Chapter 26 Departure
The minutes following Julian Hayes’s departure were the most intense of my life. I had successfully recorded the confession and scanned the documents, but the data was still slow-walking its way to Clara’s secure server. I held the burner phone, waiting for Marcus's confirmation, when the door burst open.
It was Clara, her face grim. She hadn't left the building entirely; she’d been waiting in the stairwell, monitoring the security feeds.
“The files are being tracked, Lila,” she hissed, pulling out a small, encrypted tablet of her own. “The moment your upload began, a trace was flagged. Adrian II knows the deal was compromised.”
“But the evidence is out! Julian Hayes signed the documents!”
“That doesn’t matter! The evidence only gives us a court case in six months. By then, Ethan and Adrian II will have completed the merger and they’ll have you back in jail,” Clara argued, pushing me toward the bedroom. “They are sending a team to the penthouse right now, not to retrieve the files, but to silence the witness.”
Before I could ask about the staged crash, Clara held up a brand-new, officially sealed manila envelope.
“Adrian II made an unexpected move,” she explained, her voice dropping. “He didn’t just want you gone; he wanted me gone, too. Just after you started scanning, his team contacted me with a new offer: immediate payment for my services and a first-class exit visa to Switzerland.”
My eyes widened. “He’s trying to buy your silence, too?”
“He’s trying to ensure everything is clear,” Clara corrected bitterly. “He thinks I failed to contain you, and now he wants me out of the country before my testimony can complicate his merger. He believes if I take the visa, it confirms his narrative that I’m just an overworked lawyer who took the money and ran.”
Clara stuffed the envelope into her bag. “His arrogance is our advantage. We use his offer as our cover.”
“How?”
“The jet you’re boarding is still set to take off in under an hour,” Clara stated, pulling out Adrian I’s pre-packaged escape kit. “Adrian I set up an emergency ejection pod beneath the cabin floor of that specific plane years ago, anticipating a hostile takeover exit. The pilot and stewardess are on his payroll; they will parachute out safely after triggering the internal distress beacon.”
I stared at the dark clothes and the fake passport in the kit. “The plane will crash, and the world will believe the witness, Lila James, has been tragically killed while attempting to flee the country.”
Clara nodded, her eyes fierce. “You become a ghost, Lila. The only way you can fight a network as powerful as the Ghost Forger is to be invisible. If you are dead, you can move, you can investigate, and you can access information without a single security camera or lawyer watching your every move. This is the ultimate strategic advantage Adrian I left us.”
I stripped off my bail-monitored clothes, stuffing them into the bag. “And you? If you are officially leaving the country, how will you help me?”
Clara pulled out the new, Swiss visa. “I’m taking the flight. I will use Adrian II's own exit visa to establish my cover. I will be in Switzerland for exactly forty-eight hours, providing an unbreakable alibi, and using their secure satellite network to monitor the situation. I will be your communications link, your cleaner, and your eyes on the ground. When I return, I will be the 'overworked lawyer' who cooperated with the authorities after your 'death' and can now operate legally within the system.”
Clara handed me the fake passport for Sarah Chen and the burner phone. “The pilot will confirm you’re on board. You will be seated directly over the ejection pod. When you hear the first distress signal, you pull the lever beneath your seat. Do not hesitate.”
I looked at her, my heart aching with the weight of her sacrifice. “You’ll be committing fraud, Clara. You’ll be implicated in an international conspiracy.”
Clara gave a fierce, determined look. “I’m already implicated, Lila. I’m doing this for justice and for your baby, the only piece of the real Adrian left. Now, go! Julian Hayes is on his way back for the final escort.”
I squeezed through the door, my new identity clutched to my chest, leaving behind my name, my legal rights, and my life. I ran through the dark service tunnels, the echoing sounds of the approaching team closing in behind me. I was officially dead, and the fight had just begun.