Chapter 4 - The Betrayal On Tape
I dropped the birth certificate onto the metal table in sheer disbelief.
David was the man who broke my heart twelve years ago when he ran away with my best friend.
He was now a billionaire tech CEO who was actively running for the position of city mayor.
Why would a powerful billionaire send an armed thug to kick down my door in the middle of the night?
I dug deeper into the safety deposit box and found a small, encrypted USB flash drive.
There was also a handwritten note from Sarah clipped to a stack of bank statements.
The note read, "Claire, I am so sorry for everything, but David is a monster."
I packed the documents into my bag and led Leo out of the bank.
We walked to the central public library, where I rented a private computer terminal in the back corner.
I plugged the flash drive into the computer, praying the files were not corrupted.
A single video file popped up on the screen, dated from yesterday morning.
I clicked play, and Sarah's exhausted, terrified face appeared on the monitor.
"If you are watching this, Claire, it means David finally caught me," she said to the camera.
She explained that she had discovered the dark truth behind David's massive tech fortune.
His company was secretly developing illegal surveillance software and selling it to international human trafficking rings.
"He uses your late father's old shell companies to launder the bloody money," Sarah revealed in the video.
"I stole his main ledger to expose him to the FBI, but he found out and threatened to kill Leo."
Tears streamed down Sarah's face as she begged me to protect her son.
The video ended, leaving me sitting in the quiet library with a billion-dollar target on my back.
I realized David sent that fake detective because he knew I was the emergency contact.
My cell phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket, shattering the silence.
I looked at the caller ID, and a chill settled deep into my bones.
The screen displayed the name of David Vance.
May you like
I slowly answered the call and brought the phone to my ear.
"I know exactly where you are, Claire, and you cannot run forever," David whispered softly.
