Chapter 6 - The Queen's CounterattackBack at the downtown Sterling Manor, Victoria sat in her plush velvet armchair, sipping vintage champagne as the morning sun began to pierce through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her phone buzzed aggressively on the glass coffee table.
She swiped the screen with a manicured nail, expecting a success report from her security team. Instead, the gruff voice of her lead operative filled the speaker.
"Miss Sterling... we have a problem."
Victoria’s brow furrowed, annoyance flashing across her face. "What do you mean, a problem? Did you get the box?"
"Negative, ma'am. The house was completely empty when we breached the perimeter. The safe was gone, and the security logs were wiped clean. Arthur and the kids vanished into thin air."
Victoria stood up so fast her champagne glass tipped over, spilling golden liquid across the expensive rug. "Vanished?! How?! He's just a middle-class IT consultant! Track his credit cards! Trace his phone!"
"We tried, boss. His primary accounts went dark two hours ago. It's like he dissolved into smoke."
A knot of pure panic twisted in Victoria's stomach. She slammed the phone down and immediately dialed her father’s private office. Richard Sterling answered on the first ring, his voice low and dangerous.
"Victoria. I heard about your little domestic dispute last night. Hitting children in public? Have you lost your mind? Do you know what kind of press leak that could cause for the upcoming board election?"
"Dad, forget about the kids!" Victoria hissed, pacing across the penthouse floor. "Arthur found the lockbox. The one in the office. He has the Janus files."
Silence hung on the line for three agonizing seconds. When Richard spoke again, his voice had dropped several degrees colder.
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"If Arthur has those files... then everything we built is hanging by a thread. Find him, Victoria. Use whatever influence you have left with the DA's office. Issue an Amber Alert. Claim he kidnapped those children."
Victoria’s eyes widened with wicked realization. A brilliant, ruthless smile spread across her face. "Kidnapping. Of course. We'll paint him as a deranged lunatic who stole my house and my family."
