Chapter 13 - The Shadow Arrives
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Before anyone could react to Evan's announcement, the main power grid of the entire building died instantly.
The bright fluorescent lights went dark, plunging the basement into pitch-black shadow. A second later, the red emergency backup lights flickered on, casting an eerie, blood-colored glow over the server racks.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of slow, heavy footsteps echoed from the far end of the darkened corridor.
The two SEC agents beside me pulled their firearms from their holsters, stepping in front of Naomi and me. "Stay behind us, Miss Whitmore!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out of the shadows into the red emergency light of the server room. He wore a dark wool overcoat, carried a gold-tipped walking cane, and moved with an air of absolute, terrifying authority.
It was Victor Sterling.
He hadn't stayed in Zurich. He had flown to Atlanta on a private jet hours ago.
"Hello, Evan," Victor said, his cultured English voice ringing clear through the silent basement. "I must say, seeing you cry on the floor like a pathetic child is even more disappointing in person."
Evan cowered backward against the server rack, his body trembling violently. "You... you ruined my mother!"
"Your mother ruined herself twenty-five years ago when she chose to betray me for a weak corporate accountant," Victor replied coldly, ignoring his son entirely. He turned his cold grey eyes upward, looking directly into the glass observation booth where I stood.
"Clara Whitmore," Victor announced softly, raising his cane toward the booth. "Come down here and face the man who built the empire you've been playing with."
I looked at Naomi, nodded firmly, and pushed open the glass door of the observation booth, stepping down the metal stairs into the red-lit server room.
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"I'm here, Victor," I said, my voice unwavering as I stood ten feet away from him. "And you are currently trespassing on federal security grounds."
Victor let out a soft, low laugh that sent chills down my spine. "Federal grounds? My dear girl... I purchased the building's underlying mortgage three hours ago. I don't just own the company's past, Clara. I own the ground you're standing on."
