Chapter 8 - THE FORTY-SEVENTH FLOOR
Daniel lunged toward the nearest screen.
“Where are you?”
Vanessa smiled.
“You know this building better than anyone.”
“Find me.”
The screens went black.
Ruiz divided his officers.
Elena looked toward the elevator display.
Forty-seven floors.
Vanessa could be anywhere.
Daniel suddenly turned.
“The boardroom.”
“Why?”
“She said welcome home.”
Elena didn’t understand.
Daniel did.
“My father used to call the boardroom the real Howard home.”
They took the service stairs.
Floor forty-three.
Forty-four.
Elena’s ribs screamed.
Daniel noticed.
“Stop.”
“No.”
“Elena.”
“Keep moving.”
They reached forty-seven.
The boardroom doors were open.
Margaret sat alone at the long table.
Still tied.
Daniel ran toward her.
“Mom.”
Ruiz stopped him.
“Wait.”
He checked beneath the chair.
A device.
Wires.
Timer.
Four minutes.
Daniel went pale.
“Bomb?”
Ruiz examined it.
“Maybe.”
Margaret shook her head desperately.
“Don’t touch it.”
Elena approached.
“Where’s Vanessa?”
“She left.”
“When?”
“Two minutes ago.”
“With the trust?”
Margaret looked confused.
“She doesn’t have it.”
“Why bring us here?”
Margaret stared at Elena.
“Because this isn’t about the trust.”
The timer dropped to three minutes.
Ruiz called the bomb squad.
Too far away.
Elena looked around.
Something felt wrong.
Vanessa wanted them frightened.
She wanted them watching the timer.
“What’s beneath this floor?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Executive data center.”
Elena’s eyes widened.
“She’s deleting the company records.”
Daniel ran.
Ruiz shouted after him.
“Daniel!”
Elena followed.
They reached the data center.
Smoke poured beneath the door.
Daniel used his access card.
Denied.
Again.
Denied.
Elena looked at the fire extinguisher.
“Move.”
She smashed the access panel.
Daniel stared.
“Where did you learn that?”
“YouTube.”
Despite everything, he almost laughed.
The lock released.
Inside, small fires burned around server racks.
Daniel grabbed an extinguisher.
Elena spotted a figure near the emergency exit.
“Vanessa!”
Vanessa turned.
For one second, the two women stared at each other.
Then Vanessa ran.
Elena chased her.
“Elena!”
Daniel shouted.
Vanessa reached the stairwell.
Elena followed.
She knew she shouldn’t.
She knew the baby mattered more.
But Vanessa had spent weeks turning Elena’s fear into a weapon.
Elena needed this to end.
She reached the landing.
Vanessa was waiting.
The gun pointed directly at her.
“Still following me?”
Elena stopped.
Vanessa smiled.
“You really don’t learn.”
“You’re right.”
Elena raised both hands.
“I should’ve exposed you sooner.”
Vanessa’s smile faded.
“You think you’re clever.”
“I think you’re desperate.”
“I’m taking back what your husband’s family stole.”
“By murdering my baby?”
Something flashed across Vanessa’s face.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
“My mother died because of them.”
“So my child should die?”
“That child inherits everything!”
“It hasn’t even been born!”
“It was born into stolen money!”
Elena stared at her.
“You don’t want justice.”
Vanessa tightened her grip on the gun.
“You want revenge.”
“Maybe they’re the same thing.”
“No.”
Elena’s voice remained calm.
“Justice would expose Margaret.”
“Justice would expose Samuel.”
“Justice would return whatever was stolen.”
“You pushed a pregnant woman down a staircase.”
Vanessa’s eyes filled with rage.
“Stop saying that.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know what they did!”
“Neither does my baby.”
That landed.
Vanessa hesitated.
Elena saw movement behind the stairwell window.
Ruiz.
She needed to keep Vanessa talking.
“Where’s Samuel?”
Vanessa’s expression changed.
“Gone.”
“Dead?”
“He deserved worse.”
Elena felt cold.
“You killed him?”
Vanessa smiled faintly.
“He killed my mother.”
“Did he?”
Vanessa froze.
Elena continued.
“You’re trusting Margaret’s version.”
“My father confessed.”
“Your father lied for thirty years.”
Vanessa’s gun lowered slightly.
Elena took one step closer.
“What if Rebecca never died?”
Vanessa’s face emptied.
“What?”
Ruiz moved behind the door.
Elena continued.
“The police never identified her body.”
“You’re lying.”
“No autopsy.”
“No dental records.”
“Stop.”
“No photographs.”
“STOP!”
Vanessa raised the gun.
A shot exploded.
Elena dropped.
Daniel screamed from the corridor.
Ruiz fired.
Vanessa stumbled backward.
The gun fell from her hand.
Elena touched her body.
No blood.
The bullet had struck the wall.
Ruiz tackled Vanessa.
Daniel rushed to Elena.
“Are you hit?”
“No.”
He held her.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Vanessa began laughing from the floor.
Everyone turned.
Ruiz tightened the handcuffs.
“What’s funny?”
Vanessa looked at Elena.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
Vanessa’s smile widened.
“I didn’t bring you here to kill you.”
Elena stared at her.
“Then why?”
Vanessa looked toward the boardroom.
The timer reached zero.
Nothing exploded.
Instead, every light in Howard Holdings went dark.
Then Daniel’s phone began receiving alerts.
One after another.
His face changed.
“What?”
Elena asked.
Daniel showed her the screen.
Every Howard Holdings account had been emptied.
One point eight billion dollars had disappeared in less than thirty seconds.
May you like
Vanessa smiled.
“That’s why.”
