Chapter 6 - The Trap SprungThe next evening, inside the master bedroom of the Vanguard Estate, Vanessa stood before the floor-to-ceiling iron safe.
Julian leaned against the doorframe, sipping champagne. “Hurry up, Vanessa. The buyers for the land script are waiting at the marina.”
“Relax,” Vanessa smirked, placing the silver locket’s micro-chip into the scanner. “Adrian was a fool. He trusted me completely. Once we unlock this, we take the cash, dump the estate, and leave the country.”
The safe beeped. A red light flashed.
ERROR: INVALID ACCESS CODE. ATTEMPT 1 OF 3.
Vanessa frowned. “That’s strange. Let me try again.”
She re-entered the key.
ERROR: SECURITY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. TRANSMITTING DATA...
Suddenly, every screen in the mansion—the giant TVs, the smart fridges, Julian’s phone, Vanessa’s laptop—lit up simultaneously.
A high-definition video began playing on a loop. It was security footage from the night before: Vanessa sipping wine while Lila and Mia screamed outside in the pouring rain, followed by audio recordings of Vanessa and Julian discussing how they forged the property deeds.
“What is this?!” Julian screamed, dropping his glass. “Turn it off!”
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Before Vanessa could answer, the mansion’s heavy iron security gates automatically locked down, trapping them inside.
Outside, the distant wail of police sirens echoed through the dark hills, growing closer by the second.
