Aiden watched as Ivy stood by the window of the safehouse, her reflection barely visible against the morning light. The woman he knew had changed—there was steel behind the fear now, resolve where there had once been only panic.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked from behind her.
"No." She turned, meeting his eyes. "But I'm done hiding."
She was dressed in one of the outfits Maddie had stashed away in her emergency kit, hair pulled into a low bun. Leo still slept in the next room, tucked safely away under heavy surveillance. Ivy pressed a folded piece of paper into Aiden's hand.
"This is his name—Gabriel Renner. My father's former research partner. If anyone knows how Project Eden started, it's him."
Aiden scanned the name. "Why do I know that name?"
"Because he went off-grid after my father's death. Rumors say he started working for black-market biotech firms. He has blood on his hands, Aiden."
"So why trust him?"
"I don't. But he's the only thread left."
Thirty Minutes Later – Midtown Parking Garage
Aiden parked two levels below ground. The area was sealed off—his own private property, secured for off-record meetings. Renner had agreed to meet, under the condition that Ivy came alone.
Aiden refused.
"He can deal with it," he said, tightening the grip on his firearm.
Ivy rolled her eyes. "You really think Gabriel Renner's scared of a gun?"
"I think he's scared of the right people knowing he's alive."
As the elevator opened, footsteps echoed. A gaunt man in a worn suit stepped forward. Ivy's breath hitched.
"Gabriel."
His face aged since the last time she saw him—lines carved by secrets and shame. "You're just like your father," he said, voice gravelly. "Too stubborn to die."
"Why did you disappear after his death?" she asked.
"I didn't disappear. I was erased."
Aiden stepped forward. "Explain."
Renner's eyes flicked to Ivy. "He never told you what we were building, did he?"
She folded her arms. "Something called Project Eden. That's all I know."
Renner snorted. "Eden was the tip of the iceberg."
Flashback – Ivy's Memories, Age 9
She remembered the late nights—the locked doors in their estate, the sound of whispers, her mother crying behind her father's office door. "It's gone too far," her mother once whispered. "They're not just testing chemicals anymore, David."
That name. Her father.
Back then, she thought the lab coats and late-night drives were just adult things.
Now she knew better.
Present Day – Garage
Renner reached into his coat, producing a small black USB. "This contains everything. Names, trials, funding. Eden was about synthetic evolution, Ivy. Not medicine. They wanted to build human immunity from scratch. Superhumans. And when your father backed out—he became a liability."
Ivy's face paled. "They killed him."
"They did worse," Renner said. "They used his research. On people."
Aiden stepped forward. "Is Vincent Raye connected?"
Renner nodded. "He was head of the final trial phase. When the board disbanded Eden, he went rogue. He blamed your father. Swore to burn everything he touched—including his family."
A beat of silence. Then:
"Ivy," Renner added, "he knows you survived. And he knows about the child."
Moments Later – Safehouse Rooftop
Ivy stood against the wind, her hands trembling around the USB.
Aiden approached slowly. "This… changes everything."
"I don't know who I am anymore," she whispered. "My father, the man I trusted—he was part of this?"
"Maybe he tried to stop it. Maybe that's why they killed him."
"Then why did he keep me in the dark?"
"Maybe he was protecting you."
She gave him a tired, bitter laugh. "Or he didn't trust me."
Aiden's hand brushed hers. "Don't do that. Don't let his secrets define you."
She looked at him—really looked at him. "What if I don't want Leo to know any of this?"
"Then we make sure he never has to."
Meanwhile – Maddie's Apartment
The door hung open. A cup of tea, still steaming, sat on the kitchen counter. Her phone buzzed on the floor, cracked.
Outside the frame of the window, a van door closed quietly.
Vincent smiled.
Later – Safehouse
Ivy was about to enter Leo's room when Aiden caught her arm. His face was pale, jaw clenched.
"Maddie's gone."
Her breath caught. "What?"
"They took her."
"Leo's not safe here anymore." She turned on her heel. "We need to run—tonight."
"No."
She froze. "What?"
"I'm done letting them chase us, Ivy. This ends now."
She stared at him, blinking fast. "What are you saying?"
Aiden stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I've got a private terminal. I'll release Renner's files. Expose Vincent. Burn the whole network."
"You think they'll stop?"
"I don't care."
"You'll become a target."
"I already am. But I'll take them down before they reach Leo again."
A pause.
"I need you to trust me, Ivy."
She exhaled. "Then let me help."