Chapter 8
With a soft, metallic click, the heavy steel door of the wall safe swung outward, revealing rows of manila folders, encrypted flash drives, and velvet-lined jewelry boxes. Clara didn't touch the jewels; her focus remained entirely on the paper files labeled with her father’s engineering firm name: Hayes & Associates - Project Titan.
She pulled out a thick folder and flipped open the cover. Inside were the original, unredacted stress test reports, signed off by Richard’s father under duress, alongside internal memos detailing the deliberate suppression of structural safety flaws in the Vance Media complex.
"Here it is," Clara whispered, sliding the documents into her waterproof backpack. "Proof of gross negligence, corporate fraud, and deliberate blackmail."
Marcus inserted a small flash drive into one of the digital backup ports inside the safe, pulling down the surveillance server logs and financial spreadsheets detailing the illicit payoff accounts used to silence former employees. "I’ve got the digital mirror downloading now. Give me ninety seconds."
Suddenly, a sharp, electronic chime echoed from the hallway outside the study.
Clara froze. "What was that?"
Marcus stared at his tablet screen, his face draining of color. "The perimeter sweep pattern just changed. Someone’s coming up the grand staircase. Not midnight—they’re back early."
"Margaret?" Clara asked, her breath catching in her throat.
"No," Marcus said, scanning the security camera feeds. "It’s Richard. And he’s not alone. He’s got two private security contractors with him."
Panic threatened to overwhelm Clara, but she forced herself to breathe. "Is there another way out?"
"Service stairs behind the library, but they’ll be monitoring that corridor," Marcus replied, quickly finalizing the data transfer and pulling the flash drive from the port. "We need to create a distraction."
Before Clara could reply, heavy footsteps echoed just outside the solid oak door of the study. A firm hand rattled the brass doorknob.
"Clara? I know you're in here," Richard’s voice rang out, cold and sharp through the wood. "The smart home system flagged the third-floor balcony sensor. Open the door right now before I have security take you out in handcuffs."
Clara looked at the open safe, then down at the backpack filled with evidence that could bring down the entire Vance empire. She locked eyes with Marcus, nodding decisively.
"Through the balcony," Clara whispered.
May you like
Marcus slammed the heavy wooden door shut, engaging the interior deadbolt just as Richard threw his weight against the exterior handle. Clara scrambled back through the glass balcony door, the cold night air rushing over her face as Marcus tossed a small, high-intensity strobe flare into the far corner of the study.
As they dropped back down the trellis into the shadows of the garden, a muffled shout of surprise echoed from the third-floor study, followed by the blinding flash of the decoy light illuminating the night sky.
