Spencer comes up with a solution. I don't particularly agree with it, but I don't stop him either.

He calls his lawyers, and I call mine, Sophia, and we disclose the information to them so they can suggest a few practical plans and tactics for facing Benjamin.

Both of them tell us to inform the cops and let them handle it.

Spencer, being more than willing to do that, did not bother to consider my worries and told Sophia to inform the cops, just in case Benjamin is keeping a close eye on me and Spencer.

The rest, however, doesn't move as Spencer demands. He increasingly becomes more perturbed with each passing second, even tries talking me out of the plan the cops come up with, but to no avail.

I like the plan they suggest, unlike him.

We tell my mom and Mason, both express the same worry as Spencer, and are as unwilling as him, but I pay them no heed.

The day goes by with tension at its peak and a flurry of movements and planning.

The morning arrives, and slowly anxiety creeps its way into my system. Spencer doesn't leave my side for one second. When the time comes for me to leave the house, Mom and Mason's worried faces, and tight hugs barely do anything to ease my apprehension.

I'm scared Benjamin has found out about our plans, and the fact that I didn't keep his letter a secret. All I can hope for is everything moves smoothly and according to our plan. If something happens to anyone, I won't ever be able to forgive myself.

Spencer drives me, his palm never leaves my thigh during the entire ride like he's holding on to me and fears I'll disappear any second. Though he's no longer expressing his concerns, I can see the unease in his eyes, and the deep creases on his brow from his worried frown.

I can't be too hard on him either. For a fact, if our places were reversed, I wouldn't have let him go along with it either.

"Everything will turn out okay," I say, reassuring both of us as we near the location.

He expels a deep shaky breath and intertwines our fingers. "I still don't want you to confront him alone."

"But I'm not alone, Spencer," I softly point out.

He throws a sharp glance at me, irritably he mutters, "You know what I mean."

At last, he halts the car at the location we settled at for changing the car. I'll be driving ahead alone.

"You don't have to do this, you know that, right? It's not too late to-" he begins, turning to me with frantic eyes.

"I want to," I interrupt him and hold his anxious gaze.

He purses his mouth before nodding and kissing my knuckles.

My heart swells yet a sharp pang shoots through it. I hate I'm putting him through this state of fear, but it has to be done.

The cops and agents have surrounded the area, they also gave me microphones last night to attach to my clothes as discreetly as I could. I hid them in the back of the necklace's pendant I'm wearing.

I'm supposed to provoke Benjamin to spill the truth, admit whatever crimes he has committed. The second he does, the police will storm the place and take him away.

The possibility of things going wrong, and matters getting out of control is almost impossible.

Spencer presses a long, searing kiss to the center of my palm. "Come back to me safe and sound, okay?"

I grin at him. "I promise I'll be back in one piece before you know it." I lean over to him and brush my lips against his. "I love you."

"I'm holding you up to your words, Rae," he breathes out unevenly, his hand cupping my cheek. "Please be careful."

"I promise," I murmur, closing my eyes and playing with the tips of his hair on the nape of his neck.

"I love you, Gracie," he says, his voice wavering with desperation before he kisses me deeply, as though pleading me to stay.

I break the kiss and rest my forehead on his. "Nothing will happen to me. Once this is over we can go somewhere, just the two of us, with no troubles or problems, to just relax and enjoy life together."

"Just come back to me safe, okay?" he quavers.

"Okay." At last, with one sharp inhale I pull away and climb out of the car, feeling Spencer's intense gaze burning holes into me.

I weakly smile at him before getting into the other car they've situated for me. Revving the engine to life, I set down the path.

Spencer takes off to the other road to stay hidden from Benjamin's sight in case he has some sort of access to the view of the following path.

My heart pounds harder and cold sweat breaks on the back of my neck. I doubt anything would happen to me, but I'm scared about Benjamin finding out and hurting Mom, Mason, or Spencer.

My fingers tighten around the steering while as I slowly drive to the location Benjamin told me to meet him up in the letter.

It's an abandoned construction site on the outer edge of the city. I park the car next to one of the half-built buildings, with just its concrete columns built high up.

Hesitantly, I climb out of the car and survey the area. Not a moment later, from the other side, Benjamin appears, walking out of the shadows in the far corner and striding past the half-built columns.

I push my shoulders back and inhale sharply. This is it.

Deliberately, I pass my car and approach him, before halting ten feet away from him in the circular clearing.

Benjamin looks terrible. His clothes are shabby and he's filthy from head to toe. His hair grey hair is greasy and it's satisfyingly evident staying in the hiding hasn't been that much of a pleasant experience for him.

"What do you want?" I demand, fixing a hard stare on him to stop my gaze from wandering around to the agents hiding behind the columns and construction equipment.

"I must say, I didn't expect you to show up," he muses.

My brows furrow as annoyance prickles my senses.

"You know, in a lot of ways you're like me," he adds.

I snort. "You're delusional. I'm nothing like you."

"Are you not?" He cocks his head, holding my glare with ease. "The same greed, the same hunger for power-"

"I didn't steal from my family. I didn't frame or bribe anyone to reach where I am today," I snarl.

He chuckles, a stomach-churning sound. "Ah Gracie, you can't fool me."

"What do you want?" I harshly ask, raising my voice.

He rolls his eyes and shoves his hands to pockets. "You know why we're both here."

"No, I don't." I cross my arms in front of my chest, glowering at him.

He heaves an irritated sigh. "Close the cases you opened against me, and I'll hand over you and your brother's share of the Stewart Industry."

I huff a laugh. "And if I don't?"

"You'll regret it."

"Are you threatening me?" I arch an eyebrow, planting my feet wide apart as I scowl at him.

"Admit it, Gracie, at this point, you have too much you hold dear, and I have nothing to lose."

I ball my fists and jab my index finger in his direction. "I told you I'll destroy you, but you didn't take me seriously."

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "Wrong answer, my naïve niece. In matters of life and death, there's only so many times you can get lucky, don't you agree?"

Confused, I press my lips to a thin line and squint at him, the warm sun beating down on us isn't helping either.

An icy horror crawls down my spine, but I hold my chin up. "So it was really you behind Mason and I's accident," I state, hoping to get him to admit the truth.

A menacing chuckle rumbles out of him. "No, no that was an error, but believe me, this time, there won't be any errors... not that it matters, as long as one of you goes down, it's fine by me."

"And you think with killing us you can gain back your life and money?" I scoff. "Benjamin, stop this madness and give yourself up to the cops."

He bares his teeth, his features twisting up into a snarl. "Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to reach where I was? And you think, you can steal everything from me?"

"You're the reason my dad killed himself," I shout.

"He was a weak man-"

I sharply cut him, "And you are a vile bastard, that's why Grandpa didn't give you anything and gave the family business to my dad."

Anger flushes his face; he reaches behind himself and pulls out folded papers. "Be smart and sign these. Believe me, I won't hesitate to cut down the number of the Stewarts."

"No." My fist clenches, my fingernails dig into my palm as I stare him down.

"If you think, I can't take more lives, that I don't have the necessary access, money, and resorts for it, you're dead wrong." He waves the papers. "Sign these right now, or your brother is as good as dead."

"So you have killed before?" I fire back instead, ignoring the fear clawing my insides.

He barks a harsh laugh. "Then how else do you think I've managed to keep my slate clean?"

Uncomfortably, I gulp and retreat a step. "You're insane," I say, my voice wavering as I watch him with wide eyes. "You need to be admitted to an asylum, not prison."

"Gracie," he growls, taking a step towards me.

"You killed those two men who helped you plan the car accident," I say, forcing myself to hold my ground.

"I did, and I will kill Mason and your mother if you don't sign these papers. If that still didn't get you to sign these papers, I'll kill off your lover too." He takes another step towards me.

My eyes widen with alarm. Terror and disgust curdling my blood.

"And you know very well that I'm untouchable. I told you not to mess with me. At the end of the day, you'll lose everything too and I'll still live on and stay unscathed. Now let's save our time and be done with it."

"Rot in hell," I scream.

A beat later, sirens are blaring surround us. Benjamin's eyes widen with realization as his head whips around, taking in the police cars encircling us, as agents and police officers draw out their weapons and shout orders of staying put and holding hands up to Benjamin.

"You bitch!" he roars. "You'll regret playing me. You'll pay for it," he bellows.

In a flash, he pulls out something black from behind himself.

My eyes widen in shock when he points the gun at me, I stagger back a step, gaping at him.

The police keep shouting at him to put down his weapon but he pays them no heed.

"I warned you you'll regret the consequences." With crazed eyes, he takes a step towards.

"You're in deep enough trouble already and there's no way of escaping it. This is it, Benjamin. It's time to pay for all the wrongs you've done," I voice out, barely holding myself together. I ignore my thundering heart and the fear scarping my veins. "You lost." And I won.

He shakes his head, chuckling like a mad man. "I don't go down alone, Gracie Stewart."

One of the cops starts repeating to Benjamin to put down his weapon and hold his hands up, but he's cut off by a deafening sound.

A beat later, I realize it's as a gunshot sound as the air is knocked out of me, a force shoving me to the ground.

Shocked and dazed, I glance down at myself. My shirt is soaking in red, as the warm liquid keeps gushing out, right beneath space my collarbone means my shoulder.

He shot me!

My head spins and I stagger and sway, losing my balance, falling to the ground.

The sound of blood rushing in my ears, my heart pounding hard and furiously, drown out the commotion erupting around me. Vaguely, I note Benjamin fleeing as the officers start firing at him.

Black dots cover my vision, the pain slowly comes to my focus, increasing with every passing heartbeat. A hot, scorching ache pulsing all around my left side.

Indistinctly I hear my name being called, though I can't even move my head. It grows heavier for my neck to uphold before my body gives up entirely.

I expect the blow of hitting the hot ground, but it's cushioned with a pair of strong, familiar arms and a muscular chest.

My Spencer.

I feel his warm palm—too hot against my skin—cupping my cheek as he pulls me to his chest, his face bare inches away from me. With effort I keep my eyes open, seeing his worried eyes frantically searching my face, saying something too quickly for me to understand.

Why is he always so worried?

Am I really dying?

I blink rapidly, trying to focus on his voice, the things he's saying. I want to tell him that it's okay, that I won. Even if I die, it's still okay, well not entirely, but better than dying before winning. And most definitely better than dying alone.

"Spencer," I feebly whisper.

"Stay with me, okay? Please," he weakly says, his voice quivering so hard it's almost too painful to even hear. "You promised," his voice breaks, tears glinting in his frantic eyes.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, I reach for his cheek and wipe the lone tear that slipped from his eye.

"I love you," I breathe out and darkness consumed me.

❦ ♥︎ ❦

Damn, what a chapter, no? xD

It was hard to write tbf, but I think it turned out okay.

Comment your thoughts, I love to hear what you think about this chapter.

I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, I wasn't feeling good, but I'm going to try to write & upload the remaining chapters today and wrap up this story ^^

Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter, vote if you did =) [And don't cuss me out, thank you XD lmao]

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading ♡♡♡