Chapter 3 - The Midnight Theft
Arthur’s private study was the absolute fortress of the estate. The heavy oak doors were secured by a complex biometric scanner, but in the event of a power failure, there was a manual override lock. The only physical key to that override lock was a heavy, antique brass key that Arthur kept strictly on his person during the day, and directly inside his bedside nightstand drawer while he slept.
Inside that study was a massive, fireproof safe. And inside that safe were the most critical documents of Arthur’s life, including Lucy’s birth certificate, her absolute sole-custody legal decrees, and her international passport.
Vivian knew she couldn't break into the study herself. Arthur was a notoriously light sleeper, and the security cameras in the hallway would flag any adult moving around after midnight.
So, Vivian committed the ultimate, unforgivable betrayal. She weaponized a six-year-old child against her own father.
Two nights before the dinner, at 2:00 AM, Vivian crept into Lucy’s bedroom. She gently shook the little girl awake. Speaking in a sweet, manipulative whisper, Vivian told Lucy they were going to play a "secret midnight game." She convinced the innocent child that her father had hidden a special, magical surprise inside his study, but he had lost the key.
"You have to be very, very quiet, little bird," Vivian had hissed, her manicured fingers digging painfully into Lucy’s small shoulder. "Sneak into Daddy's room and open the little drawer next to his bed. Get the heavy brass key. If he wakes up, you just tell him you had a bad dream. But if you get the key, you win the game."
Lucy, desperate to please her terrifying grandmother and excited by the prospect of a surprise, crept into her father's dark bedroom. She carefully opened the nightstand drawer, her tiny fingers wrapping around the cold brass key. She brought it directly back to Vivian in the dark hallway.
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Vivian didn't give the child a prize. She simply snatched the key, locked Lucy back in her bedroom, and walked silently toward the study to commit a federal crime.
👉 Read Part 4 to discover what Vivian stole from the heavy iron safe.
