Chapter 64 Chapter 64
The shift from Wednesday to Thursday felt like the air before a lightning strike. The school was obsessed with the tournament, but for me, the stakes were shifting into something much more personal.
I spent most of Thursday morning trying to ignore the way Marvin lingered at the edge of my vision. He didn’t approach me again, but his silence was worse than his shouting. He was watching, waiting for a crack in the armor I had spent the week building.
At lunch, Lena and I found a quiet corner in the library to escape the hockey fever.
"He's up to something," Lena whispered, nodding toward the window where we could see Marvin standing by his car in the lot, talking intensely to Zayelle. "The twins aren't speaking, but Zayelle is playing both sides. I saw her slip Marvin a flash drive this morning."
My heart did a slow, painful roll in my chest. "A flash drive? About what?"
"I don't know," Lena said, her brow furrowing. "But she looked smug. And you know Zayelle—she doesn't do anything unless it benefits her or hurts someone else."
I thought about the house. The quiet dinners with Nolan and my mom. The fragile peace. Was Zayelle trying to bridge the gap with her brother by giving him ammunition against Jace? Or was she targeting me again?
I didn't have to wait long for the answer.
The Home Setting: A Dinner of Secrets
That evening, the house felt colder than usual. Nolan was late getting back from work, and when he finally walked through the door, he looked aged. The "glow" in my mother’s eyes flickered with concern the moment she saw him.
"Nolan? What is it?" she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.
Nolan glanced at me, then at Zayelle, who was sitting at the table, her expression a mask of perfect innocence. "There’s a leak at the firm," he said, his voice gravelly. "Someone accessed private files regarding the Thorne family’s estate. If that information goes public, it won't just ruin the merger—it’ll ruin reputations."
Zayelle took a slow sip of her water. "That’s terrible, Dad. Who would have access to your home office?"
Her eyes flicked to me. The implication hung in the air like a noose.
"I don't touch Nolan's work," I said, my voice steady despite the spike of adrenaline.
"Of course not," Zayelle murmured. "But you do spend a lot of time in the library. And you are very good at writing things down that aren't meant for eyes other than your own."
My mother looked between us, her face pale. "Zayelle, that’s a serious accusation."
"It’s just a question, Margaret," Zayelle said, using my mother’s first name with a sharp edge.
Before I could defend myself, the front door opened. Jace stepped inside. He had a key now—a sign of the trust Nolan had placed in him. He took one look at the tension in the room and walked straight to my side.
"What's going on?" Jace asked.
"Files were stolen from my office, Jace," Nolan said, rubbing his temples. "Information that could destroy your father’s standing."
Jace’s gaze shifted to Zayelle. He knew her better than any of us. He saw the slight, triumphant curve of her lips that she couldn't quite hide.
"Marvin has them, doesn't he?" Jace asked, his voice deathly quiet.
Zayelle’s smile vanished. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"He was at the rink today bragging about a 'secret weapon' for the tournament," Jace said, stepping toward her. "He didn't mean a new play. He meant leverage. Did you give it to him, Z?"
"I did what I had to do to protect our family!" Zayelle suddenly stood, her voice rising. "You’re so blinded by her that you don't see how vulnerable we’ve become. If Marvin has that information, he can force Dad to listen to him again. He can stop being the 'disgrace'!"
The Breaking Point
Nolan looked at his daughter with a profound sense of horror. "Zayelle... those files contain private medical records. Legal vulnerabilities. You handed your brother a grenade."
"I gave him a seat at the table!" she shouted.
The room exploded into movement. Nolan headed for the phone, likely to call the Thorne father. My mother moved toward Nolan, trying to calm him. But Jace just looked at me.
"He's going to release it tonight," Jace whispered. "On the school's forum. He wants to overshadow the tournament before it even starts. He wants everyone to see the 'real' Thorne family secrets so no one cares about the game."
"We have to stop him," I said.
"I can't stop him," Jace said, a look of grim realization crossing his face. "But Jacinta might. He still listens to her, even if he's blackmailing her. She's the only one who can get close enough to take that drive."
I grabbed my jacket. "I'll call Lena. She knows where Jacinta is."
As we headed for the door, I turned back to see Zayelle standing alone in the middle of the kitchen. She looked small. For all her talk of empires and standing beside the hero, she was the one who had finally burned the bridge.
In the car, Jace gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "If those files get out, my dad will blame your mom and Nolan for the security breach. He'll end the merger, and he'll make sure Nolan never works in this town again."
"He's trying to destroy our home, Jace," I said, looking at the passing streetlights.
"He's trying," Jace said, his jaw setting. "But he forgot one thing."
"What?"
"I'm not the quiet hero anymore. And you aren't the girl who disappears."