Chapter 8: Beneath the Surface

Ava’s hands trembled as she inserted the USB drive into her laptop. She had barely slept the previous night, her mind consumed by the conversation with Victoria and the new questions it had raised. She wanted to believe that Lucas was honest and their connection was real. But Victoria’s warning had unsettled her, leaving her with more questions than answers. The screen blinked to life, and a folder opened with several files labeled cryptically—dates, initials, and codes she didn’t understand. Ava hesitated for a moment, her finger hovering over the mousepad. This was a crossroads. Once she opened these files, there would be no going back. With a deep breath, she clicked on the first file. A document opened, filled with financial records—transactions, investments, and large sums of money moving between accounts. She recognized some names as Lucas’s business contacts, but others were unfamiliar. Scrolling through the pages, she noticed several payments the investigator had flagged. Av