The morning sun hit the tall glass building of Vane Global Holdings as the black SUV pulled inside. Julius got out of the car and fixed his dark suit jacket, his face completely blank as he hid his thoughts.
Beside him, Harrison stepped out. He wore a dark security uniform that made his large body look even bigger and more dangerous.
They did not speak as they took the private elevator up to the top floor. When the doors opened, Julius walked straight to his large desk and sat down. He pulled a stack of money files toward him, looking like the cold, powerful boss of the company.
Harrison did not sit. He walked over to the windows, standing silently in the shadows with his dark eyes watching the room. His heavy presence filled the space, creating a scary pressure that would make any guilty person shake.
"Are you ready?" Harrison asked quietly, his eyes staying on the door. "Yes," Julius said, his voice flat. "Let them in."
A mont later, the office door opened and Sarah walked inside. She was smiling brightly, holding a tray with a hot cup of black coffee and a tablet. She looked completely normal, just like she did every other morning.
"Good morning, Mr. Vane," Sarah said smoothly, walking over to the desk. She set the coffee down exactly where he liked it. "I have the new files for the afternoon budget review, and the departnt heads are waiting for you."
Julius looked up at her, his face calm as he listened to her familiar voice. For a short second, he felt relaxed and thought about how Sarah had been with him since day one.
When he was working out of a tiny garage with no money, she was the one typing his notes and organizing his ssy files. She helped him build this entire company from nothing.
"Thank you, Sarah," Julius said, keeping his voice steady. "How does the rest of the day look?"
"The board wants to et at two o’clock to talk about the new investnts," Sarah explained, tapping her tablet. "And you have a private call with the overseas branch at four. I cleared your evening schedule just in case you need to leave early."
Right while Sarah was talking about the eting tis, a sudden buzz rattled across the desk. Julius’s personal cell phone lit up right next to his coffee cup.
Julius kept his face completely still as he looked down at the screen. It was a live text ssage from Harrison’s tech guy.
Julius read the short text silently: Employee ID Token verified. Server access matched to terminal: Sarah, Executive Assistant.
Julius froze. The words blurred together on the screen, hitting his chest like a rock as his heart dropped into his stomach.
Total shock and deep disappointnt washed over him while Sarah was still talking, her voice bright and cheerful. "I also made sure the legal team fixed the contract you asked for yesterday, so that should be ready by noon."
Julius felt his hands start to shake, but he kept his face completely blank with no emotion showing. Underneath the desk, he clenched his right hand into a tight fist, forcing himself to stay still.
He looked up from the phone, staring at the woman who had sold him out. She looked so innocent, but she was the one who sent his location to the n with guns.
"Is everything alright, Mr. Vane?" Sarah asked, noticing his silence as she gave a warm, worried smile. "You haven’t touched your coffee."
Julius swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and forced his voice to sound perfectly normal. "Everything is fine, Sarah," he said quietly, sliding his phone into his pocket.
"I just need a few minutes alone to look over these files before the etings start. Put the afternoon calls on hold for a mont."
"Of course," Sarah said softly. She held her tablet against her chest, nodded slightly, and turned around. She walked out of the office with a calm, easy step.
The mont the heavy door clicked shut behind her, Julius let out a long, rough breath. He slumped back into his chair, staring at the empty space where she had been standing.
Harrison stepped away from the windows imdiately, his jaw tight and his dark eyes fixed on Julius’s pale face. He walked over to the desk, his large hands resting flat on the wood as he leaned in close. His scent flared with protective anger.
"It was her," Harrison said, his low voice thick with danger. He had seen the look in Julius’s eyes the mont the phone buzzed.
"She was with from the beginning, Harrison," Julius whispered, his voice cracking with pure disappointnt as he looked up at him. His eyes were full of pain.
"She knew everything. She knew where my mother was hiding. She knew my schedule. She sold to the people who tried to kill us."
"I told you," Harrison said softly, his large hand squeezing Julius’s shoulder to give him strength. "The people closest to us are always the most dangerous. We have to catch her before she leaves the building."
Before Julius could answer, a loud electronic click echoed through the room. Both n snapped their heads toward the entrance as the main office door locked automatically from the outside.
Julius’s blood ran cold. The sound was too deliberate, Soone had planned this from the outside, timing it perfectly to the second Sarah walked out. They had been watching the whole ti.
Before Harrison could pull his gun, the overhead lights suddenly cut out, turning the office completely dark. The silence that followed was worse than the click.
It was the kind of silence that ca before sothing terrible. Julius felt Harrison’s hand find his arm in the dark, gripping it firmly.
The ergency shutters began rolling down over the glass windows one by one, the heavy tal groaning as it sealed out the last strips of morning light and trapped them in total darkness.
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