Chapter 19 - The Inverted Hourglass
The red hourglass symbol pulsed rhythmically on every monitor in the penthouse suite, accompanied by a low, synthesized audio tone that vibrated through the floorboards. The building's smart-system alarms began to chime softly, indicating a total lockdown of all exterior exits and elevators.
"They're locking us in again," Liam muttered, instantly drawing a concealed tactical blade and stepping in front of Clara. "It's a dead-man's switch protocol triggered by the data upload.
Suddenly, the boardroom's main television screen flickered to life. A distorted, modulated voice echoed through the high-end surround sound speakers. "Mr. Sterling, Miss Sterling, and Mr. Vance. You have successfully opened Pandora's box. But Project Meridian cannot be destroyed by a simple press release. Your upload was intercepted and rerouted to a secure offline vault.
Clara stepped forward, staring defiantly into the conference camera lens. "Whoever you are, your syndicate's time is up. We exposed Senator Vance, and the world is already watching.
May you like
The synthetic voice chuckled softly, a chilling sound that sent a shiver down the spine. "The world is watching a magic trick, Miss Sterling. While you stared at the digital dossier, your real assets—the core patents of your new energy grid—were just transferred to an offshore holding account. And as for your precious baby... let's just say family reunions are overrated.
Before Clara could process the threat, a sudden, sharp contraction seized her abdomen, doubling her over in agonizing pain. Liam caught her just as her knees buckled, his face draining of color.
