Chapter 7 – The Betrayal Within
Marcus ended the call without another word.
The silence in his father's library suddenly felt suffocating.
Someone inside Thorne Global had been feeding information to Victor Langford.
That meant every business trip.
Every family vacation.
Every charity appearance.
Even Khloe's pregnancy.
Someone on the inside had been watching them.
Adrian slowly stood from his chair.
"You're thinking the same thing I am."
Marcus nodded.
"The attack at the hospital wasn't possible without inside information."
Adrian's expression darkened.
"Find the traitor before Victor disappears."
"I will."
Marcus walked toward the door before stopping.
"Dad."
Adrian looked at him.
"If Victor truly believes this is revenge..."
"...it's over."
"I'm ending it."
Adrian gave a slow nod.
"I know you will."
Less than an hour later, Marcus arrived at Thorne Global Headquarters.
Although it was nearly ten o'clock at night, lights still glowed on the executive floor.
Samuel Grant was already waiting in the security operations center.
Large monitors displayed employee access records, surveillance footage, and phone logs.
Samuel handed Marcus a digital tablet.
"We've narrowed it down."
"To how many?"
"Three employees."
Marcus looked at the list.
The first was an executive assistant who had joined the company only eight months earlier.
The second was a senior accountant with access to travel schedules.
The third name made Marcus stop cold.
Jonathan Pierce.
Marcus stared at the screen.
"Impossible."
Samuel looked at him carefully.
"You know him well."
Marcus let out a slow breath.
Jonathan had worked for the Thorne family for nearly fifteen years.
He had attended Marcus and Khloe's wedding.
He had held the microphone during the announcement of their pregnancy.
Marcus had trusted him completely.
Samuel quietly added,
"Sometimes that's exactly why betrayal works."
The evidence was disturbing.
Jonathan's security badge had accessed confidential files unrelated to his responsibilities.
His company laptop had connected repeatedly to an encrypted server outside the country.
Large deposits had appeared in an offshore account over the past eighteen months.
None of it made sense.
Marcus shook his head.
"There has to be an explanation."
Samuel didn't argue.
"There might be."
"But the evidence keeps growing."
Marcus looked up.
"Bring him in."
Twenty minutes later, Jonathan entered the conference room.
He smiled politely.
"You wanted to see me?"
Marcus studied the man he'd known for years.
Jonathan looked exactly as he always had.
Calm.
Professional.
Reliable.
Marcus slid a folder across the table.
"Open it."
Jonathan did.
As he read the documents, the color slowly drained from his face.
"What is this?"
"You tell me."
Jonathan looked back at Marcus.
"I've never seen these bank records."
Samuel pressed a button on the remote.
Security footage appeared on the large screen.
It showed Jonathan entering the executive archive room after midnight three weeks earlier.
"I was looking for audit reports."
"You weren't authorized to enter."
"I had verbal approval."
"From whom?"
Jonathan hesitated.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"You can't answer because no one gave you permission."
Jonathan's jaw tightened.
"I've worked for this company for fifteen years."
"I know."
"I've never betrayed you."
Marcus leaned forward.
"Then help me understand why your encrypted emails were sent to Victor Langford."
The room fell silent.
Jonathan looked genuinely confused.
"Victor... who?"
Samuel and Marcus exchanged a glance.
That wasn't the response they expected.
Samuel spoke carefully.
"You don't know Victor Langford?"
Jonathan slowly shook his head.
"No."
Marcus watched every movement.
Every blink.
Every breath.
Years of negotiating with world leaders had taught him how to recognize deception.
Jonathan didn't appear to be lying.
Samuel frowned.
"Then who gave you the offshore account?"
"What offshore account?"
Marcus stood.
"He's telling the truth."
Samuel looked surprised.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
Marcus turned back toward Jonathan.
"Someone framed you."
At that exact moment, another member of the security team rushed into the room.
"Mr. Thorne."
"What is it?"
"We found something."
He plugged a flash drive into the conference room computer.
A hidden security camera from the executive archive began playing.
The video showed Jonathan entering the archive room exactly as expected.
But five minutes later, after Jonathan left...
Another person entered using Jonathan's stolen security credentials.
The individual wore a baseball cap and dark jacket.
The face wasn't visible.
However...
The person removed the cap just long enough to answer a phone call.
Samuel immediately froze the frame.
Marcus stared at the screen.
His eyes narrowed.
"No..."
Samuel zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
Standing inside the archive room was Ethan Cole.
Marcus's executive assistant.
The man who had been by his side every day for the last six years.
The same man who had personally handed Marcus the text messages recovered from Isabella's phone.
Jonathan looked at the screen in disbelief.
"I've never even been in the archive after midnight."
Marcus slowly turned toward Samuel.
"Where is Ethan?"
Samuel checked his phone.
"He left the building an hour ago."
Marcus's expression became ice cold.
"Track him."
"We're trying."
"His company phone is off."
Marcus didn't hesitate.
"Then use his car."
Samuel looked up.
"The GPS?"
Marcus nodded.
"Every executive vehicle has emergency tracking."
A technician typed rapidly.
Several seconds passed.
Then a blinking red dot appeared on the digital map.
Samuel's face changed instantly.
"He isn't heading home."
Marcus stepped closer.
"Where is he going?"
The technician zoomed in.
The destination appeared.
A private airport on the outskirts of the city.
The same airfield where Victor Langford had been spotted less than two hours earlier.
Marcus grabbed his car keys.
"Call the police."
Samuel was already dialing.
Marcus headed for the elevator.
Behind him, Jonathan called out.
"Marcus!"
He stopped.
"I'm sorry I doubted you."
Marcus looked back.
"You didn't betray me."
Jonathan lowered his head.
"But someone I trusted did."
Marcus walked into the elevator as the doors slid shut.
For the second time in two days, someone believed they could escape before facing justice.
If Ethan Cole reached Victor Langford's plane first...
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The truth about Project Legacy might disappear forever.
Marcus had no intention of letting that happen.
