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Chapter 9: Beneath the Floorboards
The silence between them was sharp.
Back at her apartment, Rina paced the narrow floor while Eliot stood by the door, arms crossed. He hadn't said a word since the man vanished.
"You're not going to explain?" she snapped, turning to him. "He called you Kane. Why?"
Eliot's jaw tightened. "He was confused."
"Wrong name confused? Or billion-dollar corporate family confused?"
He looked at her then. Really looked.
And for a split second, the mask slipped.
"I didn't come here to lie to you," he said. "But I didn't come to destroy you, either."
Rina shook her head. "That's not an answer."
She turned away, heart pounding. She needed space. Needed—
Her foot caught on something under the rug. She bent down, pulling back the edge—and there it was.
A floorboard, slightly raised.
She pried it loose.
Inside: an old USB drive, coated in dust.
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Later that night, while Eliot watched from the shadows of her balcony, Rina plugged it in.
The files were encrypted.
But one folder stood out.
"Project Calyx: Phase III – Maxwell."
She froze. Her father's name. Next to a corporate initiative under Kane Corp.
Below it, a note.
> If you're reading this, Rina, they're already watching.
Outside, Eliot pulled his coat tighter. He'd tried to keep her out of this.
But it was too late now.
They were both in too deep.
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