*Violet’s POV*

The walls of my empire, once unassailable, were crumbling like a sandcastle at high tide. The realization was a cold blade twisting in my gut, and with it came the bitter taste of desperation. My corrupted networks, a web I had spun with such precision, now ensnared me in their collapse.

"Everything's falling apart," I muttered to myself, pacing the dimly lit room where I'd holed up. The shadows seemed to mock my predicament, whispering of betrayal and ...