Chapter 2: The Lockdown
"Lock down the building! Nobody leaves! Not the police, not the guests, NOBODY!"
Arthur Sterling’s roar shattered whatever calm remained in the Sterling Plaza Hotel. The massive titanium doors of the ballroom remained firmly sealed. Outside, sirens wailed as city police arrived, but inside, Arthur’s private security firm, Aegis, had total control.
Chloe was dragged—not aggressively, but firmly—into the VIP holding room behind the main stage. She was shoved into a plush leather armchair. The flash drive was no longer in her hands; Arthur had forcibly pried it from her fingers, but only after she had purposely scratched the biometric sensor on its side against a broken piece of champagne glass.
Arthur paced the room like a caged lion. The flash drive was plugged into a state-of-the-art decryption tablet on the mahogany desk.
ACCESS DENIED. BIOMETRIC MISMATCH OR HARDWARE DAMAGE.
"You broke it," Arthur hissed, turning to glare at the young waitress. "You deliberately damaged the scanner."
"It’s a failsafe," Chloe lied, her mind racing. She was a waitress, yes, but she was also a computer science dropout who recognized military-grade encryption when she saw it. "If you try to force it open without the right protocol, it wipes the data. You need me."
Arthur stopped pacing. He leaned over her, invading her space. "Who are you? You’re not just catering staff. Did Julian hire you?"
Before Chloe could answer, the door flew open. It was Marcus, the groom, Arthur’s biological son. He looked shell-shocked, his tuxedo disheveled.
"Dad," Marcus gasped. "They found Julian."
Arthur stood up straight. "Is he dead?"
"No," Marcus shook his head, looking sick to his stomach. "He aimed for the maintenance scaffolding three floors down. Broke his leg and two ribs, but he’s alive. The medics have him."
"Bring him here," Arthur commanded.
"We can't. The police are demanding entry. Eleanor is threatening to sue the estate for unlawful imprisonment. Dad, she’s my wife... I don't understand..." Marcus buried his face in his hands.
"She is not your wife! She’s a parasite who tried to poison you and steal my company!" Arthur slammed his fist on the desk. "Keep the police out. Pay the commissioner if you have to. I am not letting that drive, or that woman, out of my sight until I know the truth."
Marcus nodded weakly and backed out of the room.
Arthur turned back to Chloe. "You have five minutes to tell me why I shouldn't throw you down that same elevator shaft."
Chloe took a deep breath. It was time to play her only card.
May you like
"Because my name isn't Chloe," she said, looking the billionaire dead in the eye. "It’s Maya. Maya Vance. My mother was your head of research twenty years ago. The one who supposedly 'killed herself'."
Arthur’s face drained of all color.
