Chapter 7 - The Corporate Alarms
The shrill vibration of Victor’s phone cut through the tense silence of the foyer like a physical blow. Victor pulled the device from his inner pocket, his eyes locking onto the glowing amber notification banner across the screen: CRITICAL SECURITY ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED FIREWALL BREACH AT MAIN DATACENTER.
Clara let out a low, victorious laugh, her posture straightening despite her disheveled appearance. "Timing is everything, isn't it, darling? You can lock me out of the mansion, but you can't lock me out of the digital vault."
Victor ignored her completely, swiping his screen to accept the secure encrypted call from his chief technology officer, Marcus. The dark-suited man pressed the phone firmly against his ear, his expression hardening into a terrifying display of corporate ruthlessness.
"Report, Marcus," Victor commanded, his voice dropping an octave as he maintained direct eye contact with Clara.
"Sir, we have a massive data exfiltration in progress," Marcus’s voice crackled through the speaker, strained and urgent. "Someone with master-level administrative credentials just initiated a simultaneous download of our primary R&D blueprints and client ledgers. The IP address is routing through an encrypted proxy registered under a shell company in the Cayman Islands."
Clara’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with manic triumph. "Check who owns the shell company, Victor. Go ahead. Ask your boy on the phone who the ultimate beneficiary is."
Victor didn't need to ask. He already knew the answer. The corporate betrayal was happening in real time, synchronized perfectly with her defiance in the hallway.
"Lock down the mainframe immediately, Marcus," Victor ordered, his tone brook zero argument. "Initiate the emergency protocol Omega. Cut all external data streams, isolate the primary servers from the grid, and trace the physical hardware token associated with the master key."
"Sir, isolating the servers will halt our international shipping operations and freeze all live transactions," Marcus protested on the other end. "It’ll cost us millions in the first hour alone!"
"Do it now," Victor snapped, ending the call with a sharp tap of his thumb before sliding the phone back into his pocket.
He turned his full, undivided attention back to Clara. The cold anger radiating from him was palpable, making even the hardened security guards take a half-step backward.
"You think a data leak will save you from prison, Clara?" Victor stepped forward, towering over her. "All it does is ensure that every single charge against you goes from civil divorce court straight to a federal penitentiary."
Clara’s triumphant smile faltered for a fraction of a second, replaced once again by a flicker of genuine panic. "You wouldn't dare. The scandal would destroy the Sterling name."
"The Sterling name survived world wars and market crashes, Clara," Victor said quietly, leaning down so his words were meant for her ears alone. "It will easily survive putting a traitor behind bars."
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Suddenly, the overhead lights in the grand mansion flickered violently and died, plunging the hallway into absolute darkness save for the dim emergency strips along the floor.
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