Chapter 4 - The Dead Man's VoicemailThe silence in the dining room was absolute, broken only by the ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the corner.
"What is this?" Claire whispered, her voice pitching up, though her posture remained rigid. "Adrian, have you lost your mind? Some bizarre piece of trash—"
"It's a two-way acoustic transmitter," Adrian said, his steps heavy as he closed the distance between them. "Every sweet nothing you whispered to me over dinner. Every confidential corporate strategy I discussed in my private study. Every security code to the federal ports we control. It was all being broadcasted live to your father... and to Daniel."
Adrian shifted his cold gaze to Daniel Mercer, who shrank back against the wall, his knees knocking together.
"Mr. Vale—boss—please," Daniel stammered, raising his hands. "I had to! They threatened my family! They said if I didn't help Warren administer the drops, if I didn't feed them your schedule—"
"You chose your salary over my loyalty," Adrian said softly.
He didn't yell. He didn't throw a punch. He simply reached into his breast pocket and pulled out an old, burner smartphone—a phone that hadn't been turned on in three years.
He pressed play.
The tinny, digitized sound of a young man’s voice filled the dining room. It was Leo, Adrian’s twenty-four-year-old younger brother, whose death in the explosion had broken Adrian’s world.
“Ad, it’s me. Listen to me very carefully. I’m at the docks warehouse. I found the financial ledgers. It’s not a rival family, Ad. It’s Claire’s father. And... and Daniel is meeting with them right now. They’re rigging the—"
The recording cut off with a deafening roar of static and an explosion.
Adrian looked straight at Claire. "Twenty-six minutes before my brother died, he tried to warn me. But I couldn't hear his call because Dr. Warren was already poisoning my ears in anticipation of the hit."
Claire’s mask finally cracked. Her lips trembled, and a manic, desperate smile twisted her features.
"You think killing us will save you, Adrian?" she laughed, a sharp, unhinged sound. "My father controls half the federal judiciary in New York! If anything happens to us, the entire state police force will raid this estate within ten minutes. You're finished!"
Adrian didn't flinch. He reached into his coat and pulled out a heavy black satellite phone.
May you like
He pressed a single button and held it to his ear.
"The federal raid won't happen, Claire," Adrian said calmly. "Because federal agents are already wrapping up your father's penthouse as we speak."
