Chapter 12 - The Final Confrontation**
Out from the tree line stepped Agent Victoria Vance. Her black suit was covered in mud and ash from the cabin breach, her dark hair unraveled and wet from the rain. She was alone, her face pale, holding a small pistol pointed loosely toward the ground.
Clara stood up slowly, hugging the laptop to her chest, glaring at her aunt with a mixture of anger, hurt, and profound pity.
"It's over, Victoria," Clara said, her voice remarkably steady. "The upload finished thirty seconds ago. It's already on the internet. Every news agency in the country has the files."
Victoria stopped ten paces away. Her gun hand trembled slightly before she slowly lowered the weapon completely, holstering it at her side. She looked at Clara, her eyes filled with a sudden, crushing defeat.
"I know," Victoria whispered, her voice cracking. "My tablet received the global press alert five seconds ago. It's everywhere."
"Why did you do it?" Clara shouted, tears rising again. "You were my father's sister! How could you sell him out? How could you help the people who murdered him?"
Victoria looked down at her muddy leather shoes, a bitter smile touching her lips. "I thought I was protecting him, Clara. When I found out what the council was doing, I tried to manage it from the inside. I thought if I stayed powerful enough, I could shield our family. But the system... it consumes everything you give it. By the time I realized I was just a pawn, your father was already dead, and I was too deep in blood to walk away."
"You weren't protecting anyone," Clara said harshly. "You were protecting yourself."
Victoria took a deep breath, stepping closer. "Where is Arthur?" Clara asked, her voice faltering with dread.
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Victoria looked up, her expression softening into genuine somberness. "He's alive, Clara. He was heavily wounded... but he survived. My team has him in custody."
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