Chapter 16 - Shadows of the Past
Three years passed in a blur of unprecedented corporate growth and quiet, peaceful domesticity.
Little Julian had grown into a bright, energetic toddler who loved chasing the golden retrievers across the sprawling lawns of the Big Sur estate. The memory of the helicopter ride had faded into a distant scar, a dark chapter in a book I had long since finished writing.
Or so I thought.
It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon when my private security team flagged an unusual anomaly on our perimeter sensors.
I was sitting in my walnut-paneled home office, reviewing quarterly financial projections, when Marcus burst through the double doors without knocking. His face was pale, his eyes wide with a look I hadn't seen since the night in the Swiss Alps.
"Amelia. We have a situation," Marcus said urgently, dropping a physical manila folder onto my desk.
"What is it? Did Vance's legal team file another appeal?" I asked calmly, not looking up from my tablet.
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"Worse," Marcus swallowed hard. "Richard's high-security federal prison... it experienced a coordinated power failure forty-eight hours ago. And during the blackout, inmate Richard Hayes didn't just escape... he vanished."
My blood ran cold. The tablet slipped from my fingers, clattering softly against the polished mahogany desk.
