Chapter 3: The Vault Below
The news of the discovery broke by morning. The Vance Blackmail Ring Exposed. But with the scandal came the predators. The people named in those files were not going to let this evidence reach a public courtroom.
While Evie was being transferred to a safe house, the transport van was rammed by a heavy SUV on a rain-slicked overpass. The chaos was instantaneous. The guards were neutralized, and masked men swarmed the van.
"They aren't from the police," the driver shouted as he was pulled out.
Evie didn't wait. She knew the layout of the area better than they did. She kicked out the back window of the van and tumbled into the wet brush of the ravine. She was running, not from her parents anymore, but from the powerful people they had served.
She reached the old train station—a relic of her childhood—hoping to find a signal. Her phone buzzed. It was a restricted number.
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"We know where you are, Evie," the voice on the other end was cold, synthesized. "Bring the drive you took from the basement, or your parents will never survive their time in lockup."
Evie looked at the small flash drive she had pulled from her pocket at the last second before the fire. She realized then that the endgame wasn't about inheritance. It was about survival. She wasn't just a witness; she was the final piece of the puzzle.
