Chapter 10 - The Doctor’s Debt
The face beneath the mask belonged to a woman I had considered family. Dr. Sarah Vance stood under the harsh porch light, her expression a chilling mask of professional detachment. Twenty years ago, I had paid her tuition, welcomed her into my home during holidays, and offered her a prestigious position in my research division when no one else would take a chance on a disgraced medical graduate.
“Sarah…” I breathed, stepping closer to the edge of the patio. “After everything I did for you, how can you be a part of this?”
Sarah let out a bitter, joyless chuckle, sliding the porcelain mask onto the small patio table.
“You funded my education, Arthur, yes. But you also used my neurological research to secure your first major patent without my consent,” Sarah said, her voice steady and sharp. “You bought my loyalty with tuition checks while secretly stealing the foundation of my life's work. I didn't join this conspiracy, Arthur. I founded it.”
The revelation hit me with the force of a physical blow. The brilliant neuro-regenerative compound that formed the bedrock of my entire pharmaceutical empire wasn't my discovery at all. It was Sarah’s. I had buried her name in the fine print of the acquisition contracts decades ago, assuming she was too naive and indebted to fight back.
“You engineered the trial protocols…” I whispered, the horrifying puzzle pieces snapping into place in my mind.
“And I engineered the pathogen currently resting in your nephew's arm, and the trap that brought you back to this exact house tonight,” Sarah replied smoothly, stepping down off the porch to stand just a few feet away from me, separated only by the low white picket fence.
Inside the house, Sophia suddenly pushed past Clara and ran to the glass door, pressing her small hands against the glass.
“Daddy! Don't listen to her! Run away!” Sophia screamed, her voice muffled but desperate.
Sarah didn't even glance back at the child. Her eyes remained locked onto mine, filled with a cold, relentless desire for retribution.
“You have three hours left on the clock, Arthur. You can sign over the patents, restore my name to the core registry, and walk away with your life and your daughter,” Sarah stated, holding out the silver fountain pen. “Or you can watch your entire legacy burn to ash while the authorities arrive to arrest you for corporate espionage and involuntary manslaughter regarding your wife’s death.”
I looked down at the digital terminal, then back at Sarah. My mind was working a mile a minute. Marcus was out there in the hedges with the unedited communication logs. If I could buy enough time for Marcus to upload the files to the federal wire, Sarah’s entire plot would collapse before sunrise.
“I need to see the complete registry transfer documents in writing,” I said, stalling deliberately as I stepped casually closer to the hidden terminal.
Sarah narrowed her eyes, instantly sensing the delay.
“You’re stalling, Arthur. And you don't have time for games,” she snapped, raising her hand to signal Julian.
May you like
Before I could react, Julian lunged forward and grabbed Sophia by the arm, dragging her backward into the dark interior of the house as a loud siren wailed in the distance.
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