Chapter 14 - The Last BargainVictor Blake entered the hospital room like he owned it.
Maybe he did.
The police.
The doctors.
The guards.
None of them stopped him.
Emma stared.
"You killed my father."
Victor smiled.
"Your father killed himself."
"You ordered it."
"He made his choices."
Adrian tried to stand.
Victor raised a hand.
"Don't."
Adrian froze.
Victor looked at Emma.
"You've caused a great deal of trouble."
Emma stepped forward.
"You murdered my mother."
Victor's expression finally changed.
"Your mother was brilliant."
"She loved me."
"That was her weakness."
Emma's fists tightened.
Victor continued.
"She discovered Project Eden."
"And you killed her."
"No."
He paused.
"William did."
Emma stared.
Victor smiled.
"Your father begged me to spare you."
Emma's blood ran cold.
"He made a deal."
"What deal?"
"His life for yours."
She shook her head.
"You're lying."
Victor placed a folder on the bed.
Inside were photographs.
Emma at sixteen.
Emma at eighteen.
Emma with Adrian.
Emma leaving school.
Someone had followed her for years.
Victor said:
"You were always the leverage."
Emma stared at the photographs.
"You were watching me."
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because your mother hid something inside you."
Emma frowned.
"What?"
"The access code."
Emma's stomach tightened.
"The inheritance."
Victor nodded.
"Your mother knew she would die."
"So she encoded the evidence."
"Yes."
"Into me?"
"Into your DNA."
Emma stared.
Victor continued:
"Your unborn child makes the inheritance transferable."
Emma finally understood why everyone wanted her baby.
Victor stepped closer.
"Give me the child."
Emma's face went white.
"No."
"I will give you freedom."
"No."
"I will give Adrian back his company."
"No."
"I will give you everything."
Emma looked directly into his eyes.
"I'd rather lose everything."
Victor smiled.
"I knew you'd say that."
He turned.
The hospital lights suddenly went out.
A scream came from the hallway.
Gunfire erupted.
Adrian pulled Emma down.
Daniel burst through the door.
"Move!"
They ran through the emergency exit.
Outside, black cars waited.
Sarah stood beside one.
"Get in!"
Emma hesitated.
"Why should I trust you?"
Sarah opened the door.
"Because Victor is about to burn the entire city to erase the evidence."
Emma looked at Adrian.
He nodded.
They got inside.
The cars sped away.
Minutes later, Sarah revealed the plan.
"Project Eden's central server is beneath Blake Tower."
Emma stared.
"We destroy it."
"No."
Sarah looked at her.
"We expose it."
"How?"
"Your mother's final recording."
Sarah handed Emma a device.
"Once the server is opened, every document will be released publicly."
Emma looked at Adrian.
"What about the baby?"
Sarah nodded.
"That's why Victor cannot be allowed to reach us."
They arrived at Blake Tower.
The building was dark.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Emma stepped inside.
Then the elevator descended.
Ten floors.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The doors opened beneath the city.
A massive underground server room waited.
Hundreds of machines hummed.
At the center stood Victor.
He was waiting.
"I knew you'd come."
Emma stepped forward.
Victor smiled.
"Then let's finish what your mother started."
He pressed a button.
A screen activated.
Every file began deleting.
Emma stared in horror.
"Stop!"
Victor laughed.
"Too late."
But then another screen lit up.
A countdown began.
UPLOAD: 98%
Sarah smiled.
Victor's face went pale.
"What did you do?"
Sarah looked at Emma.
"I told you."
"We weren't here to destroy the evidence."
"We were here to publish it."
The countdown reached:
99%
Victor pulled a gun.
Emma froze.
He aimed.
Then someone stepped in front of her.
Adrian.
The gun fired.
Adrian fell.
Emma screamed.
"ADRIAN!"
The screen flashed.
May you like
UPLOAD COMPLETE.
And across the world, Project Eden became public.
