Chapter 10: The New Player
The safehouse was silent except for the soft tapping of fingers on a keyboard.
Aaron's eyes were bloodshot from hours of scanning encrypted channels.
"Elara," he said, voice tense. "There's something new."
Elara looked up from the baby monitor. Leo was asleep.
"What is it?"
"A hacker group — goes by the name Phantom Veil. They're infamous for exposing secrets and dismantling empires."
She frowned. "Why now?"
Aaron shrugged. "Could be a coincidence. Or someone wants to tip the scales."
Dominic appeared at the doorway. "I've heard of them. They don't pick sides — but they like chaos."
Elara paced the room, mind racing.
"If we could ally with them…"
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "You mean trust a hacker group that thrives on chaos?"
"Sometimes, chaos is the only weapon we have left."
That evening, Elara sat before a secure screen, waiting for a connection.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours.
Then, a face appeared — masked, distorted by digital filters.
"Phantom Veil," the voice said, modulated and cold. "You want help. We want leverage."
"What's your price?" Elara asked.
"A simple exchange," the hacker said. "Your insider data on Roth Industries. In return, we'll cripple their financial networks."
Elara glanced at Aaron.
"Do we have a choice?" she whispered.
The deal was struck.
Over the next days, Elara and her team handed over caches of data to Phantom Veil.
The hackers moved swiftly, releasing carefully targeted leaks that triggered stock crashes, freezing key assets of Roth Industries worldwide.
The Roths scrambled, desperate and exposed.
But the cost was immediate.
Messages flooded in—threats, warnings, warnings against crossing the Roth family.
Elara's phone lit up with a text:
"Stop or lose everything."
Later, as the team gathered in the war room, Leo tugged at Elara's sleeve.
"Mommy, can I help?"
She smiled and lifted him.
"You already do, baby. You remind me what's worth fighting for."
Aaron caught her eye and nodded.
"We're not just fighting for survival anymore," he said. "We're fighting to take it all back."
Outside the safehouse, a black van idled in the shadows.
Inside, a woman observed the team through binoculars.
She smiled coldly.
"The game has changed," she whispered. "And so have the rules."