Chapter 10
Dawn broke over the city, washing the concrete skyscrapers in a pale, amber light. Clara stood by the window of Elena’s apartment, watching the morning commuters rush past below. Her phone remained locked in the metal tin, but she could easily imagine the chaos currently erupting inside the Vance Media headquarters.
Marcus arrived back from a predawn errand with a stack of fresh newspapers and a portable Wi-Fi hotspot router connected to an encrypted offshore server.
"David received the digital package an hour ago," Marcus announced, setting his laptop on the kitchen island. "He’s already verified the authenticity of the engineering audits and the financial ledgers. He’s coordinating with federal marshals to ensure our safety once the drop goes live."
"And Richard?" Clara asked, turning away from the window.
"He’s spinning completely out of control. Rumor has it the board of directors has called an emergency meeting for noon today. Margaret is trying to salvage the studio’s stock price, but major advertisers are already pulling their accounts after catching wind of the impending scandal."
Clara took a deep breath, smoothing down the front of her simple blouse. She walked down the hall to check on her daughters. Maya and Lily were sitting up in bed, sharing a box of dry cereal and whispering quietly to each other. When Clara walked in, Lily smiled brightly.
"Mommy, are we going to our new house today?" Lily asked, her blue eyes full of innocent hope.
Clara walked over, sitting on the edge of the mattress and pulling both girls into a warm embrace. "Very soon, my angels. Today, Mommy has to do something very important to make sure nobody ever hurts us or makes you feel scared again."
"Will Daddy be there?" Maya asked softly, her expression turning cautious.
"No, sweetie," Clara said gently. "Daddy made his choices, and now we are going to make ours."
Back in the living room, Elena and Marcus had the encryption tools ready. The secure public server page was primed, displaying the bold heading: The Vance Media Files: Truth, Exploitation, and Corporate Fraud.
"Are you ready, Clara?" Marcus asked, his finger hovering over the enter key.
May you like
Clara looked at the screen, then glanced down the hallway where her daughters were playing quietly. She thought of her father, whose career and reputation had been crushed by the very people now sitting in glass towers across town. She thought of every child actor trapped behind the velvet curtain, forced to perform for the amusement of monsters.
"Hit send," Clara said.
