Chapter 17 - The Shadow Ally"It's taking too long," Thomas muttered, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to the screen. "Why isn't the authorization confirmation showing?"
"Because the offshore servers require secondary location verification," Elena lied smoothly, keeping her thumb pressed firmly against the glass. "It takes a moment to process through the Swiss node."
Before Thomas could question her further, a sudden, heavy crash echoed from the private elevator foyer down the hall.
The glass doors shattered.
"Police! Hands where we can see them!" a booming voice echoed through the apartment.
Thomas gasped, whipping around as four tactical officers swept into the penthouse with drawn weapons, followed by a tall, sharp-eyed woman in a dark trench coat.
It was Detective Sarah Lin—the lead investigator who had originally worked alongside Thomas to arrest Richard Vance months earlier. But Detective Lin wasn't looking at Elena as a victim; she was looking at Thomas with a cold, knowing glare.
"Drop the vial, Thomas," Detective Lin commanded, holding up her badge. "We've been recording your audio for the last ninety seconds."
Thomas’s face drained of all color. His hands shook as he looked between the police officers and Elena. "How... how did you—"
"Did you really think I didn't notice the irregularities in my parents' vehicle maintenance reports from five years ago, Thomas?" Elena asked, her voice filled with quiet, unyielding authority as she removed her thumb from the tablet.
Elena looked up at Detective Lin.
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Three weeks ago, long before the trial of Richard and Victoria had even begun, Elena had quietly hired an independent accident reconstruction firm to re-examine her parents' fatal crash. She had shared her suspicions exclusively with Detective Lin, setting up a covert monitoring protocol on her primary devices in case the real mastermind attempted to eliminate her once the corporate assets were consolidated.
Thomas had believed he was manipulating everyone. In reality, he had walked straight into a trap five years in the making.
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