Not because the temperature had changed, but because the air carried the residue of Liora’s frantic confession—a whisper of someone far more dangerous lurking within Ethan Group. Alyssa barely slept that night. Every word, every tremble in Liora’s voice played on a loop in her mind.

There’s someone else—someone worse.

By morning, Alyssa sat in the research room with multiple screens glowing before her. Noah had already set up access to the company’s archived shareholder history.

“You’re sure Liora wasn’t just panicking?” Noah asked, pulling up a chair.

Alyssa shook her head. “The fear in her eyes wasn’t for Maya. It was for someone else. Someone she didn’t dare name.”...