CHAPTER 5 — THE PHONE HIDDEN IN THE DIAMOND CLUTCH
CHAPTER 5 — THE PHONE HIDDEN IN THE DIAMOND CLUTCH
"She's moving."
The cybersecurity director enlarged the floor plan of the mansion.
A bright red dot pulsed through the hallway leading toward the private guest suites.
Every security specialist in the room watched the signal advance.
Liam didn't raise his voice.
"Lock the estate."
Immediately.
Steel security shutters descended over every entrance.
The armored convoy outside repositioned.
Within seconds, the mansion had transformed from a luxury residence into a sealed fortress.
One of Natalie's wealthy friends tried to leave.
A guard politely blocked the driveway.
"No one leaves until Dr. Hayes says so."
Panic spread through the guests.
Meanwhile...
Natalie hurried down the corridor, barefoot after losing one heel in the chaos.
Her soaked dress clung to her body as she clutched her diamond evening purse.
Her breathing became frantic.
"No..."
"No..."
"This wasn't supposed to happen..."
She locked herself inside an upstairs powder room.
Her shaking fingers pulled out a tiny encrypted satellite phone hidden beneath a false compartment.
She dialed immediately.
The call connected.
A cold male voice answered.
"You were told not to contact me."
"They know!"
Natalie whispered.
"They traced something!"
The man remained calm.
"Destroy the phone."
"I can't."
"They've locked the property."
A pause.
Then...
"You've become a liability."
The line went dead.
Natalie stared at the screen.
For the first time in years...
She realized she wasn't a partner.
She was disposable.
Downstairs, I watched the live network map.
"There."
I pointed toward the second floor.
"The transmitter stopped moving."
Liam nodded.
"Bring her."
Four tactical guards disappeared upstairs.
Thirty seconds later...
A scream echoed through the mansion.
Natalie fought wildly as the guards escorted her back into the ballroom.
"I didn't do anything!"
"You can't touch me!"
"This is illegal!"
One guard calmly placed her diamond clutch on the conference table.
The cybersecurity director frowned.
"This bag is transmitting."
Natalie laughed nervously.
"It's just a purse."
I looked at Liam.
He understood immediately.
He handed me a small precision screwdriver from the emergency toolkit.
I removed one decorative diamond from the purse clasp.
Behind it...
A hidden antenna blinked.
Gasps filled the room.
Then I pressed against the leather lining.
A secret compartment opened.
Inside rested the satellite phone.
Richard staggered backward.
"Natalie..."
"What is this?"
She couldn't answer.
Because the phone suddenly rang.
The caller ID displayed only one word.
DIRECTOR
No one breathed.
Liam looked at me.
"Answer it."
I pressed speaker.
The same icy voice echoed across the silent ballroom.
"Report."
I smiled.
"This isn't Natalie."
Several seconds passed.
Then...
"So."
"You must be Audrey Hayes."
"You've been more troublesome than expected."
The room became deathly still.
I asked quietly,
"Who are you?"
The man chuckled.
"The person who financed the accident that took your leg."
Every sound disappeared.
Even the air felt frozen.
Richard's wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered across the marble floor.
Natalie's face turned white.
"You..."
"You told me it was just business..."
The voice answered without emotion.
"It was."
"And now you've become bad business."
The call disconnected.
No one moved.
Professor Brooks looked at me with horror.
"Audrey..."
"You told me the truck driver fell asleep."
I stared at the dead phone.
"So did the police."
Liam slowly clenched his fists.
May you like
Someone hadn't merely ruined my childhood.
Someone had planned it.
