Chapter 4 - The Digital TrapThe contents of the leather case were explosive enough to tear an empire apart.
Inside were financial records proving that Grayson Industries had systematically dumped toxic industrial waste into the local town's water supply, covering it up with millions in hush money. More sickeningly, Amelia had discovered that Nathaniel was planning to frame her as the corporate scapegoat just hours before she died.
The morning after their midnight encounter, Julian was a changed boy. He didn't throw flour. He didn't scream. He sat quietly at breakfast, sliding his apple slices toward his younger siblings, Maya and Toby, as if trying to shield them from the gathering storm.
Nathaniel noticed the shift immediately. At lunch, he cornered Elise in the hallway near his private study.
"What did you do to my son?" Nathaniel demanded, backing her against the wall. His physical presence was intimidating, towering over her with the dangerous aura of a man used to crushing obstacles under his boot. "He looked at me this morning like I was a stranger. What lies are you whispering to them?"
"I’m telling them the truth, Nathaniel," Elise said, her voice dropping an octave, steady and unyielding. "Something you haven’t done since your wife drew her last breath in this house."
Nathaniel’s face darkened with rage. He raised a hand, gripping Elise’s arm with bruising force. "You think because you survived a few weeks of children's games that you understand my life? You are an employee. A temporary fixture. By tonight, your contract will be terminated, and you will be escorted off these grounds with a non-disclosure agreement so airtight you’ll never work again."
"Try it," Elise challenged, locking her eyes onto his. "Try firing me and throwing me out. But remember: the moment I walk out those gates, the documents detailing your corporate crimes and Amelia’s final words go straight to every federal prosecutor and national news outlet in the country."
Nathaniel froze. The color drained from his face. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," Elise smiled coldly. "Nanny Number Sixteen isn't running away. She brought a shield."
Before Nathaniel could reply, a piercing scream echoed from the upper floor. It wasn't Maya or Toby. It was a strange, unfamiliar electronic shriek coming straight from Nathaniel’s private office.
Nathaniel shoved Elise aside and sprinted down the hall. Elise followed close behind, her heart hammering against her ribs.
The computer monitors in Nathaniel’s high-security study were flashing red. Every single file, backup server, and offshore account database was being systematically wiped clean.
On the center screen, a single line of green text pulsed against the black background:
May you like
“WELCOME TO THE RECKONING, MR. GRAYSON. — THE CHILDREN REMEMBER.”
Nathaniel stared at the screen in utter horror. He spun around, looking at Elise, then down the hallway toward the nursery where six-year-old Julian sat quietly with a custom-built, encrypted tablet in his lap.
