Chapter 4 - The Traitor Within
The private elevator doors slid open with a soft, mechanical hiss.
Elias stood in the dim corridor just outside the master suite, blending into the dark mahogany panels like a predator waiting for its prey. Heavy footsteps echoed on the private landing—slow, deliberate, and entirely unafraid.
A tall figure stepped out into the hallway, illuminated by the emergency backup lights. It was Marcus Thorne, Elias’s most trusted head of security, a man who had stood by his side through a dozen gang wars and saved his life more times than Elias could count.
Except tonight, Marcus was holding a silenced pistol, his expression devoid of the loyal warmth he usually wore.
"I saw the power fluctuation on the west wing grid, boss," Marcus said smoothly, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet corridor. "Thought I'd come check it out personally. Can't have any vulnerabilities while the storm's knocking out our defenses."
Elias stepped out from the shadows, his own weapon leveled squarely at Marcus's chest. The silence between them grew heavy, thick with unspoken betrayal.
"You didn't take the main stairs, Marcus," Elias said coldly. "And you used a biometric override code that only two people in this world possess."
Marcus stopped in his tracks. He didn't flinch. Instead, a slow, grim smile crept across his face. He lowered his weapon slightly, though his eyes remained sharp and calculating.
"I figured you'd check the logs eventually," Marcus admitted, his tone chillingly casual. "Three years ago, Elias, you were getting soft. You let sentimentality cloud your judgment. Rosalind saw things she shouldn't have seen. She knew about our arrangement with the federal syndicates."
"You killed my wife," Elias whispered, every muscle in his body tensing, ready to strike.
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"We removed a liability," Marcus corrected sharply. "Just like we're going to remove loose ends tonight. I saw the security footage from the perimeter sensors before they fried. I saw you carry a pregnant maid into the greenhouse. Imagine my surprise when I realized 'Anna Reed' was actually the ghost you've been mourning."
Marcus raised his silenced pistol swiftly, aiming right for Elias's heart. "It's poetic, really. You get to lose her twice."
