Chapter 10 - The Mastermind
Arthur Vance's face drained of all color as he listened to the secure phone line.
He raised a shaking hand, ordering his security team to immediately stop dragging Brandon.
The guards froze, confused by the sudden command from the ruthless CEO.
Brandon gasped for air, collapsing onto the freezing concrete, terrified of this new delay.
Vance slowly lowered the phone, staring at Brandon as if he were looking at a ghost.
He commanded his men to release Brandon and step away from him completely.
He demanded to know exactly what Brandon had given his wife before she disappeared.
Brandon, still shaking violently, stammered that he hadn't given Emily anything at all.
He swore he didn't even know she was planning to leave until he found the empty penthouse.
Vance stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous, terrified whisper.
He revealed that someone had just anonymously emailed the entire Alder Crest board of directors.
The email contained undeniable proof that the experimental medical software they were launching next week was fundamentally flawed.
It proved the software had actively falsified patient data during the clinical trials, leading to multiple covered-up deaths.
Vance explained that this wasn't just corporate theft; this was a massive, company-destroying murder scandal.
And the email promised to release the data to the federal government if Brandon wasn't allowed to walk away freely.
Brandon realized Emily hadn't just stolen the embezzled money to frame Sloan.
She had somehow hacked into the deepest, darkest secrets of the entire corporation.
She was using the company's own horrific crimes to blackmail the CEO into saving Brandon's miserable life.
Vance angrily ordered his men to fall back, realizing he had no choice but to let the executive go.
He warned Brandon that if the data ever leaked, there wouldn't be a hole deep enough to hide him.
Vance and his men quickly piled into their armored SUVs and sped out of the parking garage.
Brandon sat alone on the cold concrete, utterly bewildered by his sudden, miraculous salvation.
He couldn't understand why Emily would destroy his life only to save him from certain death at the very last second.
He slowly stood up, brushing the dirt off his ruined suit, feeling a twisted sense of victory.
He had survived the hitmen, the loan sharks, and the CEO of his corrupt company.
He began to laugh, a hollow, echoing sound in the empty garage, believing he had somehow won the impossible game.
He reached into his pocket and found a single, prepaid burner phone he hadn't noticed before.
The screen lit up with a new message, and Brandon eagerly opened it, expecting a final demand from Emily.
Instead, he found a live video feed showing the interior of a luxurious private jet in flight.
Emily was sitting comfortably in a leather seat, holding the two healthy twins, looking perfectly calm.
But she wasn't alone in the cabin.
Sitting directly across from her, casually sipping a glass of expensive champagne, was Sloan Whitmore.
Sloan looked directly into the camera, smiled a chillingly perfect smile, and raised her glass in a mocking toast to Brandon.
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The text message below the video contained a single, terrifying sentence.
It read that the two women he tried to manipulate had decided it was much more profitable to work together.
