Chapter 3 - Playing with Fire
Inside the obsidian glass tower of Reed Enterprises, Carter Reed poured two glasses of scotch and handed one to Sarah. He was a man in his late thirties, wearing a sharp Italian suit, with cold gray eyes that calculated every move like a grandmaster on a chessboard.
"Ethan Hayes has been a thorn in my side for five years," Carter said, leaning back against his mahogany desk. "He plays the humble, clean-cut billionaire, and the market loves him for it. But every man has a flaw. Yours was his."
Sarah took a heavy gulp of the liquor, her eyes gleaming with vengeance. "He humiliated me, Carter. He used his power to blacklist me from the entire corporate world. I want him broke. I want him on his knees."
"And you shall have your revenge," Carter purred, pulling up a digital blueprint on his tablet. "Apex Global is preparing to launch 'Aegis,' an AI-driven logistics network, next month. If that platform launches, Reed Enterprises loses half its market share. But if Aegis's core source code were to be leaked or corrupted before the launch..."
Sarah smiled grimly. "Ethan keeps a backup hard drive of the master source code in his private residence. A penthouse at the Grand Horizon. I still have the emergency biometric key card he gave me six months ago when he pretended he was just 'house-sitting' for a rich client."
Carter’s eyes lit up with predatory glee. "Get me that drive, Sarah. Not only will I give you five million dollars in offshore funds, but I will also name you Vice President of Marketing at Reed Enterprises. You will be richer and more powerful than you ever dreamed of."
Sarah didn't hesitate. "Consider it done."
Late that night, under the cover of torrential rain, Sarah sneaked into the high-security parking garage of the Grand Horizon penthouses. Using the biometric key card, she slipped past the lobby scanner and into the private elevator.
When the elevator doors opened into Ethan’s massive penthouse, the luxury took her breath away. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire glittering skyline, rare artwork on the walls, and a private infinity pool.
He lived like a king while I paid for our takeout pizza, Sarah thought, her blood boiling with fresh anger. He deserved this.
She rushed into his private study, bypassed the desk drawers, and found the hidden safe behind the painting—a location Ethan had casually mentioned months ago. She swiped her card and entered his birthday.
BEEP. The safe unlocked.
Inside lay the dark silver drive labeled AEGIS-CORE.
Sarah grabbed the drive, a triumphant laugh escaping her lips. But just as she turned to leave, the lights in the study clicked on, illuminating the room in blinding white light.
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Standing in the doorway was not Ethan, but Marcus—the scar-faced head of Ethan’s private security detail—accompanied by two armed officers.
"Miss Jenkins," Marcus said calmly, holding up a smartphone that was recording her every move. "You just committed felony breaking and entering, corporate espionage, and grand theft."
