Chapter 3 - The Digital Execution
Arthur stared at the glowing screen, his thumb hovering over the play button like it was loaded with live ammunition. The hallway grew deathly quiet, save for Maya’s soft, rhythmic sniffing and Leo’s shallow breathing against the baseboard.
"Go ahead, play it," Eleanor taunted, her voice dripping with venomous satisfaction as she leaned against the kitchen island. "See what your precious corporate firm thinks of your pristine family life when this little masterpiece goes viral to your board of directors."
Arthur pressed the screen. The video opened with a clear, high-definition view of his home office desk. The camera panned slowly across confidential merger documents marked strictly proprietary, financial spreadsheets belonging to his biggest client, and—most damning of all—a white ceramic envelope stamped with the logo of the federal district attorney's office.
His stomach plummeted into an abyss. Someone had broken into his private home safe.
"Where did you get this?" Arthur demanded, his voice cracking slightly despite his best efforts to maintain composure. He looked up, his eyes locking onto Eleanor’s mocking gaze. "This is federal property. Those documents belong to an ongoing investigation into corporate embezzlement at my firm. If these get leaked, I’m not just fired, Arthur—I’m looking at twenty years in a federal penitentiary."
Eleanor stepped forward, her hand reaching out to trace the lapel of his grey suit with a mocking, tender gesture.
"Oh, sweet, naive Arthur," she purred softly, her breath smelling faintly of cheap wine and peppermint. "You thought you were the only one playing chess. I didn't steal those papers. A very nice man in a dark suit dropped them off on our front porch three days ago while you were away in Chicago. He told me that the moment you tried to kick me out of my own home, I should press send."
Leo tugged frantically at Arthur’s trousers, his small face streaked with fresh tears.
"Daddy, don't listen to her," the boy cried, his voice breaking. "She’s lying. She was talking to someone on her phone all last night. She said you were going to pay for ruining her youth."
Arthur gently placed a calming hand on Leo’s head, his mind racing through a dozen impossible scenarios. The federal investigation into his firm was completely sealed. Only three people at his office knew about his cooperation as a confidential witness against the CEO’s money laundering scheme. If Eleanor had those documents, it meant the leak came from inside the federal task force itself—or worse, that Eleanor was directly connected to the very syndicate Arthur had spent the past year helping the FBI dismantle.
"Who gave you those files, Eleanor?" Arthur whispered, leaning down until his eyes were level with hers. "Tell me right now, or I swear to God I will call the police and let them sort out the rest."
May you like
Eleanor threw her head back and laughed—a high, shrill sound that echoed off the bare walls. Before she could answer, a loud, heavy crash echoed from the front porch, followed by the sound of splintering wood as the front door was kicked wide open.
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