Chapter 47 - Marcus’s Second Betrayal
The public release stopped at ninety-nine percent.
Victor contacted Rachel from Northline’s vault.
“Miriam has provided her authorization. Olivia will provide hers next.”
“She will not.”
“Then thousands of families will never learn who owns their homes.”
“You contaminated the archive.”
“Celia told you that because she wants control returned to Northline.”
Celia denied it, but Rachel could no longer determine which warnings were true.
Marcus stepped toward the source-key controls.
“I can enter the vault.”
Tessa stared at him.
“You worked inside that building?”
“Victor used to meet me there. My access code may still work.”
Rachel refused to trust him with the cartridge.
Marcus looked at her.
“I know what I did cannot be repaired. But Victor still believes I care more about money than consequences.”
“He may be right.”
“He was right before.”
Marcus took out the marriage certificate he had signed at the reservoir.
“The scanner embedded Victor’s authorization token in this document. It can open his private elevator.”
Tessa arranged for police to follow his signal.
Marcus entered Northline alone.
Victor welcomed him into the bank vault.
“You returned,” Victor said.
“I want the settlement you promised.”
“And Rachel?”
“She will never forgive me. There is no reason to protect her now.”
Rachel heard every word through Marcus’s transmitter.
Victor handed him the false-record index.
“Delete the protected names before the release.”
Marcus inserted the index into a portable computer.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the public-release screen inside Rachel’s house changed.
FALSE ENTRIES IDENTIFIED.
REMOVAL IN PROGRESS.
Victor realized what Marcus had done.
The transmitter filled with movement and shouting.
Then Marcus’s voice came through.
“Rachel, release the files now.”
She pressed the confirmation control.
The upload reached one hundred percent.
But instead of publishing, the system displayed another requirement.
FINAL AUTHORIZATION MUST BE PROVIDED BY THE ORIGINAL HOUSE OWNER.
Rachel looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn shook her head.
“The original owner was not me.”
The screen showed a live camera feed from Northline’s vault.
Victor stood beside Miriam.
Behind them, a woman stepped out of the shadows.
May you like
Eleanor Anne Vale had supposedly died decades earlier.
Yet there she was.
