THE LIE THAT WORE A RING - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

The morning after the confrontation in the gallery, the Carter estate transformed from a sanctuary into a fortress. Elise moved swiftly through the control room, directing the tightening of digital and physical security. Surveillance sweeps, firewall reinforcements, silent background checks on every current Foundation employee. Trust had become a currency too expensive to spare.
Ava sat at the long table beside Ethan, her fingers trembling slightly as she replayed the recording of the intern’s voice again and again. His tone haunted her—not because of what he said, but because of how calmly he’d said it. Like he truly believed in their cause. Like this wasn’t a threat, but a correction.
“I think he meant every word,” she said, finally turning to her brother. “He doesn’t see himself as a villain.”
“Fanatics never do,” Ethan replied, rubbing his temples. “He’s part of something bigger. We need to figure out exactly what before they go any further.”
Nicholas entered the room with a heavy file under his arm. He placed it down with a solid thud.
“Claire sent this,” he said. “It’s from one of her embedded sources in Zurich. Apparently, there’s a fracture inside what’s left of Craven Hall. A disagreement between the old guard—the ones who want to rebuild in secret—and the new blood who believe in open retaliation.”
Ava’s eyes narrowed. “The ones who left the painting and threatened us. They're the new blood?”
“Yes,” Nicholas replied. “And the ones who wanted to keep Craven’s memory buried are losing control.”
Ethan opened the file. Inside were satellite images, transcripts, meeting logs. One name repeated over and over: Project Halcyon.
“What is this?” Ethan asked, flipping pages rapidly.
“A rebirth plan,” Elise answered, entering from behind them. “I’ve seen whispers of it. The new order wants to re-establish Craven Hall—but publicly this time, not in secret. Through cultural influence, global galleries, curated donations. They want to sanitize the name and rebrand it as a philanthropic art network.”
Nicholas scoffed. “They’re trying to wear the same mask Isabelle tore off.”
“Exactly,” Elise said. “They want the power without the darkness attached.”
Ava stood and pointed to the name at the center of one page. “This guy. Cyrus Renn. Who is he?”
Elise paused, her face suddenly grave.
“He’s dangerous,” she said. “A financier. He bankrolled some of the Craven operatives before the fall. Word is, he’s the architect behind Project Halcyon.”
“So he’s the real threat now,” Ava said, folding her arms.
“No,” Elise corrected. “He’s the face of the threat. The real danger is how many people believe in what he’s selling.”
Later that day, Ava met with Claire in a quiet café on the far end of the city. It was their first face-to-face since the leak. Claire looked sharper than usual—hair slicked back, wearing a long gray coat with an encrypted tablet under her arm.
“You caused a stir,” Claire said without pleasantries. “The intern incident was discussed in several of their private channels last night. You scared them.”
Ava raised a brow. “That wasn’t the plan.”
“No,” Claire said. “But it worked. You flushed out a name.”
She slid the tablet toward Ava. On the screen was a confidential profile.
Marcus Kael – Communications Strategist – Halcyon Council Division
“That’s the guy who recruited your intern,” Claire said. “He’s the one planning the campaign to relaunch Craven’s ideology. If you want to dismantle them, he’s your way in.”
Ava studied the man’s face. Late thirties, clean-cut, Ivy League background. He looked more like a university professor than a manipulator.
“What’s the catch?” she asked.
Claire leaned in. “He’s protected. But he has a weakness—his twin sister. She’s a painter. Lives alone. He supports her anonymously. The Foundation actually received one of her pieces in a shipment last year. We cross-referenced the accounts. The donor was him, under a fake name.”
Ava exhaled. “So that’s how we bait him.”
“Exactly,” Claire said. “We host a ‘reconciliation’ exhibit—one that features artists caught between politics and truth. We include her. And when he comes to see the exhibit, we follow the money, the movements, everything.”
Ava looked hesitant.
“Are we really going to use someone innocent as bait?” she asked.
Claire didn’t flinch. “She’s not innocent. She knows where the money comes from. She’s just quiet.”
Ava stood, torn. “This game never ends, does it?”
“No,” Claire said gently. “But at least now, you make the rules.”
That night, Ava returned home with a new clarity. They couldn’t sit back anymore. This wasn’t just about protecting what they’d built—it was about preventing a new wave of corruption from disguising itself as charity and redemption.
She walked into Nicholas’s study where he and Elise were poring over strategy boards.
“I’m in,” she said.
Nicholas looked up. “In for what?”
“The exhibit,” Ava said. “We bait Marcus Kael. We track Cyrus Renn. And we end Halcyon before it begins.”
Elise met Ava’s eyes and smiled faintly.
“Then let’s build a gallery they’ll never forget.”