Chapter 15 - The Digital Siege
Rowan did not flinch. He met her glare with absolute composure, remembering every cold foster home, every locked door, and every struggle his mother endured to keep him breathing.
"You talk about my mother as if she was a thief," Rowan said, stepping closer. "She didn't steal me from this building. She saved me from monsters who treat human lives like corporate assets."
Victoria's face twitched with genuine anger for the first time. She snapped her fingers, and two armed security guards stepped forward, pressing heavy tasers against Rowan's shoulders, forcing him to his knees.
"You have twenty-four hours to sign the surrender papers," Victoria hissed, leaning over him. "In the meantime, let's see how your valley friends manage when every bank account, supply line, and communication tower connected to Crownridge is wiped out by midnight."
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She walked toward the private elevator, leaving him pinned to the floor by the guards. As the doors slid shut, Rowan closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. He knew Victoria had the corporate power to choke the valley digitally—unless someone on the inside fought back on the digital front.
Just as the guards hauled him toward a holding room down the hall, a soft chime echoed from Rowan's coat pocket. A burner phone given to him by an underground archivist in the valley buzzed to life. He tapped the screen with his thumb. A secure, encrypted data transfer was completing—files stolen from the Blackthorn Trust mainframes by an anonymous whistleblower within the Manhattan office who had been quietly aiding the true bloodline for months.
