Chapter 3 - THE MIDNIGHT AUDITDeep in the subterranean data center of Sterling-Vane Enterprises downtown, glowing monitors flickered green against the dark.
A junior data analyst named Marcus stared at a specialized alert prompt on his screen. His fingers flew across the keyboard.
“That’s impossible,” Marcus muttered to himself, leaning closer to the glass.
An encrypted GPS tracker—embedded in the emergency burner phone Riley had accidentally dropped near the construction site—had just pinged its location update.
Location: Mercer Island. Private Residence of Michael Harrison.
Marcus grabbed his desk phone and dialed a direct, highly restricted extension.
On the other end of the line, Arthur Sterling—Michael’s ruthless, estranged uncle and the majority stakeholder of the rival conglomerate—answered on the first ring, his voice like grinding gravel.
“Speak.”
“Sir,” Marcus stammered, sweating despite the chilled server room air. “We found her. The girl—Riley Evans. She’s not on the streets anymore.”
A heavy silence hung on the line. Then, Arthur’s voice dropped an octave, dripping with cold venom.
“Where is she, Marcus?”
“She’s inside Michael Harrison’s estate. On Mercer Island.”
Arthur let out a low, dangerous chuckle. “My nephew has always been a bleeding heart. He thinks he can play white knight. But he has no idea what he just brought under his roof.”
“What should we do, sir? Send the recovery team?”
“No,” Arthur snapped. “Recovery is too messy. Michael has private security that would turn a tactical squad inside out. Instead... we let the state do our dirty work.”
Arthur leaned back in his leather chair, staring out at the city skyline.
“File an anonymous emergency petition with Child Protective Services first thing in the morning. Claim an unstable, homeless vagrant has abducted an infant and is hiding her in an unauthorized, high-risk billionaire compound. Get Judge Miller on the phone. By tomorrow afternoon, the state won't just remove the child—they’ll issue an arrest warrant for child endangerment against both Riley and Michael.”
May you like
Arthur smiled coldly in the dark office.
“Let’s see how fast Michael’s money protects him when the law comes to rip his newly adopted strays right out of his arms.”
