61. ~Raine~

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-"We sin as Devils do. We love as angels do ."-

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The Arena's war room pulsed with tension

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The Arena's war room pulsed with tension. Half the crew sat around Kaia's marble conference table, the other half paced. Screens flickered in low light—some showing maps, others terminal strings of encrypted logs no one could decipher anymore.

No one spoke first.

Then Blade broke the silence.

"It wasn't a random leak." His voice was low but edged like a knife. "It was surgical. Specific files, specific feeds. Whoever did it... they knew exactly what to touch."

Ida nodded slowly. "And what not to. Nothing about the King's financials were touched. Just her identity."

That made everyone freeze.

Oscar tilted his head. "So... someone wanted the world to know who she was. But not what she owned."

"Not what she built," Thea added softly, eyes distant.

Katrina's arms were crossed. "Let's start with the obvious. The accountant."

"The same one who handed Luca the letter?" Antonio asked. "He was loyal. Worked with her for years."

"So did everyone in this room," Blade said, eyes narrowing. "Don't romanticize loyalty. People break. People bend."

"I'll talk to him," Katrina offered.

"No," Blade said. "I will."

He stood, pulling out his phone and stepping away. His voice dropped, low and guarded. "Rainey?"

Her voice crackled on the line. "Hey—sorry, haven't been home. Emergency shifts. Hospital's slammed."

"You haven't been home in three days," he said.

A pause. "I told you, I'm fine."

"You're not answering any secure lines."

"I'm busy. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, promise, Auggie."

She hung up.

He stared at the screen like it had said more.

Back in the room, Starr was pacing. "We're missing something. The leak was technical—whoever did it knew where to look. Not just what to say."

Milo spoke next, sharp with focus. "Who wrote the King's security code? The early network? The AI triggers and death-switches before Starr came on?"

Everyone looked at Starr.

She went still.

"...Kaia...or, uh, Aria," she said.

Elias blinked. "She coded her own entire system?"

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