The Abandoned one

The next morning, Aria received a message from Ethan.

Just a time and location:

11:00 a.m. – Glassbridge Pier come alone.

She almost didn't go.

But curiosity had its claws in her throat.

---

The pier was empty, except for the sound of seagulls and the soft crash of waves.

Ethan leaned against a rusted railing, sunglasses on, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

You came,he said, as if he hadn't betrayed her once before.

Why here?

Ethan turned and handed her a brown envelope. Inside was a photo.

Aria's heart dropped.

It was Zhao Yanmei… standing beside Ethan.

Explain,she said, voice like ice she recruited me,he said slowly years ago when I was still in law school I thought it was just about information, spying on the Lin board… but then it got deeper. Messier.

Aria stared at him you were working for her?

I was… until your mother found out.

What?Mei Lin knew everything she found me,confronted me threatened to expose Zhao but she didn't turn me in she made me switch sides.

He pulled out a second photo — him, in a different suit, standing beside Aria's mother.

I've been feeding your mother information for over a year before she died.

Aria's mind spun.

Ethan was her mother's informant?

Why didn't you tell me?she asked.

Because I didn't think you'd trust me and maybe… I didn't want you to see the kind of man I really was.

She stared at the photos again her mother had trusted Ethan even after betrayal.

But had she told him everything?

---

Aria,Ethan said, stepping closer there's something else your mother didn't just collect names and bank accounts she discovered a backdoor Zhao created inside the Lin Group's digital infrastructure. If Zhao activates it, she could erase everything — all the evidence and it's almost time."

Aria's stomach dropped. "Where is it?"

"I don't know. But I think she's going to do it during the quarterly board audit report that's in two days.

She backed away why are you helping me now?

Because I owe your mother and maybe… I still care.

Aria said nothing.

The water behind them looked calm — but storms always hid beneath the surface.

---

That night, she didn't sleep.

She replayed Ethan's words then opened a drawer, pulling out her mother's necklace.

There was something about the back of the pendant she'd never noticed — a tiny etching.

She held it under the lamp.

Mainframe R-7. Deepcore.

It wasn't jewelry.

It was a key.

To the company's underground server vault.

And that's where Zhao's backdoor had to be.

---

Aria whispered into the dark:

You want to erase everything, Zhao?

She closed her fingers around the pendant.

Then I'll beat you to the plug.

---

❓ Reader Questions:

1. Do you think Ethan is telling the truth… or only part of it?

2. Should Aria trust her mother's necklace and access the vault?

3. What would happen if Zhao wipes the Lin system completely?

4. Should Liam be told the truth before the audit?