The Abandoned one

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💼 Chapter 14 – Phoenix Protocol: Phase Two

The video continued playing.

Aria sat frozen, staring at her mother's face — calm, poised, but fierce with a fire Aria had never seen before.

> "Project Phoenix was never about money," Mei Lin said in the recording. "It was about protection. Of people. Of truth. Of legacy."

> "When I realized your father was leaking government data to foreign bidders, I created the Phoenix Protocol — not to fight them directly… but to expose them.

If I'm dead, it means they found out that they succeeded which means it's your turn to finish what I started.

The screen blinked

A second video opened — surveillance footage, grainy but clear. It showed a secret meeting from five years ago. Chairman Lin. Zhao Yanmei. A politician Aria didn't recognize. And… someone who made her stomach drop:

Liam's mother.

Aria paused the video.

She was there?

In the clip, Zhao handed over a small chip.

Once this enters the system, Zhao whispered, we own it all every name,every bank account,every silent partner no one will touch us.

The chip had the Lin Group logo stamped on it.

And Mei Lin had recorded it all.

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Aria sat back in her chair, heart pounding.

This wasn't just a corporate coup.

This was a network. A cover-up that extended into politics and intelligence. Her mother had tried to stop them alone. And they'd killed her for it.

But now the footage was in Aria's hands.

The only question was: how to use it?

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The next day, Aria didn't show up to the Lin Group building.

Instead, she met quietly with her lawyer, a discreet woman named Vivian Tao — the last person her mother ever trusted.

This footage,Aria said, sliding the laptop across the desk,can bury Zhao and my father but if I go public now, they'll claim it's fake… again

Vivian studied the screen then don't go public not yet.

What do you mean?

Let them think they've won, Vivian said. "Let them get comfortable meanwhile, we use this… to flip one of their allies.

Aria blinked Who?

Vivian smiled faintly.

Liam's mother.

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That night, Aria stood outside a private gala hosted by the Chen family. She wore a sleek black gown, her hair pinned like a crown of thorns.

Liam spotted her from across the room, startled.

You shouldn't be here,he whispered, walking toward her this is a trap.

I know,Aria said calmly that's why I brought the match.

Before he could ask more, she was gone — gliding through the room like a ghost with unfinished business.

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She found Mrs. Chen alone on a balcony, sipping wine.

I expected you sooner,the older woman said.

You were at the meeting,Aria said softly. With Zhao. With my father you took the chip.

Mrs. Chen turned you know what I've learned in this world, Miss Lin? That survival demands sacrifice your mother understood that. She just wasn't willing to sacrifice you.

Aria stepped closer I'm not asking for your pity. I'm offering you a way out.

She handed her a USB everything's on there. Video,names. Accounts. If Zhao goes down, you go with her — unless you help me now.

Mrs. Chen's fingers trembled as she took it.

I can't promise anything.

I don't need promises, Aria said I need leverage.

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Back at her penthouse, Aria sat on her bed and stared at her phone.

Liam hadn't called.

Ethan hadn't texted since warning her about the video.

And the world still believed she forged her mother's will.

But none of it mattered.

Because now, she had truth.

And the patience to wait.

Because fire didn't always come in flames.

Sometimes, it waited in silence.

And when it struck…

It left nothing behind but ashes.

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❓ Reader Questions:

1. Should Aria trust Mrs. Chen… or is this another trap?

2. What will Zhao do if she finds out Aria has the video?

3. Is Vivian Tao really on Aria's side… or a hidden agent from Mei Lin's past?

4. Should Aria expose everything at once — or one name at a time?