Chapter 23: The Silver Bullet
The silence from Eleanor was a void. For three days, she didn't answer his calls, even on the burner phone. The fortress walls were holding, but the heart within had gone quiet. Elias threw himself into his work, the cold focus a shield against the ache of her absence. The file on Brandon Miller grew, a dense tapestry of circumstantial evidence that, when presented correctly, would be damning.
He knew he couldn't fire the shot himself. It had to come from a credible, untraceable source. He needed a conduit. He found it in the most unlikely of places: the ambitious, gossip-hungry reporter from the school newspaper, Mark.
Elias requested a meeting, framing it as a follow-up on the Digital Bridge story. They met at the same diner where he'd had his first date with Eleanor, the irony a bitter taste in his mouth.
"The story's bigger than the school, Mark," Elias began, his voice low and serious. "It's about how the system protects the powerful and crushes anyone who challenges them."
Mark leaned forward, his reporter's instincts twitching. "What are you talking about?"
Elias didn't mention the Millers by name. He didn't mention the attacks on Eleanor or his family. Instead, he laid out a hypothetical. He talked about a wealthy family using its influence to sabotage a rival. He spoke of psychological warfare, of bureaucratic attacks, of the slow, grinding pressure designed to break a person's spirit. He framed it as a societal ill, a story about privilege and power.
Mark was hooked. "That's explosive. But it's all hypothetical. I need proof. A name."
Elias paused, as if considering. "Look into the Millers. Robert Miller. His business dealings. His sons. Start with the eldest, Brandon. Look at his rapid promotion at Sterling Investments. Cross-reference his major trades with the personal connections of a mid-level analyst at the SEC named David Ferris. That's all I can say."
He was handing Mark a map and a shovel. He was confident the teenager's ambition would do the rest.
Two days later, his burner phone vibrated. It was Eleanor.
"Can we talk?" her voice was small, tired.
He found her at their spot on the bleachers. The air was cold, the sky a dull grey. She looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed but clear.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. This is their fault, not yours."
The relief that flooded him was so potent it felt like weakness. "You have nothing to apologize for."
"I'm not deferring," she said, her voice gaining strength. "I'm going to Carlton. We'll figure it out. My mom... she'd kill me if I gave up my future for her."
He sat beside her, the space between them closing. "We will figure it out. Together."
As they talked, rebuilding the fragile connection, Elias's other phone buzzed with a news alert. He glanced at it discreetly.
**JUNIOR EXECUTIVE AT STERLING INVESTMENTS IMPLICATED IN INSIDER TRADING SCANDAL.**
The article, penned by an intrepid young reporter from the Northwood High Chronicle, named Brandon Miller. It was light on concrete proof but heavy on pointed questions about family connections and suspiciously well-timed trades. It was the first crack in the dam.
The effect was instantaneous. By the end of the school day, Jason Miller was absent. The news spread through the student body like wildfire. The invincible Miller family had a visible, public stain.
That evening, as Elias was working in his room, his mother called him downstairs. "Eli, there's a man here to see you."
Standing in his living room was Robert Miller. He looked older, the polished veneer cracked. The easy authority was gone, replaced by a cold, weary rage.
"Michael, Susan, would you give us a moment?" Robert's voice was tight.
Elias's parents, looking bewildered and alarmed, retreated to the kitchen.
Robert waited until they were gone before he spoke, his voice a low, venomous whisper. "You little bastard. You think you're clever?"
Elias said nothing. He just watched him.
"That story. That was you." It wasn't a question.
"You tried to break the brain," Elias replied, his voice equally quiet. "You went after my father's peace. You went after Eleanor's future. You tried to grind down the one good thing in my life until it shattered. You declared total war, Mr. Miller. You don't get to complain about the weapons I use."
Robert took a step closer, his face inches from Elias's. "My son's career is in ruins. Do you understand what you've done?"
Elias didn't flinch. "I understand perfectly. I've shown you the cost. Your son's career for my future. For Eleanor's future. It was a trade. And from where I'm standing, I got the better deal."
He saw the realization dawn in Robert Miller's eyes. This was not a teenager he could intimidate. This was an equal. A predator who had just proven he could bite back, and bite deep.
"This isn't over," Robert hissed.
"It is for you," Elias said, his finality absolute. "The next time you or Jason come near me, or Eleanor, or my family, the rest of the evidence goes to the SEC. Not a school newspaper. The actual Securities and Exchange Commission. Brandon won't just lose his job; he'll go to prison. This was your one and only warning."
For a long moment, they stood locked in a silent battle of wills. Then, Robert Miller broke. The fight went out of his eyes, replaced by a bitter, defeated understanding. He turned without another word and walked out of the house.
Elias stood in the sudden quiet of the living room. The king had looked the emperor in the eye and the emperor had blinked. The silver bullet had found its mark.
The war wasn't over, but the siege was lifted. He had taken their greatest strength—their untouchable reputation—and shattered it. He walked upstairs, pulled out his burner phone, and texted Eleanor a single word.
*Soon.*