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Tyler's laptop screen is still glowing when I push away from the desk, my mind racing. The evidence we have on Vanessa isn't just damning—it's a smoking gun. With this much proof, I could ruin her in a matter of hours.

Emails linking her to fraudulent acquisitions. Shell company transactions siphoning money into offshore accounts. Photographic evidence of backroom deals with men who don't like their names appearing on legal documents. And now? Now we have "Project Bennett"—a meticulously compiled dossier of every move Ava and her brothers have made for the past six months.

It's invasive. It's obsessive. And it's personal.

My stomach roils as I glance at Ava, sitting cross-legged on the couch, her phone clutched in her hands. Her face is blank, but I can see the tension in her grip, the tight line of her jaw. She hasn't said much since we found the surveillance photos of her brothers. I know what she's thinking—she wants to call them, to warn them. And I can't blame her.

But if we go in blind, if we make one wrong move, we could be walking straight into Vanessa's trap.

I exhale slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. "We have more than enough to take her down."

Tyler, who has been half-buried in his laptop, lets out a low whistle. "Yeah, we do. But you know she won't go down without a fight."

"She won't," I agree. "Which is why we're going to make her think she's already losing."

Ava's gaze snaps to mine, sharp with interest. "What do you mean?"

I turn toward Tyler. "You still have access to Vanessa's network?"

Tyler grins, cracking his knuckles. "Of course. You think I didn't leave a few backdoors open?"

I smirk. "Good. Then let's leak something."

Ava straightens. "Leak what?"

"Enough to rattle her." I start pacing, already piecing the strategy together in my mind. "If Vanessa thinks we're planning to go public with what we have, she'll panic. She'll make a move. And when she does, we'll be ready."

Tyler nods, already typing. "I can plant a fake trail. Something subtle, but just loud enough to get back to her."

Ava still looks uncertain. "But what if she doesn't fall for it?"

"She will," I say. "Vanessa is too arrogant to sit back and watch. She needs control. And if she thinks she's losing it, she'll act. That's when we get her to reveal her accomplice."

Ava exhales, running a hand through her hair. "So we play her at her own game."

"Exactly."

Tyler's fingers fly over the keyboard, his expression sharp with focus. "I'll make it look like an internal leak from one of her ‘trusted' contacts. Something vague—maybe whispers of an upcoming exposé, an anonymous journalist asking the wrong people the right questions." He glances up. "That'll spook her."

"Do it."

He nods, already working.

Ava shifts beside me, her knee brushing mine. "And if she calls our bluff?"

I turn to her, taking in the worry flickering beneath her defiant expression. I get it. She's scared—for her brothers, for herself, maybe even for me.

"She won't," I say, steady, certain. "Not before she makes a mistake."

Ava doesn't look convinced, but she nods anyway. "Then let's make her sweat."

Tyler chuckles. "Oh, she's gonna sweat. Give me a few hours."

I glance at the clock. "Good. Because if she takes the bait, we'll know by tonight."

* * *

By the time the sun begins to set, the city outside my windows is painted in streaks of amber and violet, the skyline sharp against the dimming light. I should be taking in the view, enjoying the brief stillness before everything explodes. But my focus is entirely on the laptop screen in front of me.