Ava’s POV

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife as I leaned back in the plush leather chair, watching the video on Rose’s tablet play out in horrifying detail. Chloe’s staged theatrics were chillingly convincing. Her fake cries, her desperate appearance—it was all an elaborate performance.

“She’s been planning this for awhile,” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. “How did we let her slip through the cracks for so long?”

Rose, standing stiffly beside Orion, cleared her throat. “It gets worse,” she said, her voice low but steady. “The breach in the company’s security last month? We’ve traced it back to the...