Chapter 8 - The Mole Within
The internal audit of Blackwood Manor’s security team didn't take long once Maxwell Blackwood applied pressure. By midnight, the intruder had been intercepted near the service gates—not an outside assassin, but a senior security supervisor who had been on the Blackwood payroll for over a decade, quietly feeding intelligence to Arthur Vance’s remaining associates.
In the private security briefing room, the traitor sat handcuffed to a metal chair, staring blankly at the floor while Maxwell stood over him like an executioner.
"Who else?" Maxwell asked, his voice chillingly calm.
The guard kept his mouth shut, refusing to speak.
Lily stepped forward from the shadows of the doorway, her hands tucked neatly into the pockets of her jacket. She looked less like a rescued street child and more like a seasoned investigator.
"You aren't protecting Arthur Vance anymore," Lily said softly, stepping into the harsh light of the interrogation lamp. "Arthur’s bank accounts were frozen by federal prosecutors three weeks ago. He can't pay your pension, and he certainly can't bail you out of a federal conspiracy charge for breaking into a private residence."
The guard flinched, his eyes darting upward to meet Lily’s steady gaze.
"Project Janus," Lily continued, pressing her advantage. "That's what you were looking for in the archives, wasn't it? Arthur wants those old urban development patents because they prove he embezzled fifty million dollars from the company back in ninety-four to fund his own rival startup."
The guard swallowed hard, his tough facade crumbling completely. "I... I only took copies of the financial ledgers. They're... they're stored on an encrypted drive in the security locker."
Maxwell didn't waste a breath. He motioned to his chief of security, who immediately moved to retrieve the drive.
As the guard was led away in handcuffs, Maxwell turned his gaze to the two children standing near the door. He knelt down so he was eye-level with Lily.
"You two could have been killed down there," Maxwell said, his voice laced with a raw vulnerability he rarely showed. "Why didn't you come straight to me?"
"Because if we told you, you would have locked us in our rooms and handled it yourself," Lily replied evenly, looking right back into his gray eyes. "We're Blackwoods now. That means we protect the house too."
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A slow, proud smile broke across Maxwell’s face. He placed a heavy, reassuring hand on Lily’s shoulder and another on Ethan’s head.
"Yes," Maxwell murmured softly. "You certainly are."
