The Shadow Master
Chapter 03 - The Shadow Master
Two guards forced Serena into the private study, pushing her into the heavy leather chair in front of Victor’s mahogany desk. Her hands were cuffed tightly behind her back, her designer dress rumpled, her perfect hair disheveled.
Despite her position, a cold, arrogant smirk slowly returned to her lips as she looked at Victor standing by the open safe.
“Looking for your little research files, Victor?” Serena sneered, tossing her head back. “You’re too late. They’re already out of the country.”
Victor didn't yell. He walked slowly around the desk, stopping right in front of her, leaning down until his dark eyes were inches from hers.
“Who hired you, Serena?” Victor asked calmly.
“Do you really think I’m going to tell you?” Serena laughed dryly. “You think you’re so smart, Victor. You built a multi-billion-dollar security company, yet you didn't even notice that the woman sleeping in your bed for two years was working for the very people who killed your wife!”
Victor’s chest tightened, but his expression remained stone cold. “My father-in-law... Arthur Vance.”
Serena’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second.
“Arthur Vance was the only other person who knew about those research files,” Victor continued, his mind connecting the pieces with terrifying precision. “He blamed me for Clara’s death, but he was the one who managed the shipping logistics firm that supplied the altered brake components.”
“You can’t prove anything!” Serena spat, her voice growing defensive. “Arthur Vance is one of the most powerful political donors in this state! His private security team is three times larger than yours!”
“I don't need to prove it in a court of law, Serena,” Victor whispered, pulling a sleek black smartphone from his pocket. “I just needed you to confirm it on tape.”
Victor tapped the screen, turning the phone around to show her. A live voice-analysis app was actively recording her words, matching her vocal prints against federal database records.
Below the audio wave was a notification flashing in bright green text:
CONFIRMATION MATCH: ADMISSION OF CORPORATE ESPIONAGE AND ACCESSORY TO HOMICIDE.
Serena’s face turned translucent. “You... you tricked me...”
“Officer Miller from the State Police is downstairs in the driveway right now,” Victor stated flatly. “You are going to prison for child abuse, grand larceny, and corporate espionage. And when you get there, Arthur Vance won't be able to protect you.”
Two state troopers stepped into the study, grabbing Serena by her arms, dragging her out of the room as she shrieked and cursed hysterically, her screams fading down the long hallway.
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Victor stood alone in his study, looking out the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the rain falling over the estate.
He had saved his son today, but he knew the battle was far from over. Arthur Vance had the stolen files, and now that Serena was arrested, Arthur was going to move fast to eliminate the remaining threats to his empire—starting with baby Ethan and Lily.
