Chapter 1 – The Number My Grandfather Made Me Memorize
Ethan's smile faded.
"What did you just do?"
I didn't answer.
I kept the phone pressed against the marble floor, my body shielding it from view.
The calm voice on the other end spoke with quiet precision.
"Mrs. Blackwood, remain where you are."
"Emergency medical personnel are five minutes away."
"Our legal response team has already been activated."
"And your security file has been unlocked."
For the first time, uncertainty crossed Ethan's face.
"What security file?"
I looked at him through blurred vision.
"The one my grandfather created the day he realized wealth attracts the wrong kind of people."
Vanessa took a nervous step backward.
"Ethan..."
"What is she talking about?"
He ignored her.
He reached for my phone.
Before he could touch it...
The voice on the speaker continued.
"Mr. Whitmore."
"We strongly advise you not to interfere."
Ethan froze.
"Who is this?"
"My name is Daniel Mercer."
"I serve as director of Blackwood Response."
"I've also notified local law enforcement that a pregnant woman has reported a violent assault."
The room became perfectly still.
Daniel continued.
"For your information..."
"The residence security system is no longer under your control."
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
Hidden inside the kitchen ceiling...
A small camera slowly rotated.
A green indicator light turned blue.
The private security network my grandfather had installed years earlier had switched to emergency mode.
Every recording was now streaming directly to secure servers.
Every second inside the kitchen was being preserved.
Ethan looked up.
Then slowly back at me.
"You planned this?"
A painful smile touched my lips.
"No."
"My grandfather did."
Three minutes later...
The front gates opened.
Not because Ethan approved them.
Because he no longer could.
Three black SUVs entered the estate.
Behind them came two ambulances.
Then police cruisers.
The first person through the front door wasn't a detective.
It was my family's attorney.
Helen Brooks.
Seventy years old.
Silver hair.
Perfect posture.
She knelt beside me without saying a word.
Then she looked at Ethan.
"I warned Charles this day might come."
Ethan stared at her.
"I run Blackwood Holdings."
Helen calmly removed a folder from her briefcase.
"No."
May you like
"You managed it."
"There is a difference."
