Chapter 11 - The darkness swallowed the room.Someone shouted.

A gunshot echoed.

I heard glass breaking.

Then Evelyn grabbed my arm.

“Down!”

We hit the floor.

Emergency lights flickered red.

The servers were still running.

The countdown continued.

09:32:41.

The detective shouted,

“Charles!”

No answer.

He had escaped.

Again.

But this time he had left someone behind.

A gunman stepped into the room.

Adrian tackled him.

They slammed into the server rack.

The gunman fired.

The bullet missed Adrian by inches.

Daniel shot the gunman in the shoulder.

Police rushed forward.

Within seconds, he was restrained.

Adrian stood shaking.

I stared at him.

“You knew about the system.”

“No.”

“You were marked 'compromised.'”

“I didn't know.”

“Then why did my mother say you were chosen to protect me?”

Adrian looked at me.

“Because he was right.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

I stepped back.

Adrian's voice broke.

“When Charles realized your mother had hidden the ledger, he needed access to you.”

“So he married me to you.”

“Yes.”

“But you didn't know.”

“Not at first.”

“When did you find out?”

“Six months after our wedding.”

I felt betrayed all over again.

“You stayed.”

“I tried to leave.”

“What stopped you?”

“Charles showed me a photograph.”

“Of me?”

He nodded.

“You were leaving work.”

“What did he say?”

“He said if I betrayed him, you would disappear.”

My anger softened for half a second.

Then returned.

“You still lied to me.”

“I was trying to keep you alive.”

“You could have told me.”

“I thought he'd kill you.”

Evelyn stepped closer.

“He wasn't entirely wrong.”

I looked at her.

“Then why are you helping me?”

“Because your mother saved my life.”

“What did she do?”

“She made Charles believe I was dead.”

“How?”

“Another woman wore my jewelry.”

I stared.

“You mean the ring in the basement.”

Evelyn nodded.

“That's why they found a body wearing my ring.”

A chill ran through me.

“Whose body?”

She looked at me.

“Someone Charles had already killed.”

Silence.

The detective suddenly spoke.

“We have a bigger problem.”

He pointed at the screen.

The countdown had changed.

08:59:59

“It sped up.”

“Why?”

The system displayed another message.

MANUAL OVERRIDE DETECTED.

Someone was remotely controlling it.

The detective looked at the network lines.

“Charles.”

Evelyn shook her head.

“No.”

“Then who?”

She stared at Adrian.

Adrian stepped backward.

“No.”

The system suddenly displayed:

SECONDARY OPERATOR: ADRIAN STERLING.

My heart stopped.

Adrian looked at me.

“I swear that's not me.”

Then the screen flashed.

A second file opened.

A security recording.

Adrian was standing in this exact room.

Alone.

The timestamp was from two nights earlier.

He walked toward the system.

Placed his hand on the scanner.

And opened a hidden file.

I turned to him.

“What did you do?”

He stared at the screen.

“I don't remember.”

Evelyn whispered,

“Someone erased his memory.”

The detective looked at her.

“That isn't possible.”

Evelyn shook her head.

“Then explain why the man in that video doesn't remember being here.”

The screen changed.

A final message appeared.

THE ORIGINAL LEDGER IS NOT IN THE SYSTEM.

Then:

IT IS WITH EMMA HART.

I looked at Daniel.

“Where is she?”

He didn't answer.

I walked toward him.

“Dad.”

He closed his eyes.

“I thought she was safe.”

The detective said,

“She isn't.”

Daniel looked at me.

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