Chapter 4 - The Glass Cliff
The piercing shriek of the security alarm vibrated through the floorboards.
Heavy steel barricades immediately dropped from the ceiling, sealing the stairwell doors completely shut.
Marcus dropped Julian to the floor, where the traitor lay groaning in pain.
"The interior routes are completely blocked, Miss Vale," Marcus said, his voice tight with urgency.
Charlotte stared at the thick steel doors, knowing her mother's master deed was just one floor above them.
She looked toward the end of the hallway, where a massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the glittering city.
"If we cannot go up from the inside, we will go up from the outside," Charlotte said.
Marcus looked at her as if she had completely lost her mind.
"Miss Vale, we are twenty stories above the concrete streets."
Charlotte did not hesitate as she grabbed a heavy bronze statue from a nearby decorative table.
She sprinted toward the massive window and hurled the statue with all her strength.
The reinforced glass shattered instantly, letting a violent rush of freezing night wind into the hallway.
Charlotte stepped up to the jagged edge, looking down at the terrifying drop below.
The cars on the street looked like tiny, crawling ants in the glowing city lights.
"There is a maintenance ladder that runs along the exterior architectural beams," she explained, pointing outside.
"My mother had it installed for the window washers, and it leads straight to the penthouse balcony."
Marcus grabbed a length of emergency fire hose from the wall cabinet and tied it securely around his waist.
"I will go first, you hold onto the end of the hose just in case," he instructed bravely.
They climbed out into the freezing wind, their fingers gripping the cold, damp metal of the exterior beams.
The wind howled brutally, threatening to peel them off the side of the glass skyscraper.
Charlotte’s scraped hands burned with agony, but the memory of her mother’s face pushed her upward.
She forced herself not to look down, focusing entirely on the glass balcony of the penthouse above her.
Step by agonizing step, they scaled the sheer, slippery face of the Solmere Hotel.
Marcus finally reached the balcony edge and hauled his massive frame over the glass railing.
He reached down, grabbing Charlotte's hand and pulling her safely onto the luxurious penthouse terrace.
Charlotte collapsed onto the smooth wooden decking, gasping for air as adrenaline surged through her veins.
They had actually made it into the most secure room in the entire city.
Charlotte quickly stood up and smashed the glass door leading into her mother's private office.
The room was exactly as she remembered it, filled with antique books and expensive leather furniture.
She rushed to the large painting of a white orchid hanging behind the massive mahogany desk.
She pulled the painting aside, revealing a state-of-the-art biometric wall safe.
Charlotte pressed her bruised thumb against the glowing green scanner.
The heavy steel door clicked and hissed open, revealing the dark interior of the safe.
Charlotte reached inside, her heart pounding with the anticipation of ultimate victory.
But her hand grasped absolutely nothing but empty air.
The master deed was completely gone.
In its place was a single, crisp white envelope with her name written in familiar, elegant handwriting.
May you like
Charlotte tore the envelope open with shaking hands and read the chilling note from her mother.
"If you are reading this, Charlotte, Richard already knows you are alive, and he has been waiting for you."
