Chapter 16:Six Minutes

Zoe's POV

“Five minutes fifty,” Julian murmured.

His eyes stayed on his watch, and his voice was so low that it almost disappeared beneath the soft hum of the security corridor.

“Move.”

Zoe's heart slammed against her ribs.

She followed him down the hallway, trying not to make a sound.

Both of them were dressed in dark clothes. A part of her thought they looked almost ridiculous, like people in a spy movie.

But the thought disappeared as soon as she remembered why they were dressed that way.

They were breaking into the security office.

And if Marcus found them, they had no idea what he would do.

Zoe reached into her pocket and touched the keycard.

Her fingers tightened around it.

The same keycard she had taken from her apron weeks ago.

The same keycard that had started everything.

She still remembered the first time she had used it.

She had never imagined that one small decision would lead her here.

Julian stopped in front of the security office.

He looked at her.

“Ready?”

Zoe nodded.

“As ready as I'll ever be.”

He turned toward the door.

Zoe held her breath as she watched him slide the keycard into the reader.

A soft click sounded.

For one second, nothing happened.

Then the light changed.

Green.

Julian opened the door.

“In.”

They slipped inside together.

Zoe stepped into the room and immediately felt a strange chill move through her.

She had been here before.

The memory came back quickly.

She had once hidden beneath the desk in this same office, terrified that someone would find her.

She remembered Marcus's voice.

She remembered the sound of his footsteps.

She remembered holding her breath and praying he would leave.

That night, she had been alone.

This time, Julian was beside her.

This time, they had a plan.

And they had less than six minutes to make it work.

Julian quietly closed the door.

Zoe looked at her watch.

Five minutes and forty seconds.

“Where do we start?” she whispered.

“The desk.”

They moved quickly.

Zoe crossed the room while Julian went toward the main desk.

“Filing cabinet,” she whispered.

She pointed toward it.

“It's locked, but the bottom drawer of the desk opened last time.”

Julian was already kneeling beside the desk.

Arthur had given him a small tool earlier that evening.

Zoe watched as he carefully worked on the lock.

His face was serious.

His movements were quick but controlled.

Click.

The drawer opened.

Zoe leaned closer.

Folders.

Dozens of them.

They were arranged carefully, with dates written across the labels.

Nothing looked suspicious at first.

There were no names like secret files or private information.

Everything looked normal.

Almost too normal.

“Four minutes,” Zoe whispered.

Julian looked at his watch.

“Start taking pictures.”

Zoe pulled out her phone.

They began going through the folders.

One after another.

Zoe photographed pages that showed changes in security schedules.

She found reports about broken cameras.

Another folder contained records of doors that had been opened after hours.

Julian photographed everything that seemed unusual.

Neither of them spoke much.

They didn't have time.

The room felt smaller with every passing second.

Zoe could hear her own breathing.

She could hear the quiet clicking of Julian's phone camera.

She could hear the clock on the wall.

Three minutes.

Zoe opened another folder.

Nothing.

She moved to the next one.

Nothing.

Another.

Still nothing.

“Julian.”

He looked at her.

“I don't think these are enough.”

“Keep looking.”

She nodded.

They continued.

Julian opened another folder.

Then another.

His expression remained calm.

Until suddenly, it didn't.

His hand stopped.

Completely.

Zoe looked at him.

“Julian?”

He didn't answer.

He was staring at a single piece of paper.

His face had gone pale.

Not angry.

Not confused.

Pale.

Zoe immediately felt uneasy.

“What is it?”

Julian didn't move.

“Julian.”

He slowly lifted the paper.

“Look.”

Zoe stepped closer.

It was a printed letter.

The paper was clean and formal.

At the top was a company letterhead.

Zoe recognized the name.

Vantage Holdings.

Her stomach dropped.

The letter was addressed to Marcus.

She read the first line.

Then the next.

Her eyes moved down the page.

The message was short, but the meaning was clear.

Vantage Holdings had been communicating with Marcus.

And it wasn't a recent conversation.

The letter was dated eighteen months ago.

Zoe looked at Julian.

He was still staring at the paper.

“Eighteen months,” he said quietly.

Zoe didn't know what to say.

Julian's voice sounded strange.

“My father died eighteen months ago.”

Zoe felt a cold feeling spread through her stomach.

Julian continued staring at the letter.

“My father died of a heart attack.”

He swallowed.

“This letter was written before he died.”

Zoe looked back at the paper.

She read it again.

The message said that the information Marcus had provided about Julian's father's final months had been valuable.

It also said that Vantage Holdings was ready to move forward with an arrangement.

Zoe's heart began beating faster.

“Julian…”

He shook his head.

“No.”

“What?”

“This doesn't make sense.”

“Maybe we don't have the full story yet.”

Julian looked at her.

“My father was sick?”

“I don't know.”

“He never told me anything.”

Zoe stayed quiet.

She knew this was not the moment to say something careless.

Julian had always spoken about his father with control.

She had never seen him like this.

There was something different in his eyes.

Shock.

Pain.

And something close to fear.

“What does ‘his final months’ mean?” Zoe asked softly.

Julian didn't answer.

He looked down at the letter again.

“I need to know.”

“We will.”

He folded the paper carefully.

Then he placed it back inside the folder.

He took several photographs of it.

One.

Two.

Three.

He made sure they had clear copies.

Then he returned the folder to its place.

“Two minutes,” he said.

His voice had changed.

The shock was still there, but his focus had returned.

“We need to go.”

Zoe nodded.

They moved toward the door.

She looked at the room one last time.

So many files.

So many secrets.

And somewhere inside this office was proof that Marcus had been working with Vantage Holdings for at least eighteen months.

But now there was another question.

What had Marcus known about Julian's father?

And why?

Zoe followed Julian toward the door.

They were almost there.

Three steps.

Two.

One.

Then her phone buzzed.

A single sound.

It was small.

Barely anything.

But in the quiet room, it sounded unbelievably loud.

Zoe froze.

Julian froze too.

His eyes immediately moved toward her pocket.

“Turn it off,” he whispered.

Zoe reached for her phone.

But it was already too late.

Footsteps.

From the hallway.

Fast footsteps.

Zoe's heart dropped.

Someone was coming.

Julian raised one finger to his lips.

Silence.

Zoe quickly pulled out her phone and pressed the side button.

The screen went dark.

But the footsteps were getting closer.

One.

Two.

Three.

The sound became clearer.

Someone was running down the hallway.

Zoe looked at Julian.

“What do we do?”

Julian's eyes moved around the room.

The door was their only obvious exit.

If they opened it now, whoever was outside would see them.

Zoe's breathing became shallow.

She looked around.

The desk.

The cabinets.

The shelves.

Then she remembered.

The same place where she had hidden before.

Her eyes moved toward the desk.

Julian followed her gaze.

“No.”

She pointed.

“It's the only place.”

He shook his head.

“You're not hiding under there again.”

The footsteps came closer.

Zoe whispered, “Julian, we don't have a choice.”

He looked at the door.

Then back at her.

Another set of footsteps joined the first.

Two people.

Zoe's stomach twisted.

Marcus might have brought someone with him.

Julian grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the side of the room.

“Not under the desk.”

“Then where?”

He pointed toward a tall storage cabinet.

There was a narrow space behind it.

Zoe stared.

“We won't fit.”

“We will.”

He moved the cabinet slightly.

It made a tiny scraping sound.

Both of them froze.

The footsteps stopped.

Zoe's heart nearly stopped with them.

Silence filled the hallway.

Someone was standing outside.

Julian slowly released the cabinet.

Neither of them moved.

A shadow appeared beneath the door.

Zoe covered her mouth with one hand.

Julian stood in front of her.

The shadow stayed there.

For several seconds.

Then the door handle moved.

Zoe's eyes widened.

The handle turned.

The door opened slightly.

Julian's hand closed around hers.

The door opened another inch.

Zoe could barely breathe.

A voice came from outside.

“Check inside.”

Her blood turned cold.

She knew that voice.

Marcus.

He was here.

Julian leaned closer to her.

His mouth barely moved when he whispered,

“Don't move.”

The door opened wider.

Zoe pressed herself against the wall, trying to make herself as small and quiet as possible.

Marcus stepped into the room.

Another man stood behind him.

Zoe couldn't see his face clearly.

Marcus looked around.

His eyes moved over the desks.

The filing cabinets.

The shelves.

Everything.

He wasn't here by accident.

He knew something was wrong.

Zoe's mind raced.

Had he discovered the missing files?

Had he seen the door open?

Had he known they were coming?

Marcus walked farther into the room.

“Something was moved,” he said.

The other man looked around.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Marcus walked toward the desk.

Zoe's heart pounded harder.

That was where the folders had been.

Marcus reached the desk.

He stopped.

His eyes moved toward the bottom drawer.

Zoe held her breath.

Marcus opened it.

He looked inside.

Then he closed it again.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he smiled.

It was not a friendly smile.

“Interesting,” he said.

Zoe looked at Julian.

He was completely still.

Marcus turned toward the door.

“Let's go.”

The other man followed him.

Zoe waited.

She waited until their footsteps disappeared.

Only then did Julian slowly breathe out.

Zoe felt weak with relief.

They stayed silent for another few seconds.

Then Julian looked at her.

“We have to leave.”

Zoe nodded.

He carefully opened the door.

The hallway was empty.

They stepped out.

Julian checked both directions.

“Go.”

They moved quickly but quietly down the corridor.

Zoe's mind was still stuck on the letter.

Eighteen months.

Her thoughts were spinning.

Marcus had been working with Vantage Holdings before Julian's father died.

And now Marcus had entered the office just minutes after they found the evidence.

This was no longer just about a corrupt security officer.

There was something much bigger behind it.

Something that had started long before Zoe ever came to work for Julian.

As they reached the end of the corridor, Julian looked at her.

“Are you okay?”

Zoe nodded.

“Yes.”

He studied her face.

“You're shaking.”

“So are you.”

He looked down at his hand.

She was right.

His fingers were trembling slightly.

Julian looked away.

“We have the photographs.”

“And the letter.”

“Yes.”

Zoe swallowed.

“But we still don't know what happened to your father.”

Julian's expression became hard.

“No.”

He looked toward the dark hallway behind them.

“But we're going to find out.”

They continued walking.

Neither of them spoke again.

They had entered the security office with six minutes.

They had left with something far more important than they expected.

Proof.

A connection to Vantage Holdings.

A letter about Julian's father.

And a question that had just become impossible to ignore.

What had really happened during Julian Blackwood's father's final months?

And how far was Marcus willing to go to keep that truth buried?