Chapter 10 - The Hidden Cameras
The incident at the school convinced Julian that the sprawling estate was no longer as secure as he had believed. If Elena could easily bypass a guarded private academy, he had to assume she had left blind spots in their own home. He hired a specialized counter-surveillance team to sweep every inch of the property. For six hours, men in dark suits meticulously scanned the walls, ceilings, and electronics using advanced thermal imaging and frequency detectors.
Julian waited in his study, pacing the floor like a caged tiger. Finally, the team leader entered, holding a clear plastic evidence bag. Inside were four microscopic, high-definition camera lenses and transmitters. "We found these embedded in the master bedroom, the solarium, and worst of all, the child's playroom," the technician reported grimly. "They are military-grade, Mr. Thorne. They've been transmitting a live, encrypted feed to an external server for at least six months."
The revelation hit Julian like a physical blow. Elena hadn't just been a cold stepmother; she had been monitoring their every move, studying their vulnerabilities, and recording intimate moments to use as leverage. She knew his routines, his business calls, and Lily's deepest fears.
"Can you trace the server?" Julian demanded, his voice thick with disgust.
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"We already did," the technician replied. "The IP address bounces through a dozen international proxies, but the final destination is a high-rise apartment downtown. Rented under a shell company."
Julian immediately forwarded the address to Marcus. Elena was building an intelligence network right under his nose, treating his family like a hostile corporate takeover. She had watched Lily cry in the solarium long before Julian had walked in. She had engineered the abuse perfectly. Julian looked at the broken cameras in the bag, realizing that his wealth and architecture hadn't protected him; they had simply provided a luxurious stage for a predator. He was going to turn the stage into a trap.
