The apartment felt heavy, like the air itself was electric. Ella sat on the sofa, the folder from the delivery open on the table. Papers were spread everywhere, each one worse than the last. Fear and adrenaline battled in her chest. Every step Rita had taken, every plan she had made, was laid out in front of them.
Ben leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. He didn't speak for a while, letting the silence hang. Ella needed a moment to process. Lucas paced the room, restless, muttering under his breath, glancing at the folder like it might attack him.
Finally, Ella broke the silence. "We can't ignore this. She's watching everything. Every call, every text, every place we've been. She's… she's tracking us right now."
Ben put a hand to his forehead, tugging at his hair. "I thought we were careful. I thought we were ahead. But…" His voice faded. The weight of their situation was sinking in.
Lucas stopped pacing, giving them a sharp look. "Careful isn't enough anymore. She's obsessed. She's smart, maybe smarter than all of us. That folder isn't everything. There's more out there, ready to catch us off guard."
Ella gripped the edge of the table. "Then we find out. We can't let her pick us off one by one. She wants us to doubt ourselves, to doubt each other. That's how she wins."
Ben shook his head, eyes dark. "We've seen what she can do. But there's something we don't know… something she's keeping even from us."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Ben stood, moving to the window, not looking at them. "There's a secret. Something from my past… something Rita knows that I never thought she could use. But she has it. And she's waiting for the right moment."
Ella's heart raced. "Ben… what secret?"
He didn't answer right away. His jaw clenched, fists tightening. "I can't tell you yet. Not until I know it's safe. But it's big, Ella. It changes everything if she uses it."
Lucas groaned, running a hand over his face. "So we're sitting here with a ticking time bomb, and we don't even know the timer?"
Ella took a deep breath, eyes moving between them. "Then we make the next move. We can't wait for her to strike first. Whatever this secret is, we'll handle it. Together."
Ben's eyes softened slightly. He reached for her hand. "I trust you. And Lucas… I trust you too. But we have to be smart. She's ruthless. And right now, she's probably planning how to use every little thing against us."
Lucas nodded reluctantly, worry in his eyes. "Ruthless is an understatement. She has plans within plans. That folder was just a test. If she sees fear, she'll push harder than ever."
Ella exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders slowly. She looked at the folder, then at Ben and Lucas. "Then we plan. We strategize. No panic. And we turn her obsession against her."
Ben's phone buzzed. He picked it up. A message flashed: "You think you're safe. Safety is an illusion. The truth comes soon."
His eyes narrowed. "She's taunting us. And she's right. The truth… whatever she knows about me… it's coming. We have to be ready."
Ella clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. "We'll be ready. We have to be. We can't let her win this time. Not like before. Not ever."
Lucas stepped closer, glancing at the folder again. "There's a pattern in her plans and messages. If we can figure it out… maybe we get an edge. But it's dangerous. And she'll know if we're snooping."
Ben looked at him sharply. "Then we don't snoop. We calculate. Every move is deliberate. No mistakes. She's waiting for fear. We don't give her any."
Ella nodded, determination settling over her like armor. "Then we fight smarter. And together. She may know our past, but she doesn't know our loyalty. That's our strength."
The apartment fell quiet again. Tense, crawling-with-danger quiet. Outside, the city lights flickered, unaware of the storm inside. Three people, bound by trust and fear, prepared for what was coming.
Then a knock at the door shattered the silence. All three froze.
"Who…?" Ella whispered, moving cautiously.
A small envelope slid under the door. No return address. Her fingers shook as she picked it up. Inside was a single sheet of paper, written in sharp, neat handwriting:
"You think you know everything, but the real game has just begun. Secrets will surface. Loyalties will break. Trust will shatter. Be ready."
Ella's stomach sank. Ben's eyes darkened. Lucas's jaw tightened. The message wasn't a warning, it was a challenge.
And at that moment, they knew it: Rita's next move would be big. She wouldn't wait. And when she did, nothing would be the same.
The folder, the secret, the message, they were only the start.
The real storm had arrived.