Chapter 4 - The Digital Ghost
Daniel buckled Sophie safely into the backseat of the sedan, handing her his personal phone to keep her distracted with a drawing app. The chaos of the chapel was fading behind them, but the digital war was only just beginning.
"Stay right here, baby girl," Daniel instructed softly, locking the car doors from the inside before leaning against the driver-side door.
He stared at the banking alert blinking on his screen. The location stamp for the unauthorized login read: VIP Bridal Suite, St. Jude’s Chapel.
Elena didn't act alone. If someone was currently sitting in that dressing room attempting to override his multi-factor authentication, it meant there was an active accomplice still inside the building. Someone who had access to his master server credentials.
Daniel’s mind raced back to the rehearsal dinner the night before. He remembered seeing Elena’s cousin, a quiet man named Marcus who worked as an IT systems administrator, hovering near his laptop while it sat charging on the banquet table.
Without hesitation, Daniel drew his car keys from his pocket, but before he could open the door, the passenger window of the sedan tapped rhythmically. He turned to find a tall, broad-shouldered man in a security uniform standing on the pavement.
"Mr. Vance?" the guard asked, flashing a badge. "I’m Officer Hayes. The chapel manager asked me to intercept you. We’ve locked down the perimeter. Nobody is leaving until the police arrive."
"Good," Daniel said sharply. "Because there's someone still inside the bridal suite trying to wipe my company's main server."
Officer Hayes furrowed his brow, his hand instinctively resting on the holster at his hip. "We swept the administrative wing ten minutes ago. The bridal suite was completely empty."
Daniel’s stomach dropped. "Empty? Are you sure? The login pinged five seconds ago."
"Mr. Vance," the guard said, his voice dropping to a grave whisper. "The bridal suite doesn't have an active internet connection. It’s a dead zone. Whoever is logging into your accounts isn't inside the building."
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Daniel stared at the guard in sheer disbelief. "Then where the hell is the signal coming from?"
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