Worse.
I shake my head slowly, eyes still locked on the shifting data.
“He doesn’t steal systems,” I say. “He builds them… then lets them evolve until no one—not even the creator—can fully control them.”
Aaron’s voice cuts through, steady but tighter now.
“Can we reach him?”
I drag in a breath.
This is the part they won’t like.
“No.”
Silence fills the vehicle—heavy, pressing.
“But I know how he thinks.”
Aaron leans forward slightly. Focused. Locked in.
“And?”
I finally look at him.
And for the first time since this started… I let the truth show.
“He’s not done.”
Ronan’s gaze sharpens.
“With what?” he asks.
My pulse slows instead of spikes.
Because I see it now.
The pattern.
The intention.
The endgame.
“He’s not trying to break the system,” I say quietly. “He’s trying to force a choice inside it.”
Aaron’s jaw tightens. “What kind of choice?”
I hold his gaze.
And this time… I don’t soften it.
“The kind where no matter what I do…” I whisper,
“someone pays.”
A beat.
Then, softer—
