Over the next week, the network was hit with a series of small but devastating attacks—supply trucks hijacked, safe houses raided, and confidential files leaked. Clara knew that someone inside was working with The Hand, but every lead they followed turned cold.
The tension was taking its toll on everyone, especially Clara and Alessandro. One evening, they got into a heated argument in her office.
"You're pushing everyone too hard!" Alessandro said, his voice rising. "People are scared, and you're treating them like suspects instead of family!"
"Because one of them is betraying us!" Clara shot back. "I can't afford to trust blindly—not when lives are on the line!"
Alessandro stared at her, his eyes filled with hurt. "Even me?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and sharp. Clara's heart ached, but she couldn't bring herself to lie. "I don't know," she whispered.
Alessandro turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Clara sank into her chair, tears streaming down her face. She had never felt so alone.
The next day, Enzo burst into her office, holding a flash drive. "I found something," he said, his voice urgent. "The leaks are coming from someone with access to our highest security levels. And there's only one person who's been in every system we've had compromised—Marcus Chen."
Clara's blood ran cold. "No," she said. "He can't be. We've worked with him for months."
Enzo shook his head. "The evidence is clear. He's been passing information to The Hand in exchange for them sparing his sister."
Clara stood up, her mind racing. "We need to confront him. But we can't let him know we're onto him."
That night, they set a trap. Clara called Chen and told him they had uncovered The Hand's main base and were planning a raid. She asked him to meet them at headquarters to finalize the plan.
When Chen arrived, he was accompanied by two masked men. "I'm sorry, Clara," he said, his voice tight. "I had no choice. They said they'd kill Maya if I didn't cooperate."
Before he could say more, Isabella and her team surrounded the room. But the masked men were armed with explosives, and one of them grabbed Clara, holding a knife to her throat.
"Let us go," the man said, his voice familiar. "Or she dies."
Clara's eyes widened as he pulled off his hood—it was Alessandro.
"Surprised?" he said, his voice cold. "You should have never doubted me. I've been working with The Hand from the start."
Clara stared at him, her heart breaking. "Why?" she whispered.
"Because you think you can change the world with your little network," he said. "But power is the only thing that matters. The Hand promised me a place at the top—one that you could never give me."
As he spoke, Enzo moved slowly to the side, his hand in his pocket. He pressed a button, and the lights went out. In the chaos that followed, Isabella fired a shot, hitting the second masked man. Clara used the distraction to break free from Alessandro's grip, but he was already out the window and gone.