Chapter 6
The shrill chime of the encrypted tablet broke the heavy silence of the lobby, causing Arthur Vance to flinch visibly. The General Manager wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, terrified that another catastrophic failure was about to manifest before the primary investor. Agent Vance glanced down at the glowing screen, his eyebrows drawing together in a sharp, concentrated frown as he decoded the incoming biometric data stream.
"Ms. Richardson," Agent Vance said, his voice dropping an octave as he stepped into Maya's path. "You need to see this. We have an unauthorized vehicle breaching the secure subterranean service bay, and the onboard transponder matches a restricted corporate profile."
Maya stopped mid-stride, turning slowly around to face the security operative. The calm, unshakeable composure she had maintained throughout the entire confrontation remained intact, but a sharp glint of intense curiosity flickered in her dark eyes.
"Restricted profile?" Maya repeated, her voice carrying a quiet edge. "Whose transponder?"
Arthur Vance gasped, his face turning pale once more. "Subterranean service bay? But that entrance is locked down behind triple-encrypted blast doors. Only the executive board and the primary majority stakeholder have the security clearance codes to override that specific gate."
Derek and Chloe, who were still standing miserably beside the front desk waiting to clear out their personal lockers, exchanged bewildered glances. The sudden plot twist in the lobby completely derailed their pathetic hopes of quietly slipping away while the attention was diverted.
"It can't be," Derek muttered under his breath, leaning over the counter to catch a glimpse of the tablet screen. "The board members aren't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow evening's gala."
Agent Vance ignored Derek entirely, tapping the glass of the tablet to expand the live CCTV feed from the underground parking garage. The grainy black-and-white camera footage materialized on the screen, revealing a sleek, matte-black armored sedan idling ominously beneath the flickering fluorescent lights of the service bay. The vehicle’s headlights were switched off, casting long, eerie shadows across the concrete pillars.
Maya stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied the vehicle’s license plate reflected in the overhead sprinkler pipe. A subtle, dangerous smile touched the corners of her mouth—not a warm smile, but the expression of a hunter recognizing an old rival entering her trap.
"Well, well," Maya murmured softly. "It appears Marcus didn't wait for the official invitation."
Arthur Vance looked between Maya and the tablet in sheer confusion. "Marcus? You mean Marcus Sterling? The head of global acquisitions? But Ms. Richardson, he’s your primary corporate rival for the upcoming board restructuring vote!"
"Precisely," Maya said smoothly, sliding her black titanium keycard back into her pocket. "And he didn't drive all the way down here at this hour just to admire the crystal chandeliers. He came looking for the physical asset we secured this morning."
Agent Vance’s posture instantly stiffened, his hand dropping naturally toward his tactical holster hidden beneath his trench coat. "Shall I deploy the internal security lockdown protocols and deny him elevator access from the basement?"
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"No," Maya replied, her voice firm and uncompromising. "Let him up. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes who he's walking in on."
Before Arthur Vance could issue the command to the basement security desk, the private elevator chime pinged again—not with a gentle corporate ding, but with a harsh, blaring alarm as the cabin cars began ascending directly from the subterranean levels at maximum speed.
