Evelyn was back in Malibu before dawn, trading the grime of the city for the sterile air of wealth. This time, she didn't bother with the intercom. She simply climbed the low retaining wall near Dr. Aris Thorne's property, knowing that Julian Thorne's security would be focused on digital and financial surveillance, not physical trespass.
She found Dr. Thorne in his expansive, glass-walled kitchen, drinking coffee and staring out at the Pacific. He didn't seem surprised to see her standing there, a dishevelled fugitive in his pristine home.
"I imagine the gate isn't working for you anymore, Miss Reed," he said, without turning around.
"Your former employer bought my newspaper, fired me, and is currently suing me for corporate espionage," Evelyn stated flatly. "I'm a little outside the usual visitor parameters."
Dr. Thorne finally turned, his face etched with a deeper weariness than before. "Julian is comprehensive. I felt the tremors last night. The news of your firing was everywhere this morning, already framed as a 'malicious hoax.' He's good at this."
"I released the ledger, Dr. Thorne. It's with the watchdogs, the SEC, and a Senate committee aide. But Julian Thorne is overwhelming them with legal threats. They need confirmation. They need a witness whose integrity is beyond reproach."
Evelyn walked closer, putting her hands on the cold marble countertop. "You told me you knew the difference between the two currencies: what you know, and what you can legally say. You have a chance now to spend the most valuable currency you possess: your conscience."
"And if I speak," Aris Thorne said, his voice flat, "I lose everything. This house. My foundation for the sea turtles. My financial security. Julian's NDA penalty is three times the principal. I don't just lose the money; I owe him millions more. I will be a beggar."
"You will be a hero," Evelyn countered fiercely. "You're living in a prison of your own making, Dr. Thorne. You traded the possibility of saving millions of lives for this view and a lifetime of regret. Do you really believe the price was worth it?"
He closed his eyes, his pain finally visible. "I regret the moment I signed that paper every single day. The money is a heavy cloak, Miss Reed. It keeps me warm, but it suffocates my soul."
Evelyn showed him the copy of the news alert on her burner phone—the article detailing her own character assassination. "He's trying to silence the truth by destroying the messenger. If you don't speak, the ledger becomes an unverified document sent by a fraudster. Julian Thorne wins. His money will have bought not just your silence, but the permanent silence of the cure."
She paused, letting the magnitude of the choice settle over the elegant room. "You can save your legacy, Dr. Thorne. Your word is the only thing that can pierce the wall of his money. Tell the world what the 'HUSH' transactions are for. Tell them why the enzyme trial stopped. Prove that sometimes, WORDS can speak louder than MONEY."
Dr. Thorne stood up slowly, walking toward the window. The sunrise was beginning to touch the distant peaks, painting them in gold—a gold that suddenly looked cheap and vulgar.
He took a deep breath. "The money gave me peace, you said. But it was a false peace. My family will hate me. They will live a life of struggle I swore they would never know."
"They will know you stood for something," Evelyn replied.
He turned back, the wild, focused light she remembered from the old video interviews finally flickering back into his eyes. "Tell me exactly who to call. I won't do a press conference. I will record a statement, a video affidavit, and deliver it to the Senate committee aide on your list. If I am to go down, I will go down as a scientist, not a coward."
Evelyn felt a triumphant chill race through her. "I'll make the arrangements. But you have to do it now. Before Thorne realizes you're a liability, not just a property."
Dr. Thorne walked over to his immaculate desk and picked up a pen and paper. "I need to write two letters. One for my family. And one for Julian."
He looked at Evelyn, the man who had sold his future finally reclaiming his present. "Send the aide. I'm ready to pay the price for the truth."
The battle had shifted. Julian Thorne had bought the media, the legal system, and the silence of his victims. But he had failed to account for the single, devastating moment when one man decided that his WORDS were worth more than his MONEY. The final countdown had begun.