Chapter 3 - THE FEDERAL BRIEFINGAt 10:00 AM, I sat across a polished oak conference table in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crimes Division in lower Manhattan.
Special Agent Marcus Vance—a former colleague from my days at the Justice Department—stared at the comprehensive flash drive I had slid across the table.
"Claire," Vance said, his voice laced with profound shock and cold anger. "When you left the bureau, we lost our best data architect. But looking at this... this is institutionalized voyeurism and severe wire fraud. He broadcasted private medical crises, intimate spaces, and non-consensual surveillance for profit."
"He didn't just broadcast it, Marcus," I replied, my voice chillingly steady. "He orchestrated my panic attacks. He deliberately triggered my grief over my mother's death to boost his subscriber engagement metrics. He is a predator operating under the guise of a grieving spouse."
Vance closed the folder and stood up, buttoning his suit jacket.
"We have enough probable cause for an immediate felony arrest warrant and a total asset freeze," Vance declared. "Do you want us to pick him up at his meeting, or let him come home?"
May you like
A dark, sharp smile touched my lips.
"Let him come home," I said softly. "I want him to open his laptop and see what happens when you wake a cyber-sleuth."
