Chapter 10 - Laura Secretly Copies The Master Corporate Financial Ledgers
Midnight descended over the suburban Columbus neighborhood, blanketing the street in absolute silence and heavy shadows. I lay perfectly still beside Mark in our king-sized bed, listening to his deep, rhythmic breathing as he slept soundly. Slowly, I slid my legs out from beneath the duvet, making sure not to rustle the sheets or awaken my sleeping husband. I tiptoed out of the master bedroom, moving silently down the hallway toward Mark’s private home office. The office door was unlocked—Mark was far too arrogant to lock doors inside his own fortress of wealth.
I slipped inside, closing the heavy oak door gently behind me before clicking on a small, hooded desk lamp. The room smelled of old paper, expensive leather upholstery, and the faint metallic tang of Mark’s cologne. I sat down at his custom mahogany executive desk, sliding his laptop toward me with steady, focused fingers. Mark had left his corporate administrator password written on a sticky note tucked beneath his desk blotter—classic amateur mistake.
I typed in the complex alphanumeric sequence, holding my breath as the secure enterprise login screen spun and vanished. Within seconds, the master financial database of Crestview Developments opened up in full administrative view. I plugged my high-speed encrypted flash drive into the USB port, initiating an automated background data extraction script. Thousands of confidential files, hidden bank ledgers, tax returns, and offshore wire receipts began copying over at blazing speed.
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A progress bar crept across the screen: 20%... 50%... 80%... 95%... 100% complete. I ejected the flash drive safely, sliding the small piece of plastic into the secret inner pocket of my robe. Just as I reached to close the laptop lid, a sudden floorboard creak echoed loudly outside the office door.
Mark’s heavy footsteps padded down the hallway, stopping directly outside the closed wooden door handle. "Laura? Are you in there?" Mark’s groggy, sleep-heavy voice muttered through the thick oak panels. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird, threatening to break through my chest wall at any second.
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