CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR – THE CONSEQUENCES OF BETRAYAL

The next morning, Karina woke to a flurry of missed calls and text messages. Her heart racing, she opened the first one. It was from Amanda Reeves: "Turn on the news. Now." With shaking hands, Karina grabbed her remote and switched on the TV. Her jaw dropped as she saw the headline scrolling across the bottom of the screen: "BREAKING: FBI RAIDS ELADIO ENTERPRISES IN MASSIVE FRAUD INVESTIGATION" The news anchor's voice filled her apartment: "In a shocking development, federal agents have conducted a pre-dawn raid on the headquarters of Eladio Enterprises, one of the country's largest corporations. Sources say the company is under investigation for a wide-ranging fraud scheme involving offshore accounts and falsified financial records." Karina felt her breath catch in her throat as the camera panned to show FBI agents leading people out of the building in handcuffs. Her eyes scanned the faces, looking for anyone she recognized. Suddenly, the image changed to a file photo of Miguel,