I set the silver metal piece on the mahogany surface between us.

He stared at it as if it were a live round.

“What did Vance say?” Alexander asked.

“He said Rachel was being blackmailed,” I said, pulling a compact military-grade laptop from my small tactical pack. “By Whitmore.”

“The defense minister?” Alexander’s voice sank.

“He had proof my father’s crash wasn’t an accident,” I said, boot-strapping the laptop. “He used it to force Rachel to siphon the family trust.”

I inserted the drive into the USB port.

The screen flickered, a progress bar appearing against a black background.

*Decrypting: United States Treasury & Maritime Trust Files (2022-2024)*

The fan of the laptop began to hum, a low, steady sound in the quiet room.

Alexander stood up, walking to the window that looked out over the dark gardens.

“If this is true,” he said, “then the entire alliance was built on a lie.”

“My sister is a victim of Whitmore,” I said, watching the percentage bar climb. “But she’s also an accomplice.”

“She lied to me every day for two years, Emily,” he said, his back still turned.