Chapter 2: The Ghost in the Machine
Marcus’s face drained of color. "Arthur? That’s impossible. We sank his yacht off the coast of Maine. We saw the wreckage!"
Vanessa stood up, her smug expression faltering. "It’s a recording. It has to be."
"Nine," the voice continued, echoing from every corner of the vast penthouse.
Sophie slowly stood up, brushing the dust from her skirt. She didn't look like a victim anymore. She looked like a predator that had finally been released from a cage. She picked up the smartphone and tapped the screen. Suddenly, the entire wall-to-wall window system shifted, the glass tinting to reveal a high-definition live feed.
It was a view from a drone hovering just outside the balcony, coupled with multiple hidden camera angles from inside the room. They weren't just being watched; they were being broadcast to a secure, private network.
"Eight," Arthur’s voice boomed.
In the feed, Sophie could see her father, sitting in a command center, his face illuminated by a wall of monitors. He wasn't dead. He had been in the shadows for months, tracking every illegal transaction, every bribe, and every conspiracy Marcus had orchestrated.
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"Seven," the voice counted down.
"He’s not alone," Sophie said, her voice cutting through the panic. "He’s watching you, Marcus. He’s been watching you since the day you started siphoning the company accounts."
