Chapter 30 - The Midnight Breach
The press conference was a spectacular, devastating success. The transparent release of the financial documents instantly killed the smear campaign, flipping the media narrative entirely against Daniel and his appellate lawyers. The news outlets began aggressively investigating Silas Vance, forcing him deep into the shadows.
But a cornered animal is the most dangerous.
At 2:00 a.m., the heavy rain pounded against the thick glass windows of the retreat's lodge. I was sitting by the stone fireplace, unable to sleep, reviewing legal briefs with Marcus.
Suddenly, Elias burst through the heavy wooden doors of the lodge, his tactical gear dripping with rain.
"We have a breach at the corporate headquarters," Elias reported, his voice a low, urgent rumble. "My men monitoring the building just tripped a silent alarm in the basement server room."
"Silas," I breathed, standing up instantly. "He knows the physical ledgers are safe with the prosecutor, but he's trying to wipe the digital backups from the company servers. If he destroys the digital chain of custody, the prosecutor might lose the thread tying Daniel to the Cayman accounts."
"My team is already en route to intercept," Elias assured me, checking a digital map on his tablet. "But Silas is a professional. He knows he only has minutes before the police arrive. He is using a brute-force remote malware program."
"He can't access the primary servers without an executive authorization code," I said, a sudden realization hitting me. "When Daniel was CEO, he installed a hardline physical override switch in the basement. If Silas flips that switch, the servers wipe themselves to prevent corporate espionage."
"We need to cut the power to the building," Marcus panicked. "If the servers wipe, we lose the offshore evidence!"
"No," I said, grabbing my laptop from the table. "I built the grid. I know the backdoor."
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I frantically typed a rapid series of commands, accessing the company’s main power terminal remotely. Silas was trying to steal my truth in the dark. I wasn't going to let him.
"I'm not shutting the power off," I declared, my fingers flying across the keyboard. "I'm locking him inside."
