Chapter 9 - The Final Showdown
I stared at Mrs. Whitmore, my mind racing as the final pieces of the puzzle violently collided.
“You,” I said, standing up slowly from my desk, my fists clenched at my sides. “You were working with Victor Vance all along.”
Mrs. Whitmore chuckled, a dry, grating sound that bore no resemblance to the quiet housekeeper who had served us coffee for years.
“Loyalty is a commodity, Robert,” she said, stepping further into the office while casually tossing the master security token up and catching it. “And Victor pays very well. He planted me in this household years ago to keep tabs on your expansion. When your late wife passed away, my job became even easier. You were too blind with grief to notice who was really pulling the strings.”
Emma stepped in front of me, her eyes blazing with fierce protection. “You betrayed us. You betrayed Elena’s memory.”
“Elena was a naive girl who fell for a corporate shark,” Mrs. Whitmore spat, her expression turning venomous. “And you are just a nuisance poking around where you don't belong.”
With a swift movement, Mrs. Whitmore raised her laptop and pressed a key. “Say goodbye to your empire, Robert. The final transfer is initiating right now.”
The computer screen on my desk flashed green, indicating the unauthorized transfer was at ninety-nine percent.
“Now!” I shouted.
At my command, the heavy office doors swung wide open from behind Mrs. Whitmore. Three federal agents, accompanied by my private security detail, swarmed into the room before she could react.
Mrs. Whitmore’s triumphant smile vanished instantly. Before she could throw her laptop to the floor, my security chief pinned her arms behind her back, snapping heavy steel handcuffs around her wrists.
The laptop clattered harmlessly onto the plush rug.
I lunged forward, grabbing the fallen security token and slamming it into my USB port. My fingers flew across the keyboard, executing a master override command just as the transfer progress bar hit one hundred percent.
System Override Successful. All Assets Secured.
I let out a long, shuddering breath, collapsing back into my desk chair as the tension drained from my muscles.
“Nice work, Mr. Harrison,” the lead federal agent said, pulling out a badge. “We’ve been tracking Vance’s financial network for months. Intercepting his inside operative was the final piece we needed. Vance was just picked up at his safehouse in downtown Dallas.”
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Mrs. Whitmore was escorted out of the room in silence, her defeat absolute.
As the heavy office door clicked shut once more, the room fell into a profound, peaceful quiet.
