Chapter 6 - THE WHISPERS IN THE ARCHIVES
By noon, Mara was buried deep within Moretti Tower’s subterranean digital archives, surrounded by banks of humming servers and flickering monitors. The basement records room was cold, smelling of stale coffee and ozone, a stark contrast to the luxurious penthouse above.
She pulled up the digital logs of everyone who had accessed the Bellamy House private dining room blueprints over the past six months. Hundreds of names scrolled past her eyes like digital rain. Most were construction contractors, interior designers, and maintenance staff.
Then, a single anomaly caught her eye.
A file access request had been logged at 2:00 AM, three nights before Ava’s birthday party. The login credentials belonged to none other than Marcus Vance, Dante’s long-standing head of internal logistics—a man who had supposedly been with the Moretti family for over fifteen years.
Mara leaned closer to the monitor, her brow furrowing. The IP address associated with the access request didn't originate from the tower’s secure internal network. It came from an encrypted proxy server routed directly out of Milwaukee.
Bingo.
Before she could download the complete digital footprint, the heavy steel door of the archives clicked open behind her. Footsteps echoed heavily across the concrete floor, deliberate and slow.
“Working hard, I see,” a smooth, familiar voice remarked.
Mara didn't turn around immediately. She kept one hand resting casually near her pocket, where a small tactical panic button linked directly to security sat ready. She slowly swiveled her chair around to face the intruder.
It wasn't Marcus Vance.
It was Lorenzo Vale.
The silver-haired attorney stood near the entrance, holding a steaming paper cup of black coffee, his dark suit immaculate as always. He smiled warmly, though his eyes remained completely cold and calculating.
“Mr. Vale,” Mara said, keeping her voice perfectly even. “Down in the basement? I wouldn't have pegged corporate legal for archival work.”
“Oh, I take an interest in all matters concerning the family’s security, Mara,” Lorenzo replied, taking a slow sip of his coffee as he strolled deeper into the server room. “Especially when new hires start digging into files that have been peacefully buried for years.”
“I’m just following Mr. Moretti’s instructions,” Mara replied, holding his gaze without flinching. “Looking for leaks.”
“And you think you found one, don't you?” Lorenzo stopped five feet away from her desk, looking down at the open monitor displaying Marcus Vance’s proxy login logs. He let out a soft, dry chuckle. “Marcus is a loyal dog, Mara. He barks loud, but he doesn't bite without permission. Unfortunately, sometimes people look in the right places for all the wrong reasons.”
May you like
Mara’s blood ran cold. The way Lorenzo spoke wasn't just conversational; it was the tone of a man who held all the cards, and knew exactly how the game ended.
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