The storm was coming—and it wasn't just the one brewing outside.
Jennifer stared at the glowing laptop screen in front of her, dozens of files, emails, and manipulated photos carefully arranged like a spider's web. Every thread connected to Sebastian—his past, his family's business, and more importantly, whispers of things not even Helen knew.
Steven stood behind her, arms folded, his face unreadable.
"He's never spoken to her about the family company," Jennifer said, her tone clipped. "That alone makes him look suspicious. But if we plant these," she tapped the screen, "it'll look like he's been lying to her this entire time."
Steven raised an eyebrow. "And the 'evidence' of his loyalty—"
"Falsified," Jennifer finished, coolly. "A few doctored texts. A mysterious email sent to an unknown woman the same night Helen thought he was at home. Enough to look real. Enough to feel like betrayal."
He stepped closer, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "You think she'll fall for this?"
Jennifer gave him a sharp look. "She's already doubting him. She wants to trust him, but trust is fragile. Once it breaks, it rarely heals."
Steven walked to the window, watching the city lights blink like dying stars. "And the business files? The ones showing he's been laundering money through his father's company?"
"Also fabricated," Jennifer said with a small smirk. "But rooted in just enough truth to be believable. His father did run shady deals years ago. All we have to do is make it look like Sebastian kept them going in secret."
Steven turned back. "We send it anonymously?"
Jennifer hesitated, then nodded. "She won't believe it if it comes from us. But if it 'leaks'? From a whistleblower? It'll feel real. She'll start asking questions he can't answer."
"And when he tries," Steven added, "it'll be too late."
They shared a long silence.
"I still don't get it," Steven muttered. "You hate him. But you're doing all this for me… and yet…"
Jennifer's smile was bitter. "You think I'm doing this for you? Steven, I'm doing this for me. You want Helen back. I want Sebastian ruined. If we get what we want—great. But even if we don't…" her eyes darkened, "at least they don't get to be happy."
---
Meanwhile…
Sebastian sat at his desk, flipping through old letters and legal papers. Something didn't feel right. The past few days, calls had gone unanswered. Business meetings had been rescheduled without his knowledge. And Marcus had just warned him: someone was digging into his family's records.
His phone buzzed.
A blocked number.
He hesitated… then answered.
A distorted voice: "You don't know who you're sleeping next to. But she's about to learn who you are."
Click.
Sebastian froze, heart pounding. He knew what this was.
Someone was pulling strings.
And they were about to snap.