Sara barely slept that night. Ethan's warning replayed in her head like a haunting echo.
"Don't trust anyone who comes to your door today."
Morning came too quickly. When she walked into the living room, Daniel was already there — coffee mug in one hand, his phone in the other. His expression was grave.
"Good," he said as she entered. "You're awake. We need to talk."
Sara sat opposite him. "You found something?"
Daniel nodded, flipping his phone toward her. A background check appeared on the screen — Ethan Vale's file.
"Former legal consultant for Carter Holdings," Daniel explained. "Worked there until six years ago. Clean record, but… he vanished for almost two years after leaving. No job, no address, no tax filings."
Sara frowned. "You think he's lying?"
Daniel's voice softened. "No. I think he's scared. Which might mean what he said about Laura and Han Yoon is real."
Sara's fingers tightened around her coffee cup. "Han Yoon… I've heard that name before."
Daniel nodded grimly. "You should have. He's not just an investor — he's a manipulator. Uses money to destroy companies from the inside out. Once Laura contacts him, he'll use her anger to his advantage."
She looked out the window, tension creeping into her shoulders. "She's already started, hasn't she?"
Daniel didn't answer, which told her enough.
In another part of the city, Laura Carter sat in a dimly lit private office. The man across from her — Han Yoon — exuded quiet menace. His perfectly tailored suit, his calm smile, and the slight scar across his knuckles all told the same story: power with a price.
"You made a scene, Laura," Han said softly, his accent lilting but cold. "That wasn't part of the agreement."
Laura's jaw tightened. "Plans changed. My stepdaughter humiliated me publicly. I want her gone."
Han studied her for a moment, swirling his glass of whiskey. "Revenge is expensive. And risky."
"I'll pay."
His eyes glinted. "Money isn't what I want."
Laura leaned forward. "Then what do you want?"
Han smiled — the kind of smile that sent chills down her spine. "Access. To Carter Holdings. Once I have that, you can have your revenge. Every last piece of it."
Laura hesitated, but greed and rage clouded her better judgment. "Fine."
Han extended his hand. "Then we have an understanding."
As their hands touched, somewhere deep inside Laura knew she was making a deal with the devil.
Back at the mansion, Leo burst through the door mid-afternoon, holding a tablet. "Sara, you need to see this!"
On the screen was a financial report — Carter Holdings' stock graph dropping sharply.
"What happened?" Sara gasped.
"Someone leaked insider information," Leo said grimly. "Contracts, internal notes, private reports — all online. The timing's too perfect."
Daniel's jaw set. "Han Yoon."
Sara's pulse raced. "Laura's started her attack."
"Not just that," Leo added. "The board is panicking. They want an emergency meeting — and your father's already left to deal with it."
Sara stood up instantly. "We're going too."
Daniel nodded. "Pack what you need. This time, we play offense."
An hour later, they arrived at the Carter corporate headquarters — a towering glass building filled with whispers and worried faces.
As Sara stepped inside, she heard murmurs:
"Didn't the stepmother handle those deals?""They say the heiress is back to claim control…""Scandal's going to ruin them…"
She held her head high, ignoring the gossip. Daniel walked beside her, calm but sharp-eyed.
In the conference room, Mr. Carter sat at the head of the table, pale and weary.
"Dad," Sara said softly.
He looked up — guilt, fear, and exhaustion etched into his face. "It's all falling apart, Sara. The investors are threatening to pull out."
Sara touched his arm gently. "Then we fight. We find where the leak came from and show them the truth."
Daniel stepped forward. "We already traced the IP source. It came from Han Yoon's firm in Seoul — disguised under one of Laura's shell companies."
The board members exchanged uneasy looks.
One of them asked, "Can you prove that?"
Daniel smiled slightly. "I can. And by tomorrow morning, you'll all see it for yourselves."
That night, back in her office, Sara stared out the window, city lights glimmering below.
The war had started.But this time, she wasn't alone.
Daniel walked in quietly. "We're ready for her."
Sara turned to him, eyes steady. "Then let's make sure she never hurts anyone again."