Chapter 8 - The Housekeeper Reveals The Mastermind Behind The Theft
Down in the dark wine cellar, Mrs. Gable struggled against the iron handcuffs as heavy footsteps approached from the stone corridor.
The flickering emergency lights cast long, distorted shadows across the thousands of wine bottles stacked along the wooden racks.
A tall figure stepped out from the shadows, wearing an expensive tailored suit that looked entirely out of place in a dusty cellar.
It wasn't Marcus Sterling returning for the housekeeper; it was a man she had never seen before in her twenty years of service.
"You failed to secure the primary data drive from the child's toy, Helen," the stranger stated coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Mrs. Gable’s eyes widened in sheer terror as she recognized the silver signet ring flashing under the dim cellar light.
"I didn't know the child had the drive sewn into her toy! Please, you promised you would release my daughter!" she begged tearfully.
The man smiled coldly, pulling a sleek silver silencer from his jacket pocket and screwing it onto the barrel of a 9mm pistol.
"Promises are easily broken when incompetent servants fail to deliver vital corporate assets," the stranger whispered smoothly.
Upstairs in the control room, Marcus locked the quantum micro-chip inside a secure biometric case attached to his belt.
He carried Lily toward the private elevator, punching the code for the top-floor residential penthouse suite to ensure her safety.
"We're going to your room to pack a bag, princess, and then we are leaving this estate behind for good," Marcus declared.
As the elevator doors slid shut, the mansion's master power grid suddenly shut down completely, plunging the entire estate into darkness.
Emergency generators kicked in three seconds later, but the security monitors flickered and displayed a single new warning message.
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“Intruders detected in Sector Four: Subterranean Wine Cellar.”
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