Chapter 2

Sofia's celebration barely lasted two days before trouble hit.

A partner family sent an encrypted dispatch demanding that the project's lead personally present the results.

Sofia stared at the red error codes on her screen, her eyes practically bulging out of her head.

She knew nothing about the project. She did not even know how to launch the program. All she could do was read from someone else's slides.

She came running to the supply closet, her heels clacking frantically against the floor.

"Marlena, write me an automated presentation script."

Her voice was still sharp, still commanding, as if this was my duty. She had already forgotten how she had humiliated me just days ago.

I kept typing, not looking up, my fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Sofia, I'm just a runner now. You pulled my core team access. I want to help, but I can't."

She slammed her hand down on my keyboard.

"Cut the crap. I'll give you temporary access. Can't handle something this simple? I'll have you disappeared from this Family before midnight."

People around us turned to stare, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, waiting to see me fall flat on my face.

I put on a show of trembling, shrinking my shoulders and stammering.

"Please. Don't cast me out."

Seeing her intimidation work, Sofia softened slightly. She pulled two stacks of cash from her bag and tossed them on the table.

"Twenty thousand dollars. Make this work, and the money is yours. Fail, and you're gone."

I stared at the money, putting on a greedy, desperate look.

"Deal. Thank you, Sofia. I'll get it done right away."

I took the temporary access and wrote the script as fast as I could.

But deep in the code, buried in the backend logic she would never understand,

I planted a small gift.

A gift set to trigger at a very specific time.

When Sofia presented the script at the Family meeting, it was a massive success.

The Don nodded approvingly and called her a rare talent.

She beamed, her smile so wide her makeup nearly cracked.

After the meeting, she came back with her crew and took the twenty thousand dollars back.

She also had my computer smashed, citing "project security."

"Marlena, it's not that I don't trust you. Family rules. You can't be too careful."

She looked down at me like I was a spent piece of trash.

"As for the twenty grand, we'll put it on your tab. We'll sort it out at year end."

With that, she turned and walked away on her heels, not giving me a second glance.

I looked at the shattered screen. Instead of anger, I nearly laughed out loud.

She had just destroyed the only evidence that could prove her innocence.

Now, not even the Don himself could save her.