Chapter 6 - Paranoia at the Penthouse
By sunrise, the Highline Penthouse was swarming with private security contractors.
Marcus had hired eight armed men from a private tactical firm, stationing two at the elevator bank, two in the lobby, and four inside the apartment. He had forensic cybersecurity technicians tearing apart the walls, ripping out the smart home servers, and inspecting every inch of the penthouse's electrical wiring.
“Nothing,” the lead tech reported, wiping sweat from his forehead as he faced Marcus in the study. “The video signal didn't come from an outside hack. It was routed through an internal root authorization key that belonged to Mr. Moretti himself. It was programmed months ago as an emergency protocol.”
Marcus grabbed the technician by the collar. “Then how did it broadcast a live camera feed from inside this room?!”
“The master key overrides all camera controls,” the tech stammered. “Whoever has that key can access every lens in this tower from anywhere on the planet.”
Marcus shoved him away in disgust. “Get out. All of you, get out!”
Elena was curled up on the leather sofa in the corner, clutching a blanket around her shoulders. Her eyes were bloodshot, surrounded by dark purple bruises of exhaustion. She hadn't slept a single minute.
“He’s alive,” she whispered, her voice devoid of sanity. “He was standing on that roof, Marcus. I saw him.”
“It was a decoy!” Marcus shouted, slamming his fist onto the mahogany desk. “A mercenary wearing a mask, or a projection trick designed to make us lose our composure before the shareholder vote tomorrow! Adrian is dead! I saw him pulled from the river with my own eyes!”
“Then where is the transport van?!” Elena screamed back. “Where is the ashes certificate?!”
Marcus had no answer.
His personal phone rang on the desk.
The screen showed an unknown, encrypted caller ID.
Marcus took a deep breath, composed himself, and hit speakerphone.
“Who is this?” Marcus demanded.
A woman’s voice answered—crisp, professional, and entirely calm.
“Mr. Vale, this is Harbor Mercy Medical Center’s Department of Internal Affairs. We are calling to inform you that the State Department of Health has placed an immediate hold on the merger between Moretti Shipping and the Apex Conglomerate.”
Marcus’s heart seized. “On what grounds?!”
“Discrepancies in the primary shareholder’s death records,” the voice replied. “An independent federal pathologist has requested an exhumation order for the casket of Adrian Moretti. Have a pleasant morning.”
The line went dead.
Marcus threw the phone against the wall, shattering the glass screen into a hundred pieces.
“He has the hospital,” Marcus muttered, his face turning pale. “He got to the medical records.”
Elena stood up, backing away from Marcus toward the hallway. “I’m leaving. I’m taking my passport, getting on a flight to Zurich, and never coming back to this city.”
Marcus crossed the room in two strides, grabbing Elena’s wrist and twisting it until she cried out in pain.
May you like
“You’re not going anywhere,” Marcus snarled, his mask of charm completely gone, revealing the rabid dog underneath. “You signed the corporate transfer documents. If I go down for murder, you go down as my co-conspirator. You sit in that chair, you look pretty for the cameras, and you smile at the board meeting tomorrow. If you run, I’ll tell the cartel you were the one who leaked their shipping coordinates to the feds.”
Elena stared at him in sheer horror, realizing for the first time that the monster she had traded her husband for was infinitely worse than the man she had betrayed.
