Chapter 4 - THE INVISIBLE WOMAN
Vanessa Sterling was not a woman who took humiliation lightly. By Monday morning, she had launched a full-scale assault on Claire's life. Margaret Doyle, tears in her eyes, had handed Claire her termination papers. The police had visited Claire's small apartment, questioning her about "stolen hotel property"—a fabricated charge designed to intimidate her.
But Claire didn't run. That night, she wore her gray uniform one last time.
The Sterling penthouse took up the entire top floor of the Whitmore Crown. Using a master keycard Adrian had surreptitiously cloned, Claire slipped past the security detail during their 2:00 AM shift change. She moved like water, her footsteps silent on the thick carpets.
Inside the penthouse, the scent of expensive cigars and Vanessa’s cloying perfume lingered. Claire systematically searched Richard Sterling’s private study. Drawers, false bottoms, behind the artwork. Nothing. She closed her eyes, remembering her father's lessons on the Second Gate: Observe the negative space. Look where things are not.
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She looked at the heavy oak bookshelf. A row of pristine, leather-bound encyclopedias sat untouched on a lower shelf—too pristine, lacking the faint layer of dust the upper shelves held. Claire pulled the volume for the letter 'S'. It was a hollow lockbox. Using a hairpin and the torque techniques her father taught her, she popped the flimsy lock. Inside was a small, black leather ledger.
She slipped it into her apron just as she heard the electronic click of the front door opening.
