Chapter 6
The service elevator hummed loudly as it began its rapid ascent toward the penthouse bridal suite on the fourteenth floor. The interior was utilitarian—brushed steel walls, exposed rivets, and a single flickering fluorescent light overhead. Clara leaned against the back panel, breathing heavily, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her white lace wedding gown was stained with a smear of white buttercream frosting near the hem, and her silver tiara was slightly askew.
Lily stood beside her, her red sleeveless dress slightly wrinkled, but her expression remained remarkably composed. She looked up at Julian, who was pressing his palm firmly against the emergency stop button to prevent the car from automatically opening at intermediate floors where Vance’s associates might be waiting.
"Are they going to catch us?" Lily asked quietly, her voice devoid of panic, sounding more like a curious child asking about the weather.
Julian knelt down, resting his hands on her shoulders. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, strands falling across his forehead, stripping away the corporate polished veneer to reveal a desperate, protective father figure. "No, Lily. They aren't going to touch you. Or Clara. I promise you that."
Clara reached out, placing her hand over Julian’s on Lily’s shoulder. The shared contact provided an anchor in the swirling chaos of the evening. "Julian, the penthouse suite isn't safe," she reminded him quietly. "If Marcus knows about the enterprise tablet in the safe, he likely knows the security override codes to the building's central network as well. Being up high just traps us at the top of the tower."
Julian nodded grimly, his mind working through the floor plans of the luxury hotel. "You're right. The bridal suite has floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the exterior maintenance catwalk, but it also connects to the old service stairs behind the kitchen prep area. That's our way out to the alley where my car is parked."
"What about the data?" Clara asked, her eyes searching his face. "If Marcus gets into that safe, he gets everything."
"He won't get anything," Julian replied with quiet finality. "Because the drive inside that safe isn't a live server link. It’s a dead-end decoy containing a containment loop. I anticipated a security breach months ago when the Vanguard negotiations turned hostile. I just didn't expect them to strike on our wedding day."
Clara let out a shaky breath that sounded half-laugh, half-sob. "You set a trap of your own?"
"Insurance," Julian corrected simply.
The elevator bell chimed softly as the car reached the fourteenth floor. The steel doors parted smoothly, revealing the dimly lit, carpeted hallway of the executive penthouse level. The air up here smelled faintly of high-end potpourri and fresh carpeting, completely detached from the ruined romance of the ballroom downstairs.
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Julian stepped out first, scanning the hallway in both directions. The corridor was empty, bathed in the soft amber glow of wall sconces. He gestured for Clara and Lily to follow. They moved quickly and quietly, their footsteps muffled by the thick Persian rugs. Reaching the heavy oak double doors of the bridal suite, Julian pulled a brass skeleton key from his tuxedo pocket—an old-fashioned physical lock that bypassed the hotel’s electronic card system entirely.
The door clicked open, and they slipped inside into the darkened luxury of the suite, sealing themselves away from the immediate threat—at least for the moment.
