Chapter 9 - The Yacht of Lies
The freezing seawater pumped violently into the engine room through a massive ventilation grate.
The water level rose past their ankles in a matter of seconds, threatening to drown them like trapped rats.
Arthur continued to gloat over the intercom, explaining his brilliant, psychotic master plan.
He was hosting a massive charity gala on the upper deck with hundreds of billionaire guests.
When the ship sank, he would escape on a helicopter, claiming a tragic accident claimed his family and earning immense public sympathy.
Eleanor refused to let this monster win after fighting so hard to reunite her family.
She noticed a small, flashing digital control panel connected to the ship's main communication mainframe.
"Clara, lift Lily onto the highest pipe and hold her there!" Eleanor shouted over the rushing water.
Eleanor waded through the rising tide and ripped the metal cover off the control panel.
Before Miller had betrayed them, he had dropped a USB drive containing his full recorded confession of Arthur's crimes.
Eleanor had placed it in her waterproof pocket during the chaos at the docks.
She jammed the USB drive into the yacht's mainframe and furiously typed on the emergency keyboard.
She bypassed the security firewalls and linked the audio file directly to the yacht's massive speaker system.
On the upper deck, the elegant classical music suddenly cut out in the grand ballroom.
Miller's voice echoed through the speakers, loudly detailing how Arthur had murdered rivals, stolen billions from a dangerous cartel, and tortured his own daughter.
The hundreds of wealthy guests gasped in sheer horror, staring at Arthur as his perfect reputation disintegrated in seconds.
More importantly, Arthur's heavily armed security guards realized their boss had stolen from the ruthless cartel.
Fearing for their own lives, the guards instantly turned their weapons on Arthur.
"Open the engine room doors right now!" the head of security screamed, holding a gun to Arthur's head.
Arthur frantically typed the override code into his tablet, and the heavy steel doors of the engine room hissed open.
The floodwaters poured out into the hallway, carrying Eleanor, Clara, and Lily to safety.
They coughed and gasped for air, collapsing onto the luxurious carpet of the lower deck.
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They were finally free, but the nightmare was not entirely over yet.
Arthur grabbed a hidden pistol from his ankle holster and shot the head of security in the chest.
