Chapter 8 - The Ransom Demand
Hannah quietly slipped the burner phone back into her blazer pocket.
She walked slowly into the main living area of the penthouse.
Ethan was furiously typing on his keyboard, completely absorbed in his desperate search.
"I am hacking into her private server logs right now," Ethan announced without looking up.
"I think I found a recurring IP address that traces back to a private storage facility."
Hannah forced a weak, supportive smile onto her pale face.
"That is great news, Ethan," she lied smoothly.
Her mind was racing a million miles an hour.
She knew Ethan kept a small biometric safe bolted to the closet floor.
She had seen him open it once to store his passports and emergency cash.
She also knew that betraying him was the exact thing Beatrice wanted.
But her younger sister's life was currently hanging by a thread.
"I am going to take a quick nap, Ethan," Hannah said, feigning exhaustion.
"The pain medication is making me incredibly dizzy."
Ethan immediately stopped typing and looked at her with deep concern.
"Of course, Hannah," he said softly.
"Go rest."
"I will have room service bring up some dinner later."
Hannah retreated to the bedroom and closed the heavy oak door behind her.
She paced the floor anxiously, chewing on her lower lip.
If she stole the drive, Beatrice would drain the remaining company funds and vanish forever.
If she told Ethan the truth, Beatrice would undoubtedly murder her sister in cold blood.
She knelt beside the closet and stared at the biometric safe.
She didn't have Ethan's fingerprint to unlock it.
Suddenly, a brilliant and dangerous idea sparked in her mind.
She didn't actually need to open the safe.
She just needed Beatrice to believe she had the right drive.
Hannah dug through her own purse and pulled out a standard USB flash drive she used for college coursework.
It looked perfectly generic and unassuming.
She plugged it into her new phone and quickly downloaded several massive, corrupted software files.
If Beatrice tried to open it on a laptop, it would instantly crash her system.
It would buy Hannah just enough time to create a distraction.
She dressed in dark clothing and slipped a heavy brass candlestick into her purse for protection.
She waited until the penthouse clock struck eleven.
May you like
Hannah quietly opened the bedroom window and climbed onto the emergency fire escape.
She was walking directly into the lion's den.
