Chapter 5 - Betrayal in the Penthouse
The heavy steel door swung open with a slow, hydraulic hiss.
I slammed the manila folder shut and shoved it behind my back, my heart pounding so hard I was certain whoever walked in could hear it.
"Ruby?"
It wasn't Nathaniel.
It was Marcus, the head of security. But his uniform was disheveled, his cap was missing, and a cold, cruel smirk twisted his normally stoic face. In his right hand, he held a sleek black suppression pistol, pointed straight at the floor.
"Smart girl," Marcus said smoothly, stepping into the vault and locking the door behind him with a master override card. "Mr. Graves is currently tied up in the server room basement, arguing with a very angry and very desperate Victoria Vance. Which leaves you and me alone to have a little chat."
I backed away until my spine hit the cold concrete wall. "Where's Mr. Graves? What did you do to him?"
"Relax, kid. He's fine. For now," Marcus chuckled, walking over to the metal table and glancing down at the open wooden box. He picked up the golden heart locket, inspecting it with casual disdain before tossing it back inside. "Old Nate is so easily manipulated by sentimentality. Mention his dead family, show him a pink piece of paper, and he loses all common sense."
"You... you knew about this?" I stammered, my voice shaking.
"I know everything that happens in this tower, Ruby," Marcus said, stepping closer. "More importantly, I know what's inside that folder behind your back. Hand it over."
"No!" I shouted, clutching the manila folder tighter.
Marcus's smile vanished. His eyes turned hard and menacing. He closed the distance between us in a single stride, grabbing my wrist with a iron grip that made me cry out in pain. He easily wrenched the folder from my fingers.
"You really think a street urchin like you can outsmart us?" Marcus hissed, flipping open the file. His eyes scanned the medical reports and financial ledgers. A look of grim satisfaction crossed his face. "Ah. Project Phenix. The exact proof Victoria has been trying to destroy for the past twelve years."
"What is Project Phenix?" I demanded, tears of frustration spilling over my cheeks. "Who is my mother? Why does Victoria want her destroyed?"
Marcus laughed darkly. "Your mother isn't some poor, downtrodden cleaner living in a slum, kid. Clara Evans was the lead genetic researcher on Nathaniel's private family trust fund. Twelve years ago, when the estate caught fire, Victoria engineered the whole thing to steal the Graves inheritance. But Clara had a change of heart at the last second. She grabbed the newborn granddaughter—you—faked your death in the hospital records, wiped her own memories through experimental neural suppression therapy, and hid you in plain sight."
The world tilted on its axis.
"Liar," I whispered, the word tearing through my throat. "My mom loves me! She cries for us!"
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"She cries because her suppressed memories are trying to break through the psychological conditioning Victoria paid a fortune to maintain," Marcus sneered, lifting his radio to his mouth. "Victoria, this is Marcus. I've got the file. And I've got the girl."
A static crackle hissed from the radio, followed by Victoria's triumphant voice: "Bring them both down to the sub-basement incinerator level. It's time to burn the past once and for all."
