A War on Two Fronts

The car spun around the corner, tires screeching against the pavement as Leo pressed the gas. Ariella held her stomach, breathing in quick, panicked breaths.

They had just escaped the ambush at Marcelo Vance's penthouse, and now the Order knew exactly who they were.

Ariella's heart raced as she looked at Leo. His jaw was tight, and his hands gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

"They were waiting for us," she said softly, still trying to calm her breath.

Leo glanced at the rearview mirror. "They set a trap, and we fell right into it."

Carter's voice came through the comms. "I lost one of my men. They knew our entire route. We have to assume we're compromised."

Ariella felt a chill run through her. If the Order had anticipated their moves, it meant one thing—there was a leak. Someone close to them was sharing secrets with the enemy.

Leo took a sharp breath. "Carter, get your team to a safe spot. No one moves until we find out who betrayed us."

Ariella shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body was tired, but she wouldn't let it stop her.

Not now. Not when they were in greater danger than ever. Her father's words echoed in her mind. "They will burn everything to the ground to get to you." And now, the fire was starting.

By the time they arrived at the safehouse, dawn was breaking. The old, reinforced warehouse was deep in the countryside, hidden from satellites and public records.

But was anywhere truly safe?

Leo parked the car, and the three of them hurried inside. Carter's team was already set up around the perimeter, armed and alert.

Ariella barely reached the couch before her body gave in due to exhaustion.

Leo was by her side immediately, concern written all over his face. "You need to rest."

Ariella shook her head, forcing herself to sit up. "No. We have to find out who betrayed us."

Leo's jaw clenched, he knew she needed rest badly but he agreed. "Let's get started."

Carter walked in, looking serious. "I checked our communications. Someone accessed our encrypted files an hour before we raided Marcelo Vance's penthouse."

Ariella felt a knot in her stomach. "And?"

Carter paused before showing his tablet. "We traced the access back to one of our own."

Leo froze.

Ariella leaned in. "Who is it?"

Carter met their gaze. "Madeline."

Silence filled the room.

Ariella struggled to breathe. Madeline—the woman who had returned to help her. The one who gave her the letter from her mother, the birth certificate, the photo.

Leo's voice was icy. "Where is she now?"

Carter's lips were tight. "She vanished right after the attack. She's not answering her phone."

Ariella's hands trembled. "She deceived us."

Leo sighed sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I should have noticed."

Ariella's throat felt tight. "She knew everything. She knew about my past, my mother, my father." Her heart raced. "What if she was with the Order from the start?"

Leo's expression darkened. "Then we need to find her before she completes her plan."

Carter nodded. "I have my team looking for her. But there's more."

Ariella braced herself. "What is it?"

Carter turned the tablet around, showing a new encrypted message that had just arrived.

Leo took the tablet, scanning the words. Then his face changed completely.

Ariella's stomach churned. "What is it?"

Leo's grip on the tablet tightened. "It's a message from Madeline."

Ariella's breath caught. "What does it say?"

Leo exhaled, his voice filled with an unreadable tone.

"You were never meant to survive this long. Meet me alone."

Ariella felt her heart race.

Leo tightened his jaw. "It's a trap."

Ariella understood it was a trap. But she also realized she had no option but to proceed.

Leo insisted on accompanying her.

They reached the deserted train station where Madeline had told them to meet. The sun was high, casting long shadows on the cracked ground.

Madeline was already there, standing by the old train tracks, arms crossed.

She seemed different. More distant. More calculating.

Leo stayed close, his posture tense, his gun ready. "This better be worth it."

Madeline glanced at him, then at Ariella. "He shouldn't have come."

Ariella felt anger rise. "You set us up."

Madeline sighed. "I had no choice."

Leo scoffed. "There's always a choice."

Madeline's expression twisted with pain. "Do you think this is easy? Do you think I wanted to betray you?"

Ariella stepped closer, her voice low and threatening. "Then why did you?"

Madeline's hands trembled, but she held her head high. "Because the Order offered me something I couldn't ignore."

Ariella's heart raced again. "What?"

Madeline swallowed hard. "There's something you should see" Then she reached into her coat and pulled out a photograph.

With shaking hands, she handed it to Ariella.

Ariella took it slowly and then—her world fell apart.

The photo showed a woman. A woman who looked just like her mother.

Ariella's legs felt weak. "what again…?"

Leo's eyes narrowed. "What is this?"

Madeline whispered softly. "She's alive, Ariella."

Ariella gasped, unable to believe what she heard. "That can't be true."

Madeline looked at her with desperate eyes. "The Order deceived you. They deceived everyone. Eleanor Devereux is still alive."

Leo tensed up completely. "Where is she?"

Madeline took a shaky breath. "They have her."

Ariella's thoughts raced. "No. That's impossible—"

"I saw her," Madeline interrupted, her voice trembling. "She's alive, Ariella. They've kept her locked away for almost thirty years."

Ariella felt her vision blur. Her mother was alive.

Everything she believed—everything she accepted—was a lie.

Leo spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "Where?"

Madeline paused. "I don't know. But I have a clue."

Ariella's heart raced. "Then we have to find her."

Madeline nodded, but her eyes held a serious warning.

"If you go through with this… there's no turning back."

Ariella raised her chin defiantly. "I don't want to turn back."

Because now? Now, she was fighting for more than herself.

She was fighting for her mother. For the truth. For everything the Order took from her.

And she wouldn't rest until she got it all back.