Chapter 12 - The Ultimatum
Arthur tapped the screen, accepting the video call. Principal Vance’s face filled the dashboard display, illuminated by the harsh blue light of his office computer. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket anymore; his sleeves were rolled up, his expression a mask of cold, calculated fury.
"You're making a catastrophic mistake, Arthur," Vance said, his voice eerily calm despite the chaos of the night. "The files you transmitted to the federal prosecutor's office were intercepted by our internal network firewall three minutes before your so-called secure uplink finished."
Arthur’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his voice steady. "Don't lie to me, Vance. Dr. Holloway routed the master archive through an isolated satellite relay. It's already in federal hands."
Vance let out a cold, humorless chuckle. "Dr. Holloway is a relic of a bygone era, Mr. Hayes. She doesn't understand modern institutional architecture. The Department of Justice is heavily funded by the exact same endowment board that runs St. Jude Academy. Your files won't even reach a desk; they'll go straight into a shredder."
"Then why are you calling me?" Arthur demanded, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. "If you've already won, why bother threatening me over a dashboard screen?"
Vance leaned closer to his camera, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. "Because you still have something we need. The physical backup drive that Dr. Holloway kept in her wall safe. Hand it over, sign the property waiver for your workshop, and we will wipe Clara’s disciplinary record clean. She can return to St. Jude tomorrow morning like nothing ever happened."
Clara, sitting quietly in the passenger seat, looked up at her father with wide, pleading eyes. "Dad... no. Don't do it."
Arthur looked at his daughter, seeing the jagged tufts of hair where Mrs. Gable had brutally sheared her identity just hours ago. He looked back at Vance on the screen, a fierce, unbreakable resolve settling deep into his bones.
"Keep your school, Vance," Arthur said coldly. "And keep your goddamn scissors. We're coming for everything you've built."
May you like
Arthur slammed his finger onto the screen, hanging up the call just as Vance opened his mouth to reply.
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