𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡✦𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐱 𝐋𝐮 𝐒𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠

Chapter 16: Jiwoo Park

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"Beauty may be dangerous;
But, intelligent is lethal."

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The hospital room was steeped in an unsettling quiet. Ava lay motionless on the bed, her pale face barely discernible in the dim light. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor was the only sound, a cold reminder that life was a fragile, fleeting thing. I sat beside her, unable to tear my eyes away from my sister's still form.
For the first time in years, Ava looked vulnerable, her usual aura of deadly confidence stripped away. My hands trembled as I reached out to brush a strand of hair from Ava's face. My mind was a storm of questions, each one darker than the last, but one thought gnawed at me more than any other: what had our father been involved in?
I had spent hours in that uncomfortable plastic chair, my thoughts spiraling deeper into the darkness. I had always known Ava's work was dangerous—hell, my sister was a damn assassin, not exactly the safest line of work. But this...this was different. The files Ava had mentioned, the connection to NeuraLife, and our father's position as Vice Chairman, it was all part of something much larger and far more sinister than I had ever imagined. 'Why don't you stop doing this, Ava?' I questioned the sleeping beauty next to me, knowing very well she wouldn't reply.
'Look at you, still the same stubbornness.' I smiled weakly.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, jarring me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen and saw a message from Rachel. We had a tense working relationship, but Rachel had always been straightforward, and I respected that. The message was brief, and direct, as Rachel always was:

FROM RACHEL: Got something. Meet me at the office.

With one last glance at Ava, I slipped out of the room, my heart heavy with dread. As I walked through the sterile corridors of the hospital, my mind raced with the implications of what I had discovered. I needed answers, and Rachel might be the only person who could help me find them.
Sigh.
The Nexus law firm was quiet of the night, the usual buzz of activity reduced to a low hum. The building was a sleek, modern fortress of glass and steel, a stark contrast to the dark secrets that lurked within its walls. I made my way to Rachel's office, the weight of the flash drive in my pocket like a lead anchor pulling me down.
Unexpectedly, Lu Si Cheng wasn't there.
Rachel was waiting for me, the door already ajar. I sat behind her desk, papers scattered across the surface, her expression as unreadable as ever. The room was dimly lit, the shadows casting a harsh edge on her features. When I entered, Rachel's eyes flicked up, sharp and probing.
'What took you so long?' Rachel's voice was cool, but there was an edge to it that hadn't been there before. She gestured to the chair opposite her, and I sat down, feeling the tension coil in my chest like a snake ready to strike.
Rachel...sounds different.
'I had to make sure Ava was stable before I came,' I replied, my voice flat. 'What did you find?'
Rachel didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. 'I need to know what you know, Jiwoo. You've been looking into things, haven't you? Things related to NeuraLife.;
My heart skipped a beat. Rachel knew. Somehow, she always knew. But this time, I couldn't afford to keep secrets. Not when everything was unraveling so fast.
'My father...' I began, my voice barely above a whisper. 'He was the Vice Chairman of NeuraLife. I just found out. Ava had files on them—encrypted files. I've been going through them, trying to make sense of it all.'
Rachel's expression hardened, her eyes darkening. 'And what have you found?'
I hesitated for a moment, then pulled out the flash drive and placed it on the desk between them. 'Enough to know that NeuraLife isn't just a pharmaceutical company. They're involved in something far worse. My father was part of it, and now Ava's involved too.'