Chapter 13 - The Midnight VisitorAt 2:00 AM, the estate security system didn’t trigger an alarm. That was the most terrifying part.
There were no explosions at the front gate, no blaring sirens, no shattered glass. Just a silent, methodical override of the perimeter sensors—a digital ghost walking through the ultra-secure smart home network.
In the master bedroom, Natalie bolted upright, her military instincts flaring instantly before her eyes had even fully adjusted to the dark. Beside her, Daniel was already awake, his hand sliding silently beneath his pillow to grip the heavy steel of a custom-fitted SIG Sauer.
“They’re inside,” Natalie whispered, her voice barely a breath, her hand resting firmly on Daniel’s forearm to keep him grounded.
“Not through the gate,” Daniel murmured back, his eyes locked on the smart-home control panel by the door. The master panel's indicator light was flashing a faint, dangerous amber. “They bypassed the biometric locks. Someone gave them the master override code.”
A sickening realization hit them both at the same exact moment.
The master override code hadn't been compromised by an outsider. Only three people in the entire world possessed the encryption sequence: Daniel, Natalie... and a high-ranking loyalist whom Daniel had trusted with his life after Evelyn’s betrayal.
A soft, metallic click echoed from the hallway outside their door.
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Footsteps. Light, slow, and completely deliberate, padding across the expensive Persian rug toward the nursery where Lucas and Elena were sleeping.
Natalie didn’t wait for permission. She slipped out of bed with terrifying fluidity, grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from the bureau, and slipped toward the door like a shadow.
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