Against fate : rebirth of the stubborn heiress

The tension from the morning scandal lingered like faint smoke, but Summer had long brushed it off. With the stock market soaring in her favor and Travis's hacking crisis dangling unresolved, her day was anything but quiet.

Seated inside her private office on the 35th floor of Bellani Corp, Summer crossed her legs, staring at the data flow cascading across her triple-screen setup. Her fingers tapped the table rhythmically as Sham Sham's interface blinked softly on a transparent holographic window.

[Main Task Active: Investigate the hacking attempt on Travis. Progress: 30%.]

"Travis isn't going to wait much longer," she murmured, flipping through the intercepted data Liam had forwarded earlier. "And knowing him, he's probably prepping to burn down the entire dock just to make a point."

Her office door clicked open. Liam sauntered in, a smoothie in one hand, his sunglasses still on indoors like the menace he was. "Update, princess. You're not gonna like it."

Summer arched a brow. "Hit me."

"Rosa just called. Someone tried to dig into the offshore investments tied to Bellani Holdings. Not deep enough to breach it, but close." He slid a tablet across the table. "Guess which neighborhood it's bouncing from?"

Summer scanned the data. "South Dock again. Same as Travis's attacker. These idiots don't learn."

Liam leaned against her desk, stirring his smoothie. "Davis is fuming too. His upcoming album's raw files were targeted last night. Same fingerprint signature. Someone's messing with all of us."

"This isn't just a coincidence." Summer's eyes darkened. "Someone's testing boundaries."

Sham Sham chimed softly.

[Optional Task Triggered: Connect the hack attempts. Uncover the organization behind it. Reward: Unlocked Rare Skill – Strategic Disguise.]

A slow grin tugged at Summer's lips. "Interesting. Looks like the rats are crawling from the same sewer."

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, overlaying Travis's lab breach with the offshore account pings and Davis's corrupted music files.

The pattern revealed a spiderweb of activity centered around a logistics front company operating out of the south dock. One known to be laundering money for underworld syndicates.

"Found you," Summer muttered.

Liam peered over her shoulder, smirking. "You are terrifying. Remind me to never piss you off."

Summer shot him a smug glance. "Too late. But you're cute enough to survive."

A knock echoed at the door. Rosa stepped in, tablet in hand. "Young Miss, there's something strange you should see. A private auction list surfaced on the dark net. It includes one of Madam Isabella's artifacts."

Her voice lowered. "The Eternal Lacrimosa."

Summer's expression instantly sharpened. That was her late mother's most mysterious relic—an artifact kept hidden even from Bellani's archives.

"Get me the auction details." Summer stood swiftly. "When and where?"

Rosa nodded. "It's offshore. Three nights from now. On the Eclipse, an international auction ship. Invitation only. Very private."

Summer exchanged a glance with Liam. His playful demeanor vanished. "You think the artifact's linked to the hacks?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Summer replied. "But whether it is or not, nobody touches what belongs to me or my mother."

Sham Sham blinked again.

[Main Storyline Update: Attend the Eclipse Auction. Recover Eternal Lacrimosa. New Rewards Unlocked Upon Completion.]

"Looks like the universe agrees," she whispered under her breath.

—

Later that evening, Summer met with Travis in his private underground research facility. Blue neon glowed against the reinforced steel walls, the air heavy with sterilized chill.

Multiple screens displayed cybertrails, malware blueprints, and endless lines of encrypted data.

Travis sat at the center, back straight, gaze sharp, dressed in clinical black, his fingers rapidly coding defenses into their mainframe.

His presence was eerily calm—mechanical almost—but his eyes warmed marginally the moment Summer stepped inside.

"I assume you've found something," Travis stated, not looking away from his screen.

"A few somethings," Summer replied, sliding a data stick onto his desk. "All attacks point back to a syndicate running out of South Dock. Same group that's handling the auction of Mom's artifact."

That made Travis pause. His knuckles whitened on the keyboard. "They touched her legacy?"

"Yeah. And they're about to regret it." Summer sat on the edge of his desk, legs swinging casually. "Auction's on the Eclipse. Three nights. I'm attending."

"Not without backup," Travis snapped. "I'm coming."

Liam, lounging against a sidewall, raised his hand lazily. "Count me in."

Summer sighed. "It's a private auction. They'll suspect if the Bellani boys walk in together. I'll go alone or with one person max. Liam fits the profile better."

Travis's jaw ticked, clearly unhappy but calculating. "Fine. But you wear the tracker bracelet. And if something feels off, you get out."

Summer grinned. "Relax, you overgrown shadow. I've got this."

Travis's cold eyes softened fractionally. "I mean it, Summer. You are... the only person I—"

He cut himself off, jaw tightening.

"—the only person who keeps you sane ," she finished for him softly. "I know, Travis."

Silence stretched between them. Liam cleared his throat awkwardly, flicking at a monitor to distract himself.

"Anyway… stock report shows Bellani shares jumped another five percent today. Someone's gonna be shopping for another penthouse soon."

Summer chuckled. "Guess I'll have to splurge."

—

That night, back at her penthouse, Summer sat curled in her trading room, gazing at the flickering lights of the city. The sky glowed faintly purple against the horizon as skyscrapers blinked like stars.

Her phone buzzed. A simple text appeared.

Unknown Number: "Still awake, little fox?"

Summer's lips curved. She didn't reply immediately, leaning back, gaze playful yet sharp.

The city was restless. Enemies stirred in every corner. And soon, the game would escalate.

As Summer shut her laptop, her gaze sharpened. "Let's play."