Just Two Days After Their Wedding, Daniel Stood In The Kitchen And Ordered Emily To Serve His Perfectly Capable Sister.

Emily pushed open the door to the secure intake room. Chloe Croft sat huddled in the corner of the plush sofa, looking impossibly small. She was dressed in expensive, designer clothing, but the fabric was wrinkled, and her eyes darted frantically around the room, inspecting the smoke detectors and the light fixtures as if they were watching her.

"Chloe, my name is Emily Whitmore-Hayes," Emily said softly, taking a seat in the armchair opposite the sofa. "You are safe here. This room is swept for listening devices every single day, and the walls are soundproofed. No one knows you are here."

Chloe let out a ragged, trembling breath, wrapping her arms around her knees. "You don't know him, Emily. Damian doesn't need to be in the room to hear you. He built the systems that run the security cameras in this city. He knows everything. I didn't even drive my own car here. I took three different buses and walked the last two miles."

"I believe you," Emily said, her voice steady and grounded. She knew exactly what it felt like to believe your abuser was an omnipotent force. "But Damian does not control the walls of this foundation. Tell us what is happening."

"It started with small things," Chloe whispered, tears finally spilling over her eyelashes. "He installed a smart-home system he designed himself. He said it was for my safety. But then, the doors would lock when I tried to leave for yoga. The thermostat would drop to freezing if I didn't answer his calls within two rings. He hijacked my phone. He reads my messages before I even see them."

Nathan, standing quietly by the door, took out his legal pad. "Has he threatened you physically, Chloe?"

"He doesn't have to," Chloe sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "Last week, I packed a bag. I was going to leave and go to my sister’s house in Denver. As I was walking to the door, the television in the living room turned on by itself. It was a live video feed of my sister, sitting in her kitchen, having coffee. Damian's voice came through the speakers. He told me that if I walked out the door, he would ruin her life, frame her for embezzlement, and ensure she went to federal prison. He can do it. He has the digital access."

Emily felt a familiar, burning rage igniting in her chest. The method was different—code and cameras instead of forged signatures and offshore accounts—but the psychology of the cage was exactly the same.

"He is holding you hostage in a digital prison," Emily stated, leaning forward to look Chloe directly in the eyes. "But every system has a blind spot, Chloe. And every bully has a weakness. We are going to find his."