He merely watched the timer, a cruel, detached observer. His gaze was fixed on the blinking red numbers, not on my desperate face. Not on Ben' s bruised one.

How could he be so indifferent?

I looked at Ben, his eyes glassy with pain but still holding a fierce loyalty. He shook his head slightly, a silent command for me to stay strong.

"Five." Edwardo' s voice was devoid of emotion. "Four. Three."

"Wait!" Ben rasped, pushing himself up against the crates, wincing. "It's me. I did it."

My head snapped towards him. "Ben, no! What are you saying?"

Edwardo stopped counting, his gaze finally shifting to Ben. A flicker of something, perhaps curiosity, crossed his face. "Go on."

"I... I heard her talking," Ben coughed, blood staining his chin. "Cassie. She was bragging about stealing data from Steele Industries." He looked at Edwardo, defiance in his eyes. "I couldn't let her get away with it."

My heart pounded. Ben, my ethical hacker, despised corporate greed. This was exactly something he would do, but never for malice. Always for justice. "Ben, you didn't-"

"I confronted her," Ben interrupted, his voice gaining strength. "She panicked. Ran off. I don't know where she is now, but she's probably hiding because she knows I' m onto her." He looked at me, a desperate plea in his eyes. "Blair had nothing to do with it. She doesn't even know what I do."

Edwardo' s eyes narrowed. He looked from Ben to me, then back to Ben. "So, you admit to corporate espionage?"

"I admit to trying to stop a thief," Ben retorted, his gaze unwavering. "She was selling your company's secrets, Edwardo. To Domenic Perez."

Perez. Edwardo' s fiercest rival. The name hung in the air, heavy and loaded.

Edwardo's jaw clenched. He walked towards Ben, slowly, menacingly. "You think you can just waltz in and meddle with my business?"

"I was protecting your business, you idiot!" Ben spat, his protective instincts surging. "And Blair! You treat her like dirt, but she's worth a thousand of your precious Cassie Shields!"

A sharp, almost imperceptible flinch crossed Edwardo' s face. But it vanished quickly, replaced by an even colder fury. "Fool. You just signed your own death warrant." He turned to one of the men. "Call federal. Tell them we have a confession for corporate espionage."

"No!" I screamed, finally breaking free from the guards' grip and lunging towards Edwardo. I grabbed his arm, my nails digging into his expensive suit. "Edwardo, please! You can't do this! He's innocent!"

He yanked his arm away as if my touch burned him. "He confessed, Blair. And he dared to insult Cassie." His eyes, like chips of ice, met mine. "He dies for that."

"He's my brother!" I cried, my voice cracking. "He saved your family once! My father saved you! This is how you repay us?"

"Your father's debt is paid with your presence in my home," he sneered. "Ben's folly is his own." He looked back at the bomb timer. "And his time is running out either way."

My eyes darted to the red digits. Ten seconds. "Edwardo, look at me! He's hurt! He's bleeding! He could die!"

He glanced at Ben, then back at me. His expression didn't soften. "He's irrelevant to me. My only concern is Cassie. Are you going to tell me where she is, or are you going to watch your brother bleed out and then rot in prison?"

Despair, cold and sharp, pierced through me. He truly didn't care. Not about Ben. Not even about me. My tears fell freely, burning tracks down my dirty cheeks. My heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Edwardo, please," I whispered, falling to my knees. "He can't go to prison. He needs medical attention. He'll die." My voice was a ragged plea. "Just... tell me what you want. Please, don't hurt him anymore."

He looked down at me, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Cassie's location. That's all I want."

Ben, from behind me, suddenly spoke up, his voice weak but clear. "She mentioned a cabin. Upstate. Belongs to her aunt." He gave Edwardo a specific address, quickly. "She said she was going to lay low there for a bit."

Edwardo's eyes narrowed. He pulled out his phone, quickly typing coordinates. He looked at Ben. "If this is a lie..."

"It's not," Ben coughed. "I swear."

Edwardo finished typing. He looked at the guards. "Secure the perimeter. Have a team sent to this location. Bring her back safely." He looked at Ben again. "As for you, your confession still stands. Federal prison awaits."

"No!" I screeched, scrambling to my feet. "You promised! If I told you where she was-"

"You didn't tell me," he cut across me, his voice flat. "He did. And his confession stands." He turned to leave, his expression cold and resolute.

"Edwardo! The bomb!" I shrieked. The timer was flashing dangerously red. Three seconds.

He stopped, barely glancing back. "Oh, that." He gave a curt nod to one of the guards. "Disarm it."

The guard fumbled with a device, trying to cut the wires. The timer blinked to two.

"No, Edwardo! He's hurt! He's bleeding! Get him medical help first!" My voice was a desperate, raw plea.

Edwardo paused, then turned fully. His eyes, still cold, swept over Ben. "Fine. Get him basic first aid. Then prepare him for transfer to a federal holding facility." He looked at me, a chilling smirk on his lips. "And you? Don't think you're getting off easy. This isn't over, Blair. Not by a long shot." He gestured vaguely at my stained dress. "Clean yourself up. You reek of desperation."

He turned and strode out of the warehouse, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. I stared after him, my mind reeling. My brother was going to prison. And I was trapped.

The guard moved towards Ben, but his hands were shaking, fumbling with the wires. The timer hit one.

"No!" I screamed, throwing myself towards Ben, trying to cover him with my body.

BOOM!

A blinding flash, a deafening roar. The floor vibrated beneath me. Dust and debris rained down. I felt a searing pain in my side, then a dizzying lurch as I was thrown against the crates, Ben beneath me.

Silence. Then, a ringing in my ears. I slowly pushed myself up, my head throbbing. Ben was still beneath me, but his body felt... wrong. Limp.

"Ben? Ben!" I sobbed, my voice choked with fear. I rolled him over. His leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, blood seeping through his torn pants. Shrapnel was embedded in his arm. His face was ghostly pale.

"Blair..." he whispered, his eyes fluttering open. He managed a weak smile. "I saved you, didn't I?"

"No, Ben, don't talk! Just stay still! Help!" I screamed, my voice cracking, tears streaming down my face.

"Listen to me," he rasped, gripping my hand with surprising strength. "Cassie... she had a... a crypto key. Biometric. She kept it in... in her necklace." His breath hitched. "It's... it's what she used to encrypt Edwardo's data."

My mind snagged on his words, even in my panic. "A crypto key? What are you talking about?"

"It's... it's leverage, Blair," he whispered, his eyes starting to lose focus. "She bragged about it. Said she could... could ruin Edwardo if she wanted to." He squeezed my hand tighter, his voice barely audible. "Use it. Get out. Get free. Don't... don't be like me."

His hand went limp. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Ben? Ben! No! Don't you dare!" I screamed, shaking him, but he was unresponsive. "Help! Someone help him!"

The guards, shaken and disoriented by the blast, finally rushed forward. One checked Ben's pulse, his face grim. "He's alive, but barely. We need to get him to a hospital. Now!"

I clung to Ben, my body wracked with sobs. Edwardo. He had done this. He had almost killed my brother. And all for that woman.

"I'm divorcing him," I choked out, a cold resolve settling over me amidst the grief. "And I'm not going to prison. I'm going to use this leverage. For Ben. For me."

The next few days were a blur of screaming, tears, and legal paperwork. I signed the divorce papers, my hand steady despite the tremors running through my body. The staff brought in my things, already packed. The silence of the mansion was deafening. I felt nothing but a hollow ache, and a burning, icy rage.

I went straight to the hospital. Ben was in critical condition. They had managed to save his life, but his leg was permanently crippled. He would never walk without a cane again. My heart twisted with guilt and fury.

Just as I settled into the waiting room, still covered in soot and dried blood, Edwardo' s lawyer, Mr. Henderson, arrived. He looked uncomfortable, avoiding my eyes.

"Mrs. Steele," he began, his voice formal. "Mr. Steele sends his regards. He also wishes to remind you of your agreement."

"What agreement?" My voice was flat.

"The one regarding Mr. Ben Pena. The corporate espionage charge."

My blood boiled. "He almost died! And you want to talk about charges?"

"Mr. Steele is willing to be lenient," Henderson continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "Provided you cooperate. He requires you to make a public apology to Ms. Shields. And to formally retract any accusations against her."

"A public apology?" I gasped, incredulous. "After everything? After she almost got Ben killed? After Edwardo tried to frame him?"

Henderson cleared his throat. "It's a matter of optics, Mrs. Steele. Ms. Shields' reputation has been... tarnished. Mr. Steele wishes to restore it."

Just then, two of Edwardo' s security personnel walked into Ben' s hospital room, already starting to pack his things.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, rushing towards them.

"Orders from Mr. Steele, ma'am. Mr. Pena is to be transferred to a private, secure facility, guarded by our personnel, until the federal authorities take over." The guard' s voice was polite, but his eyes were unyielding.

"You can't! He's just had surgery! He needs specialized care!" I stood in front of Ben' s bed, my arms outstretched, shielding him.

Henderson stepped forward, his voice low. "Mrs. Steele, Mr. Steele is simply ensuring Mr. Pena doesn't attempt to flee justice. It's for his own good."

"For his own good?" I laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. "You people are insane! You nearly killed him, and now you want to drag him out of his hospital bed?"

Just then, my phone, which had miraculously survived the explosion, vibrated. It was a news alert. A picture of Cassie Shields, looking distraught, with a bandaged arm. The headline read: "Social Media Star Cassie Shields Hospitalized After Brutal Assault by Blair Steele's Brother, Ben Pena."

My blood ran cold. He was destroying my brother's reputation. Framing him. All for her.

"You want me to apologize?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm. I looked from the news report to Henderson, then to the guards. "To her? After she's done this?"

Henderson looked relieved. "Yes, Mrs. Steele. A public statement. To clear her name."

The rage that had been simmering within me for three long years finally boiled over. I laughed again, a hysterical, broken sound. "You know what, Mr. Henderson? Fine. I'll apologize. But I'll do it my way."

I walked over to Ben's bedside. He was awake, watching the scene unfold, his eyes filled with a weary sadness. I leaned down, kissing his forehead. "Don't worry, Ben. I'll fix this. I promise you, I will make them pay." I looked at Henderson, my eyes dry, my voice rock-steady. "Tell Edwardo I'll be there. To apologize. And to witness his undying devotion to his precious Cassie."

My hand trembled, not with fear, but with a cold, righteous fury. This wasn't just about Ben anymore. It was about me. My dignity. My very soul. And the future of my family. I would play their game, but I would win. The biometric crypto key Ben spoke of. I would find it. And I would bring Edwardo Steele to his knees.

Chapter 2

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