THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 57

Betrayal
Ava’s heart sank. “Who?”

Liam hesitated, then showed her the data. “It’s Sarah.”

Ava stared at the screen, disbelief washing over her. “Sarah? Are you sure?”

“The data doesn’t lie,” Liam said softly. “She’s been accessing files she shouldn’t have.”

Ava’s mind raced. Sarah had been with her from the beginning. The betrayal cut even deeper. “We need to confront her.”

Liam nodded. “But we have to be careful. If she realizes we’re onto her, she could do more damage.”

Ava took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I’ll handle it. Get the team ready for anything. We don’t know what she’s capable of.”

Ava found Sarah in the communications room, her eyes glued to a monitor. “Sarah, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Sarah looked up, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Of course, Ava. What’s up?”

Ava led her to a side room, her heart pounding. She turned to face her, her expression hardening. “Sarah, we’ve discovered some troubling information. You’ve been accessing restricted files and communicating with outside parties. Care to explain?”

Sarah’s face paled, but she quickly masked her shock. “Ava, you must be mistaken. I would never—”

“Don’t lie to me, Sarah,” Ava interrupted, her voice cold. “We have the evidence. Why did you do it?”

Sarah’s shoulders slumped, her eyes filled with guilt. “They threatened my family. I didn’t have a choice.”

Ava’s anger flared. “You should have come to me. We could have helped you.”

“I was scared,” Sarah admitted. “They knew everything about me, my family. I thought I could handle it on my own.”

Ava shook her head, her disappointment palpable. “You’ve jeopardized everything we’ve worked for. Do you realize the damage you’ve done?”

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Ava. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

Ava’s voice softened slightly. “We need to contain the situation. You’re coming with me. We’ll figure out a way to fix this.”

As Ava led Sarah out, Liam approached, his eyes scanning Sarah with a mix of anger and pity. “What now?”

“We isolate her,” Ava said firmly. “She can’t do any more damage.”

But as they moved to secure Sarah, an alarm blared through the estate. Ava’s heart raced as she turned to the nearest monitor. A catastrophic event was unfolding at one of their key locations.

“Liam, what’s happening?” Ava shouted over the chaos.

Liam’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “It’s an attack. They’ve breached our defenses in New York. The timing—this can’t be a coincidence.”

Ava’s mind spun. Sarah’s betrayal had set off a chain reaction. “We need to mobilize all our resources. Get everyone on high alert.”

As the team scrambled to respond, Ava felt a heavy weight settle on her shoulders. The mole’s last act had put them all in danger, and now they were racing against time to contain the fallout.

“Liam, get me a secure line to New York,” Ava commanded. “We need to coordinate our response.”

Liam nodded, quickly patching her through. “You’re on, Ava.”

Ava took a deep breath, steadying herself. “This is Ava. What’s the situation on the ground?”

The voice on the other end crackled with tension. “We’ve been hit hard. They knew exactly where to strike. We’re trying to hold them off, but we need reinforcements.”

“Hold your position,” Ava instructed. “We’re sending support. Stay strong.”

As the call ended, Ava turned to her team. “We need to split our focus. Secure all locations and ensure our communications are locked down. We can’t let them gain any more ground.”

Liam stepped closer, his voice low. “Ava, we need to talk about the mole. Sarah isn’t the only one. There’s someone else feeding them information.”

Ava’s eyes widened. “Who?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Liam admitted. “But I’ve found traces of another infiltrator. We need to root them out before it’s too late.”

Ava’s mind whirled with the implications. “Double-check all personnel. Look for anything suspicious. We can’t afford any more betrayals.”

As Liam moved to carry out her orders, Ava felt a pang of sorrow. Trust had been a cornerstone of their team, and now it was shattered. She couldn’t let this destroy them.

Hours passed in a blur of frantic activity. Reports came in from around the globe, each one a mix of successes and setbacks. Ava coordinated the efforts with precision, her voice steady and authoritative. But beneath the surface, anxiety churned. The threat was immense, and the mole within their ranks added a layer of complexity she hadn’t anticipated.

“Liam, status update,” Ava demanded, her eyes fixed on the main screen.

“We’ve fortified our positions, but we’re stretched thin,” Liam replied. “And I’ve found more evidence of the second mole. It’s someone close.”

Ava’s heart sank. “Who?”

Liam hesitated, then showed her the data. “It’s Sarah.”

Ava stared at the screen, disbelief washing over her. “Sarah? Are you sure?”

“The data doesn’t lie,” Liam said softly. “She’s been accessing files she shouldn’t have.”

Ava’s mind raced. Sarah had been with her from the beginning. The betrayal cut even deeper. “We need to confront her.”

Liam nodded. “But we have to be careful. If she realizes we’re onto her, she could do more damage.”

Ava took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I’ll handle it. Get the team ready for anything. We don’t know what she’s capable of.”

Ava found Sarah in the communications room, her eyes glued to a monitor. “Sarah, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Sarah looked up, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Of course, Ava. What’s up?”

Ava led her to a side room, her heart pounding. She turned to face her, her expression hardening. “Sarah, we’ve discovered some troubling information. You’ve been accessing restricted files and communicating with outside parties. Care to explain?”

Sarah’s face paled, but she quickly masked her shock. “Ava, you must be mistaken. I would never—”

“Don’t lie to me, Sarah,” Ava interrupted, her voice cold. “We have the evidence. Why did you do it?”

Sarah’s shoulders slumped, her eyes filled with guilt. “They threatened my family. I didn’t have a choice.”