Page 101

Tyler is perched at the kitchen counter, one hand buried in a bag of chips, the other tapping furiously on his keyboard. Every so often, he mutters something under his breath, his eyes flicking between windows of encrypted files, code lines, and backdoor trails he's leaving for Vanessa to stumble upon.

Ava is on the couch, curled into the cushions, scrolling through her phone with a frown. She's been restless all day, torn between trusting the plan and wanting to storm out and handle things herself. Not to mention the dozen texts from her brothers that she hasn't answered yet.

Where have you been?

Why are you ignoring us?

Ava, what the hell is going on?

She sighs and tosses the phone onto the table. I watch her out of the corner of my eye, ready to step in if she needs grounding. But for now, I keep my attention on Tyler, who suddenly makes a noise low in his throat.

"Got something," he announces.

I straighten. "What?"

Tyler leans back, spinning his laptop around so I can see. He's pulled up a detailed profile—employment history, financial transactions, recent travel logs. The name at the top of the file is unfamiliar to me, but something about it makes me uneasy.

Andrew Wallace.

I glance at Ava, but she doesn't react. Her brow furrows, her lips parting slightly like she's trying to place the name.

"Wallace," she murmurs, tilting her head. "Why does that sound?—"

Tyler doesn't wait for her to finish. He clicks on another file, pulling up a grainy security image from what looks like a restaurant's back entrance. The moment the photo loads, Ava goes completely still.

"Oh, my God."

Her voice is barely above a whisper, but I don't miss the way her entire body tenses.

"You know him," I say, already knowing the answer.

Ava swallows hard, her gaze locked on the screen. "That's Andrew."

Tyler frowns. "Yeah. That's what I just said."

"No." Ava shakes her head, her throat working as she swallows again. "That's Andrew—the guy my brothers tried to set me up with at Dean's wedding."

I stiffen and look at the photo once again, and she's right. I remember that insufferable face too.

"You're kidding," Tyler mutters, eyes widening.

Ava doesn't answer. She's still staring at the screen, the pieces clicking into place in real time.

"He was… God, he was so boring," she breathes. "Like, insufferably dull. My brothers were obsessed with him. Kept going on about how responsible he was, how stable." Her hands tighten into fists. "I didn't think anything of it. I just assumed he was another overzealous businessman trying to impress my family. But he was working for her?"

Tyler pulls up another file. "More than that. He's been feeding Vanessa information for weeks. Financial reports, internal company updates, details about your brothers' schedules—hell, even random conversations he overheard at the wedding reception."

Ava pales. "He was listening to us?"

My jaw clenches. "And reporting back to her."

Silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating. I can practically hear the gears turning in Ava's head. The realization, the betrayal, the anger simmering just beneath the surface.

"This whole time…" She exhales, shaking her head. "I thought it was someone in your circle, Liam."

"So did I." My voice is tight. "But it turns out, it was someone in yours."

Her arms wrap around herself like she's trying to hold in the fury bubbling up inside her. "I have to tell my brothers. They need to know."