Chapter 2 - SECRETS OF THE FLASH DRIVE
Dawn broke over Reseda with a harsh, glaring light that offered no comfort. After finally getting Chloe back to sleep at dawn, I sat at the wobbly kitchen table with a cold cup of coffee, the laptop glowing in the dim morning shadows.
My hands trembled as I plugged the black USB drive back into the port. The screen flickered, displaying a folder named Evidence_HC. Inside were five more video files and a series of scanned financial documents.
I clicked on the second video.
Harrison’s face filled the screen. The lighting was even dimmer than before, casting deep, hollow trenches beneath his eyes. He looked like a ghost of the man I had once married—the ambitious, arrogant corporate lawyer who had traded our marriage vows for a billionaire heiress's fortune.
"If you're watching this, Sarah, it means I managed to smuggle the doll out through one of the laundry subcontractors who comes to the estate once a month," Harrison whispered, glancing nervously toward a heavy metal door in the background. "Victoria doesn't just want my money. She wants my silence. The entire Sterling fortune? It’s built on a foundation of sand and blood."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a harsh rasp.
"Rachel Collins—that’s her real name—wasn't born into Beverly Hills royalty. Years ago, in Arkansas, she was involved in a massive corporate embezzlement and insurance fraud scheme that left three people dead. Her former partner took the fall and went to prison, but Rachel vanished with millions. She changed her face, bought a new identity through corrupt connections, and reinvented herself as Victoria Sterling."
I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. I stared at the forged driver's license I had locked in my bedside drawer. Rachel Collins. The pieces of the puzzle began clicking together with horrifying clarity.
"When we married," Harrison continued on the screen, "I started finding discrepancies in her foundation's accounts. When I threatened to go public, she drugged me, staged my disappearance, and dragged me to this basement. She feeds me psychotropic pills to wipe my memory. But she made one mistake: she let me keep a few old sewing tools from a tailoring job I had in college. I spent months carving open that rag doll, stuffing the truth inside, waiting for a chance to send it to the only person in the world I knew would care."
A tear slipped down Harrison’s hollow cheek.
"I know I was a coward, Sarah. I know I walked out on you and Chloe. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But please... save me. And more importantly, protect our daughter. Because once Victoria realizes I’ve leaked this data to the outside world, she won’t stop until everyone who knows is dead."
The video cut to black.
I sat frozen, the hum of the laptop fan sounding like a roaring jet engine in the quiet apartment. My mind raced in a dozen directions. Harrison had broken my heart. He had abandoned his child. He was a selfish, arrogant man who had reaped what he sowed.
But he was Chloe’s father. And right now, he was calling out from the depths of a living hell.
I clicked open the next file: a digital spreadsheet detailing millions of dollars funneled through offshore accounts under fake names, linked directly to Victoria Sterling’s primary philanthropic foundation.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed violently on the kitchen table.
May you like
An unknown number flashed across the screen. My stomach plummeted. I slid my thumb across the screen and pressed it to my ear.
"Good morning, Sarah," Victoria’s voice purred, smooth as silk and dripping with menace. "Did you enjoy the movie? I hope it answered some of your questions. Now, let’s talk about how we return what isn't yours."
