Chapter 2: The Doors Were Never Meant to Protect You
Chapter 2: The Doors Were Never Meant to Protect You
The silence lasted only three seconds.
Then panic erupted.
Guests pounded against the steel barriers. Security guards rushed toward the exits, only to find every electronic lock overridden. Cell phones suddenly lost their signal.
"What is this?"
"Who locked us in?"
"This has to be illegal!"
The man standing before me—Ethan Caldwell—finally stopped smiling.
He pulled out his phone.
No service.
He frowned and dialed again.
Nothing.
His father, Victor Caldwell, one of the city's wealthiest developers, strode across the ballroom with visible irritation.
"This is outrageous."
He pointed directly at me.
"You have exactly thirty seconds to open these doors before I sue everyone involved."
I simply looked at him.
"I don't work for you."
Victor laughed.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
"You have no idea who you're dealing with."
A calm voice echoed from the ballroom speakers before I could answer.
"Actually..."
"I believe she does."
Every head turned.
The giant LED screen above the stage flickered to life.
A live security feed appeared.
Then another.
And another.
Every camera inside the estate.
Every hallway.
Every entrance.
Every private lounge.
Nothing was hidden anymore.
Then a single sentence appeared across the screen.
May you like
Evidence Archive Activated.
The room went completely still.
