117

Lia’s POV

As I walked to my room, trying to gather my thoughts, I nearly collided with Alina in the hallway. Her expression was colder than usual, her eyes scanning me like she was searching for something hidden.

“Why are you acting so suspicious, Lia?” Alina’s voice was sharp, cutting through the silence with an edge that made my skin prickle.

I met her gaze steadily, not willing to let her see any hint of unease. “Not tonight, Alina. I’m not in the mood to trade words,” I replied, brushing past her with forced calm. “I need to get some rest.” I could feel her eyes lingering on me as I walked away, but I didn’t dare look back. Let her think whatever she wanted. Right now, I have bigger issues to handle.

Finally, in the privacy of my room, I leaned against the door, exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My mind raced back to the tense conversation with Finn earlier. I couldn’t believe he’d had me followed, but I had to keep my reaction controlled. Every second of every interaction felt like I was stepping on a minefield. Just one wrong step, and everything could blow up.

Without another thought, I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Luca’s number. He picked up after a few rings.

“Luca,” I whispered urgently, trying to keep my voice steady. “Finn’s found a signal on the phone. They’re tracking it right now. If they figure out the phone belongs to you—and that I was the last person who called—I’ll be in serious trouble. This whole plan will fall apart.”

There was a pause on the other end, and then his calm voice came through, reassuring. “Don’t worry, Lia. I’ve got it under control. I’ll handle this on my end. Just keep your head down and stay calm. And keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I’ll make sure they can’t trace it back to me—or to you.”

Relief washed over me, but a tension still lingered. “Alright, I trust you. I’ll keep you updated if anything changes.”

I hung up, but the tension remained coiled in my chest, making it impossible to sit still. Pacing back and forth in my room only fueled my nerves, so I left, letting my feet guide me down the hall until I reached the CCTV room. I peeked inside and found Finn, along with a few other men, gathered around a screen. Their expressions were intense, brows furrowed in concentration as they worked to crack the phone’s code.

Trying to maintain my composure, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, drawing their attention.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, aiming for a casual tone as I approached Finn.

He barely glanced at me, his attention fixed on the screen. “We’re trying to access the phone’s contacts,” he replied, his voice distracted. “Whoever owns this is putting up quite a fight, but we’ll get through eventually.”

Before I could respond, Bianca appeared in the doorway, her eyes flashing with interest. She looked at me for a brief moment, a hint of smugness in her expression, before shifting her focus back to the men at the monitor. She seemed almost too eager to see what they’d uncover.

“Bianca, don’t you have something better to do?” I said, unable to mask the bite in my tone.

She smirked, folding her arms. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Something tells me it’s going to be… enlightening.” Her gaze lingered on me, and I had to force myself to keep my expression neutral.

Just then, one of the technicians spoke up. “We’re getting closer, sir,” he said to Finn. “The firewall’s tough, but I think we’ve cracked the first layer. We should have access to the contact list soon.”

A chill ran down my spine as I watched Finn nod approvingly. I needed to find a way to keep them from identifying that phone. Luca was doing what he could on his end, but if these men managed to break through...

“What kind of firewall blocks a simple contact list?” I asked, keeping my voice light but genuinely curious. I needed to understand how far they’d get.

“An intentional one,” Finn replied, his tone sharp, his gaze finally turning to me. “Whoever owns this phone clearly has something to hide. And I intend to find out what that is.”

I forced a laugh. “Well, good luck with that, then. I can’t imagine who’d go through so much trouble for a simple phone.”

The technician looked up, smirking. “People hide things in the most unexpected places.”

Bianca’s smirk only grew, and she leaned closer to Finn. “Imagine what kind of secrets this phone holds… and whose secrets.” Her gaze flicked to me briefly, a subtle accusation in her eyes, like she was daring me to react.

I wanted to respond, to wipe that look off her face, but I held back. Drawing more attention to myself would only make things worse. Instead, I crossed my arms and shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to your little detective work. Hope you find something worthwhile.”

I turned on my heel and made my way out of the CCTV room, my heart pounding in my chest. I needed to think, needed to stay one step ahead of them.


____

Bianca’s POV

As I watched Finn study the screen with that single-minded intensity, I couldn’t help the irritation bubbling up inside me. He was so determined to protect Lia, so blinded by whatever strange loyalty he thought he owed her. But he needed to see reason, and if he wouldn’t come to his senses, I’d bring him there myself.

Taking a steadying breath, I leaned closer to him, lowering my voice so that only he would hear. “Finn,” I said carefully, “don’t you think the owner of this phone may be a spy? Someone within our clan could be betraying us.”

He barely glanced at me, his jaw clenched. I could see he was holding onto his calm with a thin thread, and it only pushed me to continue.

“Think about it,” I went on, my voice almost a whisper now. “Lia isn’t from our clan. She’s an outsider—and it’s possible, Finn, very possible, that she’s here to betray us.” I let the words hang between us, waiting for him to process, to see the truth of it.

But his reaction wasn’t what I expected. His gaze snapped to me, his eyes icy and unyielding. “Enough, Bianca. I don’t want to hear this nonsense,” he said sharply, his voice dripping with barely contained annoyance. “I trust Lia.”

A stab of anger and frustration flared in me, but I hid it behind a sweet smile. “I’m only saying this for your own good, Finn. You’ve always trusted people too easily.”

“I trust people who earn it, Bianca,” he retorted, his voice steely. “And Lia has. Now, if you don’t have anything useful to say, get out.”

His words stung, like a slap across the face, but I wasn’t about to let him see how much they affected me. I simply offered him a tight, polite smile, masking the irritation simmering beneath my skin. “As you wish, Finn. I’m just looking out for you,” I murmured, trying to maintain an air of calm.

But as I left his office, the smile faded from my lips, replaced by a fierce scowl. How could he be so blind, so easily manipulated by that woman? I knew Lia was hiding something, and if Finn couldn’t see it, then I would make him.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers moving quickly as I dialed Lex’s number. It rang once, twice, before he picked up, his voice low and gruff.

“Bianca. What’s going on?”

“We need to meet tomorrow, but it has to be earlier than we planned,” I replied, my voice hard. “This situation with Lia is getting out of hand, and I can’t wait any longer. We need to get rid of her as soon as possible.”

There was a pause on the other end, then a chuckle, low and amused. “Impatient, are we?”

“This isn’t a joke, Lex,” I snapped, irritation flaring again. “Lia is dangerous. She’s twisting Finn around her finger, and I’m not going to stand by and watch her ruin everything we’ve worked for.”

Lex’s tone shifted, becoming more serious. “Fine. Where do you want to meet?”

I glanced around the hallway to ensure no one was within earshot before replying. “Let’s keep it discreet. I’ll text you the details.”

“Understood,” he replied, his voice a mix of amusement and determination. “But Bianca, remember—taking Lia out won’t be easy. Finn will notice if anything happens to her.”

I clenched my teeth, my free hand curling into a fist. “I know that, Lex. But I’ll deal with Finn when the time comes. Right now, Lia is the priority. We can’t let her stay.”

“Fine,” he agreed. “Text me the place. And Bianca—don’t do anything rash. We need to handle this smartly.”

“Of course,” I replied, ending the call. Smart, yes—but also decisively. Lia had underestimated me, thinking she could just walk into Finn’s life and take over. She had no idea what I was capable of.

As I put my phone away, a thrill of satisfaction surged through me. Lia wouldn’t be a problem much longer, and once she was gone, Finn would finally see things clearly. I could be patient when it mattered. And when this was over, I’d make sure Finn understood that I’d done it all for him, for our future.

With a sense of determination, I walked back down the hallway, my mind already spinning with possibilities. By tomorrow, this entire game Lia was playing would be over. And when she was out of the way, I’d make sure she was forgotten—like the unimportant pawn she truly was.