The Room Above the Showroom
Chapter 11 - The Room Above the Showroom
Victor’s office occupied the top floor of Cross Tower, directly above the flagship showroom.
The building’s security system required biometric access. Dominic could enter, but Victor monitored every movement.
Maya warned that stealing files could make the evidence inadmissible.
Dominic offered another route.
His father recorded all executive meetings for “accuracy.” The archive server contained audio, access logs, and security instructions. As company vice president, Dominic had lawful access to some of it.
He entered the office during a board dinner.
Sofia and Luis waited in a delivery van nearby while Maya monitored the connection.
Dominic found the command authorizing Roland to retrieve prototype components from storage. Another file contained payment to the men who entered Elias’s apartment.
Then he discovered a folder labeled BENNETT RESOLUTION.
Inside were photographs of Daniel’s damaged car, an invoice for replacement brake lines, and a transfer to the mechanic who falsified the inspection.
Dominic stared at the screen.
He had spent years refusing to ask what happened after the cabin meeting. Now the answer stood before him in numbered files.
A door opened behind him.
Victor entered.
“You always were sentimental,” he said.
Dominic turned. “You killed him.”
“I protected the company.”
“You used me.”
“I educated you.”
Victor moved toward the desk and disabled the network connection. The upload stopped at eighty-seven percent.
“You think Sofia will forgive you because you bring her a few files?”
“No.”
“Then why betray me?”
Dominic thought of Elias striking the limousine. He thought of Sofia placing the ring on the hood. He thought of every employee who had lowered their eyes because his anger could cost them a livelihood.
“Because forgiveness is not the same as stopping.”
Victor smiled without warmth.
“You are not strong enough.”
He called security.
Dominic seized the archive drive and ran through the private conference room. Roland’s men blocked the main elevator, forcing him down the service stairs.
On the thirty-second floor, Victor remotely locked the fire doors.
Dominic was trapped.
Then the building alarm sounded.
Luis had triggered the showroom’s sprinkler test from a maintenance panel, forcing automatic release of the stairwell locks.
Dominic escaped into the crowd below.
The archive drive contained only the final thirteen percent of the files.
But one surviving recording captured Victor ordering the evidence planted in Elias’s apartment.
May you like
It was enough to reopen the case.
Not enough to prove murder.
