Chapter 13 - The Encryption Key
The screen of the encrypted laptop glowed with a rhythmic blue light, casting long shadows across the walls of Victoria’s studio as the decryption progress bar crept slowly toward completion.
94%... 95%...
"It's heavier encryption than I anticipated," Alexander muttered, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he countered a series of automated firewall prompts designed to wipe the data if breached incorrectly.
"Can your father trace our location through this decryption process?" Sophie asked, pacing restlessly behind him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Not here," Alexander assured her without breaking his concentration.
"This network is routed through a decentralized satellite relay that Victoria set up specifically to bypass Grant Industries' corporate firewalls. Arthur is blind to this signal."
99%...
Complete.
With a soft chime, a massive folder directory popped up on the screen, revealing thousands of encrypted documents, financial ledgers, audio recordings, and video files.
Sophie leaned over the desk, her eyes scanning the file names.
"Look at this," she pointed to a folder labeled Project Chiron - 2006.
Alexander clicked on the folder, opening an audio log dated twenty-five years ago.
He hit play.
The tinny, slightly muffled sound of a conversation filled the quiet studio.
“Arthur, if the board finds out we’re funneling research funds through regional hospital clinics, we’ll all face federal indictment,” a woman’s voice said—a voice Sophie instantly recognized, even through the decades of static.
It was her mother.
“The board only cares about profit margins, Catherine,” Arthur Grant’s cold, smooth voice replied on the recording.
“Keep your mouth shut, sign the ledgers, and your daughter’s future medical trust will remain fully funded. Cross me, and you won’t just lose your job; you’ll lose everything.”
The recording cut off with a sharp click.
Sophie stood frozen, tears streaming silently down her cheeks as the final piece of her childhood trauma locked into place.
"He threatened my mother with my life," Sophie whispered, her voice trembling with a lethal mix of sorrow and rage.
Alexander turned in his chair, reaching out to gently take her hand in his.
"We have him, Sophie," Alexander said softly, his thumb wiping a tear from her cheek.
"With these audio logs and the financial ledgers on this drive, Arthur can never touch us again. We take this straight to the Federal Prosecutor tomorrow morning."
Before Sophie could reply, a sharp, piercing alarm echoed through the carriage house.
May you like
Not an electronic security alarm.
The unmistakable sound of shattering glass from the front foyer window.
