Chapter 6 - The Missing Badge
Brooke’s face drained of all color. The cinematic realism of her sheer, unadulterated shock was palpable.
"My... my badge?" Brooke stammered, her voice cracking as she looked wildly between the Colonel and the General. "That's impossible! I've been at this gala all night! Julian, tell them! I've been right here!"
Because her husband was a defense contractor, Brooke possessed a basic civilian clearance badge for visiting the lower-level administration offices. It did not grant her access to Building 7. If her badge was swiped at that door, it meant she had committed federal espionage.
General Reed slowly turned her head. Her piercing, dark eyes locked onto Brooke with a cold, terrifying intensity that made the room temperature plummet.
"Brooke," General Reed demanded, her voice cold and demanding. "Where is your security badge?"
"It's in my purse!" Brooke shrieked defensively, her hands violently shaking as she fumbled with the golden clasp of her small sparkly clutch. "It's always in my purse! I haven't taken it out all week!"
She tore the purse open. She pulled out her lipstick, her compact mirror, her phone, and her credit cards, dumping them frantically onto the white tablecloth.
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The purse was completely empty. The security badge was gone.
👉 Brooke’s arrogant facade completely collapsed into sheer terror, but the man sitting at the table was about to crack first.
