Chapter 9: The Hidden Alliance
With Julian gone for the afternoon, the grand estate felt like a mausoleum of wealth and secrets. I hurried up the curved staircase and made my way down the servants' corridor toward the back wing, where the auxiliary rooms and storage pantries were located. Maya had told me earlier, through a brief, coded note left among the linen supplies, that she would be organizing the silver storage room on the second floor.
I pushed the heavy wooden door open and slipped inside, closing it softly behind me. The room smelled faintly of silver polish and old cedar. Maya was standing by a long mahogany trestle table, sorting through velvet-lined boxes of antique cutlery. When she heard the latch click, she turned around and immediately pulled the beige niqab down from her face, letting me see the stark, jagged chemical burn that traced from her left jawline up toward her cheekbone—the permanent signature of Julian’s reckless corporate negligence.
"The coast is clear for the next three hours," I said, leaning back against the closed door. "Julian went downtown. But we don't have much time. The gala is in four days, and if we wait until the event itself, the risk of interception is too high."
Maya set down a silver fork, her dark eyes steady and unblinking. "Four days is plenty of time if we move carefully. But we can't just leak the files anonymously. Julian’s legal team has automated injunctions set up to flag any unauthorized data transfers originating from the house IP address."
"I know," I replied, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a second, smaller USB drive I had encoded that morning using an old laptop Julian didn't know I owned. "That's why we're not sending it from here. I have a contact at the regional investigative desk—an old college friend whose integrity Julian hasn't been able to buy."
Maya crossed her arms, her expression a mix of caution and hard-earned hope. "And how do we get that drive out of the estate without his security detail noticing? Every bag, every vehicle, every visitor is logged by the gate cameras."
"Julian thinks I'm going to the downtown boutique tomorrow afternoon for my final dress fitting," I said quietly. "His security guards will drive me, but they won't search a bridal garment bag. We hide the drive inside the lining of the blue satin dress."
May you like
A slow, grim smile touched the edges of Maya’s scarred lips. "It's risky. If they catch you, there won't just be a quiet divorce. People like Julian don't leave loose ends."
"Neither do I," I said, my voice as cold and sharp as the silver on the table before us.
