The Shadow of a Diploma
While Amber was basking in the golden light of the warehouse and the adoration of her followers, Jessica sat in the dim, temperature-controlled environment of her master bedroom suite, her laptop open to a secure, encrypted link. On the screen, Anthony Shaw's face was partially obscured by the blue light of his own monitors, his expression unreadable.
"She's playing at being a saint, Anthony," Jessica hissed, gesturing vaguely at a second screen where Amber's live stream was being replayed. "The 'Scent Emporium,' the 'Mental Health Network'... it's all so transparently desperate. She thinks she can buy the city's love."
Jessica stood up and began to pace, the silk of her robe hissing against the floor. "And my sisters—Virginia and Amber—they had the audacity to corner me at the Pecunia Club yesterday – I still don't understand how Virginia ever got a membership there. She was acting as if she actually had weight to throw around. She told me she had 'resources' I couldn't fathom." Jessica laughed, a sharp, jagged sound. "Virginia. The girl who spends more on her skincare routine than some people make in five years. She actually tried to threaten me."
Anthony didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on something off-camera on his end. "And what did you do, Jessica?"
"I laughed in her face, of course! What else is there to do? She's a child playing dress-up in a world she doesn't understand."
"You're wrong."
The two words fell like stones into a deep well. Jessica stopped pacing, her brow furrowed in confusion. She felt all of her confidence drain away like a sink full of water that just had its stopper removed. She looked to the screen as she moved back to her plush chair. Suddenly she felt the tension in her back. "I'm sorry?"
"Virginia," Anthony said, his voice dropping into a clinical, icy tone. "She isn't playing dress-up, Jessica. While you were busy cultivating your foundation and your… social standing… your younger sister was being groomed for a very different life."
Jessica felt a cold prickle of unease at the back of her neck. "What are you talking about? She's the baby of the family. She's pampered and—"
"She has been in Central Intelligence since she was in the twelfth grade," Anthony interrupted. He began typing, the clicking of his keys sounding like rapid-fire. "She started when she began traveling with your uncle—the diplomat. Everyone assumed she was just the favorite niece enjoying the perks of a diplomatic passport. In reality, she was being trained in signals intelligence and deep-cover assessment." He paused. "Actually she was setting new standards in all of those. She is still considered a genius."
Jessica's jaw dropped. The jealousy hit her like a physical blow, a hot, searing wave that turned her stomach. "Twelve? The twelfth grade? That's impossible. Mommy would have known. Daddy would have…"
"Your father likely knows exactly what she is," Shaw countered. He tutted, a sound of genuine irritation. "I've been cross-referencing recent data spikes. Things are going to be significantly more difficult for us now if Virginia is actively involved in your family's 'defense.' She has access to resources that are protected by federal-level encryption. She isn't just a Lance, Jessica. She's an operative. Actually she leads teams of operatives."
Jessica sank deeper into her seat, her legs trembled. She thought back to every family dinner, every time she had dismissed Virginia as "the pretty one" or "the shallow one." The idea that Virginia had been a shark swimming in their shallow family pool while she was just a goldfish was infuriating.
"How is that possible?" Jessica whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of rage and envy. "She's a makeup artist. She talks about palettes and textiles!"
"The best cover is the one that invites no questions," Shaw said dryly. He paused, his gaze intensifying through the screen. "I've been looking back through my own history. My records. I have two failed missions in the Eastern Bloc from six years ago—missions that were compromised by a ghost."
He smiled dangerously.
"I actually captured one of her people. He lasted longer than most but he finally told me his was boss." He looked reflective. "He actually killed himself before I could." He looked directly at Jessica. "She's been hunting people like me before you even knew Dan Trace existed."
Jessica's face contorted. The jealousy was no longer just about Dan or the baby; it was about power. Virginia had a world of her own, a level of importance that Jessica had spent her whole life trying to manufacture through lies and scams.
"If she's so powerful," Jessica spat, "then why hasn't she stopped me yet?"
"Because she's Intelligence, Jessica. She doesn't just stop people. She builds a case until there is no exit." Anthony leaned back, the shadows of his room swallowing his features. "If she is truly on to us, our timeline for 'Plan B' just moved up. You need to get to Dan. Now. Before your sister decides to stop watching and starts acting."
Jessica stared at the screen, the image of Virginia's "sly smile" from the club burning in her mind. She wasn't just the baby sister anymore. She was the predator.
"Then we move in the next few days," Jessica said, her voice trembling with a new, desperate resolve. "I don't care what resources she has. She won't take him from me – no one will."