Chapter 14 - The Dead Man's Trap
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A loud, mechanical alarm began to chime through the basement, echoing off the concrete walls.
Lines of green terminal text began cascading down the main screen at blinding speed, overwriting every file, every directory, and every piece of corporate data stored on the local servers.
"What is that?!" Arthur screamed, struggling against Thompson's grip as he stared at the screen in utter horror. "What did you just execute?!"
"When my father realized he was dying four years ago," I said, turning in the chair to look at Arthur, "he came to my apartment. He told me that if anyone ever used his master administrative key after his death, it would mean one of two things: either I had lost control of the company, or the people he trusted had turned against me."
I pointed at the screen, where a progress bar was rapidly reaching one hundred percent.
"He created a zero-day virus called Kronos," I explained coldly. "The moment your share transfer cleared using his dead signature, it triggered an automated trap. Kronos doesn't just wipe these local servers, Arthur. It broadcasts an immediate override command to every Vanguard data center on the planet."
"No!" Arthur roared, trying to break free from Thompson. "That destroys the entire network! Vanguard's valuation will drop to zero!"
"It doesn't destroy the company," Claire corrected, a slow, triumphant smile spreading across her face as she read the terminal code. "It freezes every transaction, revokes all executive administrative privileges, and reverts full legal ownership of all Class-A shares directly to Sarah Vance until a court-ordered forensic audit is completed!"
Arthur stared at the screen, his face turning pale as he watched his multi-million-dollar corporate heist evaporate into thin air within seconds.
"You ruined us," Arthur whispered, sinking to his knees on the concrete floor. "You destroyed thirty years of work!"
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"My father didn't build Vanguard for you," I said, standing up and stepping over his shadow. "He built it for me."
Outside, the siren blares of six arriving sheriff cruisers shattered the quiet afternoon air, their red and blue lights flashing through the high basement windows.
