Chapter 5 - THE MASTER’S TRAP
Damian’s chest rose and fell in heavy, angry breaths.
The shadow of betrayal hung thick in the room.
"Lara," Damian rasped, his voice cutting like broken glass. "Step away from that desk."
Lara froze, her hands hovering inches from the keyboard.
The progress bar on the screen flashed: *Download Complete.*
She slid her thumb over the USB port, quietly slipping the tiny drive into her apron pocket.
"Mr. Hollis," Lara began, her voice shaking slightly. "It’s not what it looks like—"
"Silence!" Damian barked, taking two rapid steps into the room.
He looked down at his daughter.
"Grace, go to your room. Now."
Grace didn't flinch. She stood her ground beside the oversized chair.
"No, Daddy," Grace said clearly. "You need to see what she was downloading."
Damian ignored her, his dark eyes fixed entirely on Lara.
"I trusted you," Damian said, the pain in his voice cutting deeper than any anger. "My mother trusted your family."
"And you sneaked into my private study in the middle of the night to steal corporate files?"
"I wasn't stealing," Lara insisted, stepping forward. "I was gathering proof against Viviana."
The mention of his fiancée’s name made Damian’s jaw tighten into a hard line.
"Viviana has nothing to do with this," Damian snapped. "She is sleeping in her room."
"She is robbing you blind!" Lara cried out, losing her composure.
"Check the offshore accounts, Mr. Hollis! Look at the routing numbers!"
Damian stared at her, his expression unreadable.
He slowly reached out, grabbed the tablet from the desk, and glanced at the screen.
Rows of unauthorized transfers stared back at him.
Millions of dollars funneled into an anonymous overseas shell company.
Damian’s hand trembled slightly as he held the device.
The color drained entirely from his angular face.
"This..." Damian whispered, his voice cracking. "This is... impossible."
Before Damian could process the data, a soft gasp echoed from the doorway.
Viviana stood in the hallway, wrapped in her silk robe, her hands clutched over her mouth.
Tears welled up instantly in her eyes.
"Damian..." Viviana whimpered, trembling as she leaned against the doorframe.
"I woke up and saw the light."
"I came to see if you were okay."
"And I walk in to find... this."
Damian snapped his head toward Viviana, the stolen ledger still glowing in his hand.
Viviana looked at Lara with an expression of pure, calculated devastation.
"Lara," Viviana whispered, her voice breaking with heartbreaking betrayal.
"How could you do this to a family that took you in?"
"She’s lying!" Lara shouted, pointing a finger at Viviana. "She set this all up!"
Damian looked between the two women.
His mind was spinning, torn between the physical proof on the screen and the delicate trust he had placed in his fiancée.
"Enough!" Damian roared, slamming the tablet down onto the mahogany desk.
The sound echoed like a gunshot through the silent mansion.
"Both of you, out of my sight."
"Lara, you are confined to your quarters until sunrise."
"Viviana, go back to bed."
"We will settle this in the morning."
Viviana gave Lara one triumphant, hidden smirk before turning away.
Lara’s fists clenched at her sides.
She had the drive in her pocket.
May you like
The truth was captured on that tiny piece of silicon.
If she survived until morning.
