement. The algorithm theft. Everything.
And I send it everywhere. Every news outlet. Every law enforcement agency. Every contact in Caspian's encrypted network.
Julian Harrington stole my AI algorithm, I broadcast. He's selling it to Russian criminals for two billion dollars. The proof is now in the hands of every major news network and federal agency in the country. You're done, Julian. Both of you.
On the monitor, I see Julian's face go pale as his phone explodes with notifications.
The evidence is out. Going viral. Unstoppable.
Sienna screams something I can't hear. Starts running toward the stairs.
Coming for me.
Good.
I pull up one more file. Caspian's weapons cache. Hidden throughout the penthouse.
If my sister wants a confrontation, she'll get one.
But this time, I'm not the helpless victim she destroyed.
I'm the woman who just burned her entire world down.
And I'm ready.
On the monitor, Caspian takes down another attacker. He's bleeding badly but still fighting.
For me.
I find the safe room release code in the files. My hand hovers over the enter key.
Once I open this door, there's no going back. I'll be in the fight. Exposed. Vulnerable.
But I can't hide while he dies for me.
I hit enter.
The locks disengage.
The steel door swings open.
And I step out into the war zone, ready to face my sister one final time.