Chapter 7 - The Hidden Ledger
Nathan didn't hesitate. He hurried down the stone steps, his light sweeping across crates of canned goods, old farming equipment, and winter storage boxes.
huddled in the corner behind a wooden partition sat Sarah.
Her coat was stained with dark mud and frost, her face pale, and a deep bruise purpled across her cheekbone where Marcus had struck her. But when she raised her head and saw the familiar face of her brother looking down at her, her eyes welled up with tears of pure, unadulterated relief.
"Nathan..." she breathed, her voice cracking. "The children... are they..."
"They're safe," Nathan said, dropping to his knees beside her and immediately pulling off his gloves to check her pulse and core temperature. "They're at my house, warm and eating soup. Lily brought them straight to me, just like you told her to."
Sarah let out a long, ragged sob, burying her face in her hands for a brief moment before looking back up at him with fierce determination. "Marcus... he knew I copied the digital ledgers. He wanted the primary research drive. That's why he tracked us down tonight. He's using his pharmaceutical firm as a front for unauthorized human trials, Nathan. If those files get out, his entire empire collapses."
"I know," Nathan said gently, wrapping his warm jacket around her shoulders. "Lily had the legal papers and the backup files sewn into her coat. I have them secured back at the house."
Sarah gripped his arm with surprising strength, her fingers digging into his sleeve. "He has political connections, Nathan. Local authorities won't hold him for long unless we have undeniable, ironclad proof of the financial wire transfers tied to the offshore accounts."
Nathan reached into his inner pocket and pulled out the encrypted flash drive he had retrieved from his study earlier. "We have the drive. And when the state police arrive at my gate with the mountain rescue team, we'll hand over everything. Marcus Kane’s empire is finished."
May you like
Sarah leaned her head against his shoulder, letting out a breath she had seemingly been holding for seven long years. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I was stubborn. I thought I could handle him on my own."
"No," Nathan said softly, wrapping his arm tightly around his sister for the first time in a decade. "I was the stubborn one. I built a fortress to keep the world out, forgetting that sometimes the people you love need a sanctuary the most."
