197 Hidden Reserves

+8 Points

Mara

“That’s true, Rowan, Lucian’s Alpha Mark should override theirs”, I said, voice low. Faith and hope were what kept us going, and nting doubts in Rowan’s mind right now would be foolish.

“Even though the option of Lucian using the Alpha mark is avable, we can’t just sit and hope. We need to prepare. If we let them cripple us financially, we won’t survive the fallout.”

Rowan exhaled heavily.

“So… what exactly are you asking me to do?”

I offered a quiet smile.

“I need you to open a private ount under an alias in a different bank. Something clean. I’ll start moving small amounts of money there-just enough to give us a cushion if things copse. Once Chase is caught, I’ll return everyst coin. No one will even notice.”

He stared at me, hesitant.

“Mara… if they catch us, this won’t look like strategy. It’ll look like theft.”

I nodded.

“They won’t. I’ll make sure of it. The audit’s over. And if it everes to light… I’ll take the me. I’ll tell them it was my n.”

He was silent for a beat, then gave a reluctant nod.

“Alright. I’ll set it up tonight.”

We stayed a while longer, talking through every angle of the case-about Chase, about the silence from Winston’s Corp, about the traitors still hiding in in sight. Time passed quickly, and before long, I stood and thanked him. It was time to return home.

When I arrived at the mansion, I didn’t expect to see her.

Martha was outside. Alone.

She looked… frail. Thinner. Her posture hunched, her movements slow. The sharpness that usually danced in her eyes was gone, reced by a heavy, hollow kind of calm.

She stood near a cab, loading small boxes into the back seat. Jewelry boxes.

I walked toward her slowly.

“Good evening, Luna Martha,” I said softly, half-expecting a bitter jab or icy re.

But she didn’tsh out. She turned, gave a small, tired smile.

“Good evening, Mara,” she said kindly, almost… peacefully.

“Big day tomorrow. Hope you’re all set.”

That tone-it unsettled me. Too gentle. Too final.

My eyes dropped to the boxes. Fine velvet, neatly stacked. Not thrown together in a panic, but arranged with purpose.

She’s leaving.

197 Hidden Reserves

No-she’s preparing to disappear.

“Are you… going somewhere?” I asked, keeping my voice light.

She looked at the boxes for a second, then back at me with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Just settling some things. Tying up loose ends.”

Something inside me shifted.

This wasn’t Martha scheming.

This was Martha resigning.

And whatever she was walking away from… or toward… it didn’t feel right.

+8 Points

Noticing my eyes lingered on the boxes, Martha gave me a smile. But it didn’t reach her eyes. It was the kind of smile you wear when everything’s falling apart and you don’t want anyone to notice.

“Since Vander’s abandoned me,” she said with a hollow shrug, “I doubt I’ll need any of this.”

She gestured toward the jewelry boxes with that same t smile.

“Might as well sell them. See what I can do with the money. Lucian’s definitely kicking me out tomorrow.”

Her tone was calm, but something about the way she said it-like the decision had already been made-caught me off guard.

Lucian wouldn’t just throw her out… would he?

I didn’t know what to say at first. The weight of everything she wasn’t saying was heavier than what she was. I nced again at the boxes. Selling off jewelry? It didn’t feel right. I wasn’t sure I believed that was the real reason.

ric.

It had to be about him. She was trying to raise money for him-not for herself.

“I think you shoulde clean about the ckmailer, Luna Martha,” I said quietly. “You really have nothing left to lose.”

Her expression hardened immediately. The faint flicker of warmth vanished.

“I’m on my own now, Mara,” she snapped, her voice sharp and familiar. “You should mind your business.”

For a moment, I almostughed. Not because she was unraveling-but because that tone, that fight, meant she was still in there somewhere. Still alive. Still resisting.

I’d been worried she was fading into depression, maybe worse. But her defiance? That was a sign she hadn’t given uppletely.

I didn’t press her further. Just gave her a small nod and turned toward the mansion.

“Take care of yourself, Martha.”

Inside, I linked Lucian.

“I’m back home, in our room.”

He responded that he was still with his father, wrapping up final documents for the handover.

I kicked off my shoes and settled onto the bed, determined to rx for a moment. My feet ached, and the weight of the day pressed in around me.

Then came a knock-and to my surprise, Tiffany walked in, smiling, with Emma clinging to her hand.

(197 Hidden Reserves

“Hope we’re not interrupting,” she said.

“Not at all,” I smiled, genuinely d for thepany.

Tiffany and Emma came in, and the room instantly felt lighter.

For a little while, it was just us. No titles. No schemes. No shadows.

Just women, sharing space before the storm.