Chapter 15
The heavy weight of the silenced pistol hitting the floorboards seemed to shatter whatever spell had held the penthouse in its suffocating grip. Nyah collapsed against the kitchen island, her knees buckling as dry, ragged sobs finally ripped through her chest—not the rehearsed grief of a press conference, but the raw, agonizing cry of a woman who had finally looked into the mirror and despised what she saw.
Agent Hayes burst into the living room, subduing the struggling operative with a swift zip-tie before nodding grimly to Marcus, who stepped in right behind him holding a portable data recovery unit linked directly to the mainframe safe in the master closet.
"The backup drive is secured," Marcus announced, his voice cutting through the quiet sobbing in the room. "The federal attorney’s office has everything. Apex Global’s board has already suspended operations pending an emergency federal audit. It's over, Nyah."
Nyah didn't look up from where she sat crumpled against the floor, her hands buried in her face. She was completely, utterly undone.
Evelyn didn't rush to comfort her daughter, nor did she gloat. Instead, she turned away from the kitchen island, walking slowly across the room toward the spot where Leo stood frozen in the doorway. She knelt down, opening her arms wide, and the little boy ran into her embrace, burying his face in her shoulder as he let out a long, shuddering sigh of pure relief.
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"Come on, baby," Evelyn whispered softly into his dark hair, standing up and lifting him securely into her arms. "Let's go home."
As they walked toward the open service elevator, the first pale, golden rays of dawn began to break over the eastern horizon, piercing through the floor-to-ceiling glass balcony doors and bathing the luxury living room in a warm, clean light. The sticky puddle of orange juice near the kitchen counter caught the morning sun, gleaming brightly before fading into the shadows as the elevator doors slid shut, sealing away the past forever and leaving a brand-new day waiting outside.
