They weren't supposed to leave.
The judge had been clear: stay hidden, stay safe.
But Santiago couldn't. Not after hearing that threat. Not with Amara's trembling hands and Israel's innocent laugh echoing in his ears.
He stood by the window, watching the stars.
Emma entered the room quietly. "You're thinking of going back."
Santiago turned. "Not thinking. Deciding. I can't protect them from the shadows. I need to bring this war to light."
Emma glanced toward the hallway. "Then we do it together."
Three nights later, Santiago, Amara, Israel, and Emma vanished from the villa under the cover of darkness.
They used fake IDs. Boarded different planes. Switched cities twice. Left no digital trail.
By the time they reached their homeland, no one knew they had returned—except Lara Santos.
She met them in a dim apartment she had secured through a trusted friend.
"Welcome back to hell," she said.
Santiago shook her hand. "Let's burn it down this time."
Meanwhile, in Geneva…
Lara's old contacts were waiting.
An ex-Interpol agent. A cyber intelligence specialist. A journalist with access to high-level corruption records. And a retired CIA analyst who owed her a favor.
Lara laid out the evidence, the files, the voice recordings.
"We're not exposing one man," she said. "We're dismantling a global syndicate."
The retired analyst leaned back. "If this is real… we'll need to call in favors. This might start a war."
Lara nodded. "Then let's pick the battlefield."
Back at the apartment, Amara helped Israel fall asleep, her hand trembling as she kissed her forehead.
Downstairs, Santiago studied the files. Emma worked silently beside him.
"We have to be ready," he whispered. "They'll come for us."
Emma looked up. "Then let's make sure they regret it."