Chapter 6 - Darkness in the Studio
The emergency backup lighting kicked on a second later, bathing the vast dance studio in an eerie, sickly amber glow.
Zoe instinctively grabbed Maya’s hand, pulling her back against the mirrored wall as the heavy front doors of the academy creaked open. Footsteps echoed through the corridor—heavy, deliberate, and entirely unhurried.
Coach Vance bolted toward her office, slamming the door shut and locking it from the inside with a sharp click.
"Coach! Open the door!" Zoe yelled, sprinting across the floor with Maya trailing closely behind. She pounded her fist against the frosted glass. "You can't just lock us out!"
"Hide!" Coach Vance’s muffled voice hissed from inside. "He’s here. He’s taking back the drive!"
Before Zoe could demand an explanation, a tall silhouette filled the doorway of the studio. It was Arthur Sterling. But he wasn't alone. Flanking him were two burly security guards in dark uniforms, their faces obscured by the shadows.
Sterling stepped calmly onto the marley floor, his expensive leather shoes clicking rhythmically. He didn't look angry; he looked amused, like a cat watching cornered mice.
"Girls, girls," Sterling said, his voice smooth and oily as it bounced off the mirrors. "Running around in the dark won't change the inevitable. Hand over the envelope."
Zoe clutched the white envelope tightly inside her hoodie pocket, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She looked around the studio desperately. The emergency exit was all the way across the room, past Sterling and his guards.
"You’re trespassing," Zoe called out, trying to keep her voice steady despite the sheer terror gripping her chest. "I’m calling the police right now."
Sterling chuckled, a low, dismissive sound. "Go ahead, Zoe. Pull out your phone. Check your reception."
Zoe instinctively grabbed her smartphone from her pocket. The screen displayed a blank, gray status bar: No Service. A powerful signal jammer must have been activated the moment the power cut out.
"What do you want with us?" Maya whimpered, stepping out slightly from behind Zoe, her small frame trembling. "Why are you doing this over a ballet solo?"
"It’s never about the ballet, sweet child," Sterling said softly, taking another slow step forward. "It’s about control of this property. And your little friend here stumbled onto financial records that prove the academy has been laundering funds through scholarship accounts."
Zoe’s jaw dropped. She looked back at Maya. The scholarship wasn't just a merit award—it was a paper trail for illegal money.
Sterling smiled coldly, raising his hand to signal his guards. "Now, be sensible. Hand over the envelope, or things are going to get very uncomfortable for your mother’s employment status tomorrow morning."
May you like
Zoe’s breath caught. She pulled the envelope from her pocket, lifting her arm as if to throw it to him, but instead, she ripped it violently in half.
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