Chapter 3 - The Safe House and the Secret
Jack’s estate in the hills was a fortress of glass, steel, and high-end security systems. By midnight, Lily had finally fallen asleep in one of the guest bedrooms, exhausted from the crying and the trauma of the evening.
Downstairs in the sprawling, minimalist kitchen, Jack poured two mugs of black coffee, handing one to Emma. She was sitting at the marble island, wrapped in a plush wool blanket he had given her. The storm outside was raging now, rain lashing against the massive panoramic windows.
"Thank you," Emma said softly, staring into the dark liquid. "For everything. You didn't have to do any of this."
Jack leaned against the counter, watching her. "My sister Rachel told me you were special, Emma. She didn't tell me you were running from a billionaire tech tycoon who claims to own your daughter."
Emma let out a bitter, exhausted sigh. "Rachel doesn't know the full story. Nobody does. I wanted to keep her safe from the fallout."
"I think it’s time you tell me," Jack said, his tone gentle but firm. "If I'm going to protect you, I need to know what I'm fighting against. What did Victor mean when he said you stole something called the 'Starlight Project'?"
Emma took a deep breath, her knuckles turning white around the coffee mug. "Four years ago, I was a desperate woman, Jack. My father was dying of a rare genetic neurological disease, and the medical bills were catastrophic. I was a brilliant data scientist, but I was broke. Victor Vance approached me. He offered to pay off all my debts and fund my father’s treatment if I came to work for his private research division."
She looked up at Jack, her eyes filled with pain. "I thought it was a miracle. But the project I was assigned to—Project Starlight—wasn't just standard data modeling. Victor was developing an advanced, highly illegal AI algorithm designed to predict and manipulate human genetic sequencing. He wanted to patent a technology that could essentially allow wealthy buyers to select, alter, and control the genetic traits of future generations. It was eugenics masquerading as corporate healthcare."
Jack’s corporate instincts flared. "That’s highly illegal under international bio-tech laws. If the government found out, Vance Global would be liquidated."
"Exactly," Emma nodded. "When I realized what we were creating, I tried to resign. But Victor showed me the fine print of the contract I had signed when I was desperate. It stated that any 'biological byproduct' created during my employment using company resources belonged entirely to the firm. Jack... I was pregnant with Lily at the time. I conceived her through IVF using a donor program that Victor’s company funded."
Jack felt a cold dread settle in his stomach. "No..."
"Yes," Emma whispered, a tear escaping her eye. "Victor claims that because the genetic optimization software was used to screen Lily’s embryo, she is legally a proprietary asset of Vance Global Dynamics. He doesn't want her as a daughter, Jack. He wants her as a lab specimen. He wants to study her development to prove his technology works so he can sell it to foreign buyers for billions."
Jack slammed his mug onto the counter, cracking the ceramic. The sheer depravity of what he was hearing sickened him. "He's treating a four-year-old girl like a software patch."
"I stole the master drive containing the only copy of the algorithm and all the research data, and I ran," Emma said, her voice trembling. "I've been living under the radar, moving from city to city. Rachel helped me get the job at my current firm under a modified background check. But Victor found us tonight."
Suddenly, the lights in the mansion flickered violently, then went completely black.
The heavy silence of the house was shattered by the shrill, piercing beep of the security system’s backup generator failing to kick in.
May you like
Jack’s phone in his pocket vibrated. It was a text from an unknown number.
“You have an impressive security system, Jack. But I built the code your firewalls run on. Hand over Emma and the drive, or I take down Brennan Technologies by morning.”
