Chapter twenty five:The trap springs

After the long  argument in the study, where Jaxson had finally stripped off his invincible CEO facade and laid bare his deepest fears, I hadn't been able to close my eyes. His quiet admission lingered in the quiet room, heavy and terrifying: If this leg doesn't work by autumn, I lose everything.  

I sat at the glass desk near the balcony doors, wrapped in a thick knit sweater, my laptop open in front of me. The soft white glow of the screen illuminated the dark room, displaying the detailed rehabilitation logs and biomechanical progress charts I had been meticulously updating since day one.  

I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my temples as a dull ache throbbed behind my forehead. Jaxson's patellar tendon was in a perilously fragile state. The micro-tears from his foolish attempt on the leg press, combined with the subsequent inflammation from the hydrotherapy wing incident, meant that one wrong step—one moment of reckless, stubborn overexertion—could end his career permanently.  

I reached down to sip my chamomile tea, my eyes drifting back to the laptop display.  

That was when I noticed the anomaly.  

A tiny, blue indicator light on the top bezel of my laptop flickered twice—the webcam and data-transfer LED.  

My brow furrowed. I hadn't initiated a video call or an external diagnostic sync.  

I placed my mug down with a quiet, sharp click and dragged my cursor toward the system tray. A sudden spike in background network activity made my heart skip a beat. The fan inside the laptop began to whir at high speed, the processor laboring under an immense, unexpected load.  

Data transfer in progress: 1.4 GB / 2.0 GB.

"What is this?" I whispered into the empty room, my fingers flying across the trackpad as I tried to open the active task manager.  

The system froze for two agonizing seconds. Then, right before my eyes, the screen flickered erratically. The mouse cursor moved across the screen on its own, sliding toward my encrypted local vault—the folder containing Jaxson Vance’s private, unredacted surgical files, post-op MRIs, and my personal diagnostic summaries detailing the severe vulnerability of his knee graft.  

A wave of icy, paralyzing terror surged through my veins, making my blood run cold.  

Someone was controlling my laptop remotely.  

"No, no, no," I gasped out loud, slamming my hand down on the keyboard to execute a hard force-quit.  

Nothing happened. The screen remained locked under a remote desktop protocol.  

A pop-up window suddenly flashed on the screen, a terminal prompt executing a rapid series of command lines. Before my eyes, my personal cryptographic key my official digital signature stamp as a licensed physical therapist was pulled from the secure enclave and applied directly to the outgoing data stream.  

Digital Signature Authenticated: Dr. Sienna Mercer, PT, DPT.  

Recipient: Outgoing Broadcast Relay / Public Domain Server.  

My breath hitched in my chest, a suffocating, violent panic clawing at my throat. My hands began to shake uncontrollably. This wasn't just a simple security breach or a random hack; it was an intricate, ruthless setup. Someone had bypassed the estate's internal firewalls by piggybacking on my local network access, using my exact credentials to send Jaxson’s most sensitive medical vulnerabilities straight into the public domain.  

It was designed to look like I had sold him out.  

"Stop! Cancel process!" I yelled frantically, slamming the power button down with all my strength.  

The screen refused to shut off, locked in an override loop. Cold sweat broke out across my back as I reached for the back of the laptop, trying desperately to pull the power cable and force a physical shutdown.  

Data Transfer 100% Complete.  

Status: Published.  

The screen finally went black, but it was far too late.  

I stood above the desk, my chest heaving, my mind spinning in a terrifying whirlwind. My thoughts raced back to the library, to Radek’s ruthless interrogation, to Jaxson stepping in to protect me, believing in my innocence. Now, the very scenario Jaxson had defended me against had just played out right from my own room.  

Before I could even take a step toward the door to find Jaxson, a heavy, deafening BANG echoed through the suite.  

The lock on my bedroom door was shatteredward with a sharp, hydraulic crunch.  

The door burst open, slamming hard against the adjacent wall.  

Four private security operatives in heavy black tactical gear flooded into my room, weapons raised at the ready, their tactical flashlights cutting through the darkness in blinding, frantic beams.  

Right behind them stepped Radek.  

His expression was absolute, unyielding ice—far colder and more lethal than it had been in the library. His sidearm was drawn, held firm in his gloved hands, pointed straight at my chest.  

"Radek!" I cried out, backing up against the glass balcony doors, raising my trembling hands into the air. "Listen to me! Someone just accessed my laptop remotely! They routed a data transfer through my network—"  

"Save your breath, Doctor," Radek growled, his voice dropping into a deadly, razor-sharp register that silenced the room completely. He didn't hesitate; he didn't check the desk. He simply gestured for his men to secure the room.  

"Radek, please!" I pleaded, tears of pure frustration and helplessness burning in my eyes. "It’s a frame-up! You have to check the IP bounce logs!"  

Radek took three slow, heavy steps toward me, his weapon never wavering.  

"Two minutes ago, Mr Vance's unredacted surgical profile, complete with your official digital signature and your personal assessment stating his knee is permanently compromised, was published on every major financial news outlet in Europe. Vance Enterprises stock is currently crashing in the pre-market, and the board has just called an emergency vote of no confidence."  

He stepped directly into my space, his eyes locking onto mine with an absolute, terrifying finality.  

"You're under arrest for corporate espionage and breach of non-disclosure. Step away from the desk."