Chapter 6 - The Visitor in the ShadowsMidnight descended over the private estate like a heavy velvet shroud.
Maren sat in her study on the second floor, the French doors cracked open to let in the cool night breeze. On her desk sat her father's old leather-bound journal—the one containing the cipher for the hidden security nodes throughout the property.
A soft tap sounded at the open door.
Clara stepped inside, carrying a tray with two cups of chamomile tea. She set one down beside Maren’s elbow before taking a seat in the velvet armchair across the desk.
"The federal marshals transferred Reed to maximum security an hour ago," Clara said softly. "His legal team tried to file an emergency injunction, but every judge they approached recused themselves once they saw the security clearance levels attached to your father's file."
Maren stared into the dark amber liquid of her tea. "And the board?"
"They're falling in line. Vance resigned twenty minutes ago; federal agents picked him up in the lobby." Clara reached across the desk, her fingers gently touching Maren's hand. "You handled that with more precision than your father ever did."
"I learned from the best," Maren murmured, looking up into her mother's eyes. "Why did you stay away for fifteen years, Mom? Even when I was injured... even when I was struggling through months of rehabilitation alone... why couldn't you send word?"
Clara’s expression tightened with a deep, lingering sorrow.
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"Because if Reed or his associates had known I was alive, they would have used you to draw me out," Clara explained, her voice cracking slightly. "The network tracking them was vast, but they were inside our intelligence circle. The only way to keep you breathing was to let them think they had won, waiting for the exact moment when their greed made them careless."
"Well, their greed made them very careless," Maren said, a cold smile touching her lips. "They thought I was trapped in this chair. They forgot that brains don't need legs to tear an empire down."
