Chapter Thirteen: Broken Vault
1161 Words
Everyone froze. The sound of knocking from the door echoes heavily. Jonathan took a deep breath, glancing formerly at Sarah, whose face, though establishment, betrayed the unforeseen surge of studies contending through her mind. Regina stepped forward cautiously, gaping toward the entrance as though the veritable air in the room had come heavier.
Jonathan walked sluggishly toward the door, each step pressing against the rustic bottom with the weight of query. As he opened it, the cold evening air swept in, and standing before him were two uniformed officers. Both had stern expressions, colophons cropped neatly to their jackets, and handcuffs hanging visibly from their belts.
“Good evening,” the taller one said, flashing his ID. “I am Officer Grant from the City Law Enforcement Unit. We’re here to ensure Miss Angel Sarah White appears in custody for the court’s investigation tomorrow. We are not here to arrest her this evening unless she fails to cooperate.”
Jonathan turned his head sluggishly toward Sarah. Everyone in the room did the same. Sarah stepped forward.
“You have nothing to worry about, ” she said, her voice unwavering, “ I’ll be there before your time strikes seven. ”
The officers jounced and left. The heavy slam of the door behind them was consumed by the quietness that followed. Sarah turned to Jonathan.
“You should get some rest,” she said.
But Jonathan stepped closer, holding her arm gently. “Why didn’t you tell me you added my father’s signature to the file? Was it necessary to hide that away from me?”
“I didn’t,” she whispered, “I don’t even know how that signature got on the documents.
“I never did,” she murmured, “I can't even explain how that signature get on those documents. I submitted a clean file, unsigned until final approval. That wasn’t part of what I turned in.”
“Then someone planted it,” Regina said sharply.
Sarah nodded. “And not just someone. Someone close. Someone who had access to the internal system. Someone who knew exactly what kind of trouble a false signature would cause.”
Cynthia gasped. “You don’t think… it was Robert?”
All eyes turned to the lawyer, who had gone silent.
Robert raised his hands, defensively. “No, no… I wouldn’t… I mean, I didn’t touch any of the case files after they were submitted. I only checked their format before Sarah delivered them.”
“Then that means,” Sarah interrupted, “you had access. Which means you could have altered them without anyone noticing.”
Robert’s eyes widened. “Why would I risk that? I’ve worked for this family for years. Why would I sabotage my own firm’s legacy?”
“Because legacy isn’t your goal anymore, Barrister,” Regina said, stepping toward him, her voice icy. “You’re scared. You’ve been scared ever since this woman walked into this house and started making moves. You’ve seen your power shift. You’ve felt your position weaken. Do you not reason that your behavior have been noticed by us? You are scared, and that makes you more dangerous.”
Before Robert could respond, Sarah’s phone buzzed. She checked the screen and frowned. It was a message. No name. No sender.
Just three words: “Check the vault.”
Sarah turned and walked towards the basement without saying a word. Jonathan followed closely, as did Regina. The vault, a sealed, climate-controlled archive of all the empire’s original legal and financial documents was under biometric protection. Only Jonathan and Robert had access to it.
Sarah was looking at the metal door. Jonathan walked up and placed his thumb on the scanner and entered the password. It was a click, and the door of the vault started to swing slowly open.
There were shelves of folders inside. Metal drawers sealed with digital locks contained years of sensitive records, documents that could either crown or crucify a business dynasty.
Sarah stepped in first, scanning the shelves. Everything looked untouched, until she reached the central file cabinet. The one labeled: “Board Motions – Authorizations & Transfers.”
She bent down, pulled the drawer open, and froze.
“What is it?” Jonathan asked.
Sarah stood slowly, holding a single document in her hand.
“This file…” she said, “should contain at least thirty signed authorizations. This one… is the only one inside.”
Jonathan took it from her hand and scanned it. His face grew pale.
“This is the one with my father’s signature,” he said, barely breathing.
Regina looked around. “Where are the others?”
Sarah’s voice dropped. “Gone. Deleted from the digital records, and removed from the vault.”
“Then somebody had been here,” thought Jonathan, and he could hardly believe his eyes.
At the entrance to the vault Sarah turned. “Only two people have access—”
“Me,” Jonathan said.
“And Robert,” Sarah finished.
There was a sudden echo down the corridor of the voice of Robert. “Sarah! Jonathan! Come quick!”
Without vacillation, they burst out of the vault and into the hall. Robert was standing in the place where the bottom of the stairs begins, and in his hand, he held a USB stick.
“I didn’t plant that signature,” he said breathlessly, “but I may have found who did.”
Everyone gathered in the parlor. Robert inserted the USB into the television console and brought up a recorded surveillance feed. A paused frame showed the vault door opening the previous night.
Sarah stepped closer to the screen.
“Play it.”
The footage rolled forward. At first, nothing. Then a figure entered the room. Though blurry, the photograph was clear enough to depict someone walking toward the vault, hitting the scanner, and entering a passcode.
Everybody took a gasp.
It wasn’t Robert.
It wasn’t Jonathan.
It was Sonia.
Cynthia’s hand flew to her mouth. “But how…?”
Sarah’s mind raced. “That vault should only respond to Jonathan or Robert.”
Jonathan stared at the screen. “Unless… someone gave her access.”
Regina turned her head slowly toward Robert.
“You gave her the passcode, didn’t you?”
Robert didn’t speak.
Jonathan stepped forward, voice hard. “Tell me the truth. Did you give Sonia my father's vault passcode?”
Robert glanced from everyone, then down at the floor. His silence was louder than any admission.
Sarah moved back from the television, her voice crisp.
“Get him out of this house.”
Jonathan nodded. “Guards!”
Two security men emerged from the hallway and took Robert by the arms. He didn’t resist. He was silent. He only dropped his head and let himself be led away.
Another person entered the doorway just as the guards unlocked the front gate.
It was Kenny. He smiled, “I came to say hello.”
- Writer
