Chapter 4: The Unseen Evidence**
Emily returned to the estate with a racing mind. If Victoria’s father controlled part of the board, Julian’s digital audits alone might not be enough to counter high-priced corporate defense attorneys. She needed irrefutable physical proof.
She remembered cleaning Victoria’s private study three weeks prior. Victoria had thrown away a shattered external hard drive in the private trash bin, muttering furiously on the phone. Emily had placed it in the estate's e-waste recycling bin in the basement, which was only emptied at the end of each month.
Slipping down to the mansion's subterranean storage rooms, Emily searched through the labeled bins under the fluorescent lights. Behind stacked boxes of vintage wine and obsolete electronics, she found the blue recycling bin.
She dug through discarded cables and printer cartridges until her fingers touched cold, jagged metal. It was the fragmented drive—badly cracked, but the internal magnetic platter appeared intact.
"Looking for something, Emily?"
Emily startled, turning around quickly. Mrs. Gable stood by the doorway, arms folded, watching her intently.
"Mrs. Gable," Emily breathed. "I... I found this."
May you like
The elderly housekeeper walked over, inspected the damaged drive in Emily’s palm, and smiled faintly. "My nephew runs a forensic data recovery lab downtown. Victoria has treated the staff like dirt for a decade. Let’s make sure she never hurts anyone again."
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