Chapter 4 - Midnight Lockout
At 12:17 a.m., while fireworks exploded over downtown Denver, I called the chief information security officer of Blackridge Cloud.
His name was Ethan Park.
He had worked with me for seven years.
He answered on the second ring.
“Claire?”
“I need you to disable every device that has ever been authorized through my executive credentials.”
Silence.
“That serious?”
“Yes.”
I told him enough.
Not everything.
Ethan did not waste time asking emotional questions.
“I’m killing all active sessions.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll call forensic security.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.”
At 12:24, Ryan’s access to anything connected to my credentials disappeared.
At 12:31, Samantha filed an emergency property notice regarding the penthouse.
At 12:39, building security changed the internal access authorization.
At 12:52, an officer called me from upstairs.
Ryan had been removed from the penthouse.
Grant had been taken into custody pending assault review.
Ryan was also being questioned regarding unlawful restraint and attempted unauthorized financial access.
Diane and Brooke had been escorted downstairs.
The officer asked whether I wanted Ryan allowed back into the residence.
“No.”
I heard Ryan shouting somewhere near him.
“She can’t lock me out of my own home.”
I closed my eyes.
“Officer?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Ask him whose name is on the deed.”
There was muffled conversation.
Then silence.
Samantha almost smiled.
Almost.
I didn’t.
Nothing about this felt victorious.
It felt like waking up inside a marriage I should have recognized years ago.
At 1:15, Ethan called again.
His voice sounded different.
“We found something.”
“What?”
“Someone accessed an archived compensation portal using credentials associated with your old laptop.”
“When?”
“Several times.”
“How far back?”
“Eight months.”
I gripped the hospital blanket.
“That laptop has been in our home office.”
“I know.”
“Can you tell who accessed it?”
“Not yet.”
Then he paused.
“But whoever did it downloaded documents related to your stock vesting schedule, executive insurance policy, and beneficiary information.”
My heart began pounding.
“Beneficiary?”
“Yes.”
Ryan was listed as primary beneficiary on one policy.
I had added him after our wedding.
It wasn’t an enormous policy by corporate standards.
But it was enough to make my skin turn cold.
Samantha heard Ethan through the speaker.
“How much?”
I told her.
Her expression hardened.
Then Ethan continued.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“Someone also searched internal documents related to your maternity leave.”
A strange pressure filled my chest.
“Why?”
“We don’t know.”
Then Samantha’s phone rang.
She answered.
Listened.
Her face drained of color.
When she hung up, she looked at me.
“That was the officer at your penthouse.”
“What happened?”
“They found something in Ryan’s coat.”
“What?”
“A second phone.”
I waited.
Samantha swallowed.
“It contains messages between Ryan and Brooke.”
May you like
She moved closer.
“They’ve been discussing your finances for months.”
