Dylan walked to a nearby bus stop shelter. The plastic roof was cracked, leaking water onto the bench, but it was better than the open street.
She pulled out her phone. It buzzed with an email notification.
Sender: Glyn Clemons.
Subject: Formal Notice.
She opened it.
Your access to the family trust is revoked effective immediately. Do not contact us for money. You are on your own.
Dylan read it and chuckled. A dry, humorless sound.
She opened her banking app-the one linked to the debit card Glyn monitored.
Balance: $43.00.
"Tragic," she muttered.
She closed that app and opened a different one. It was a black icon with no name. It required a fingerprint, a retina scan via the camera, and a 16-digit passcode.
The screen loaded. First Cayman Sovereign Bank.
Account Holder: Genesis.
Liquid Assets: $85,000,000.00.
"I think I'll survive," she whispered.
She thought of Lydia's insult. Foster home. They thought her foster parents were poor nobodies. They didn't know her foster father had been a disgraced chemistry professor hiding from the government. They didn't know her foster mother was a cryptographer. They hadn't just raised her; they had built her.
Dylan shook off the memory. She was done playing the victim for the night. She was cold, she was wet, and she was angry.
She cancelled the Uber.
She dialed a number. "Zeke. Status?"
A deep voice answered instantly. "Five blocks out, Boss. Standing by."
"Good. Bring the car."
"The Audi or the Ferrari, Boss?"
"The SUV," she said. "The armored one. I'm in a mood."
Two minutes later, a matte black Range Rover Sentinel pulled up to the curb. It looked like a tank disguised as a luxury vehicle.
Zeke, a giant of a man in a tailored suit, stepped out with a large black umbrella. He ignored the puddle, opening the back door for her.
"Boss," he nodded. "You look wet."
"Astute observation, Zeke."
She climbed into the warm, dry leather interior. It smelled of nothing-just clean, expensive silence.
"Where to? The Safe House?" Zeke asked, glancing at her in the mirror.
Dylan leaned back, closing her eyes. "No. Sovereign Heights. I'm done hiding in the shadows."
Zeke grinned. "Penthouse One is ready."
The engine roared-a deep, powerful purr. The car sped away, leaving the bus stop and the mud behind.
