Chapter 33: The Copy

Chapter 33: The Copy

"Found you," Adrian whispered, his fingers closing around the cold brass handle of the heavy mahogany double doors at the very end of the private study corridor.

The master key turned with a soft, mechanical click that sounded entirely too loud in the dead silence of the west wing. Adrian slipped inside the room in a single fluid motion, shutting the door behind him and leaning his back against the solid wood. The study was pitch black, save for the faint, pulsing amber glow of a security console nestled in the far corner.

He didn't waste a second. Crossing the Persian rug in long, silent strides, he dropped to his knees in front of the concealed wall safe hidden behind a mediocre landscape oil painting.

"Clara said quadrant four, toggle left twice, right to seventy," Adrian muttered, his hands moving swiftly over the dial.

The heavy metal door swung open with a muffled hiss of depressurization. Inside, neatly stacked rows of physical bearer bonds and leather-bound ledgers sat beneath a built-in digital mainframe terminal.

"There you are," he breathed, reaching into the tailored interior pocket of his jacket and pulling out the sleek, palm-sized micro-scanner Clara had customized for the job.

He didn't bother looking at the physical documents. The real gold mine was the digital core linked directly to Bellweather’s private offshore server. Adrian jammed the scanner’s data cord into the mainframe’s primary port.

Connection established, a tiny blue LED light flashed on the device. Downloading encrypted master directories... 1%... 2%... 3%...

"Come on, move faster," Adrian hissed, glaring at the microscopic progress bar as it crawled sluggishly across the tiny LCD screen.

At that exact moment, a sharp knock echoed against the outer study door.

"Gregory? Are you in there with the manual circuit breaker keys?" a sharp, muffled voice called out from the hallway.

Adrian’s heart slammed violently against his ribs. He froze, his hand still resting on the scanner cable.

"Damn it," he whispered, his eyes darting frantically around the dark room for a secondary exit.

"If you don't open this door in five seconds, I'm fetching security," the voice outside demanded, accompanied by the distinct sound of a key rattling in the outer lock.

Progress: 14%... 15%...

"Unbelievable," Adrian cursed under his breath, knowing that pulling the cord now would corrupt the entire transfer and leave them with nothing.

The outer lock gave a heavy clack, and the heavy mahogany door began to swing open, casting a narrow beam of bright hallway light across the Persian rug.

"Adrian! What on earth are you doing hiding in the dark?" a smooth, deliberately loud voice echoed from the doorway, completely cutting off the intruder outside.

Adrian snapped his head up. Standing in the doorway was Theodore, casually leaning against the doorframe with a half-empty flute of champagne in his hand, blocking the view of the open safe entirely.

"Theodore?" a bewildered voice stammered from the hallway—it was Lawrence Hollingsworth himself, his face twisting into a mask of pure fury as he pushed past Theodore into the room. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you in Gregory's private study?"

"Your son was simply looking for a quiet place to escape the suffocating crowd, Lawrence," Theodore replied smoothly, not an ounce of panic in his voice as he stepped further into the room, effectively placing his broad shoulders directly between Lawrence and the kneeling Adrian. "The little blackout quite overwhelmed him. Didn't it, Adrian?"

Adrian didn't answer immediately. His eyes glued themselves back to the scanner screen.

Progress: 42%... 43%...

"Get out of my way, Theodore," Lawrence snapped, his voice dropping an octave into that familiar, terrifying corporate growl that had haunted Adrian's entire childhood. "Adrian, stand up this instant. What are you touching?"

"I'm not touching anything, Father," Adrian said, forcing his voice to remain steady as he kept one hand pressed firmly against the scanner unit to ensure the cord didn't wiggle loose.

Progress: 68%... 69%...

"You are standing directly in front of Gregory’s executive vault," Lawrence barked, taking a sharp step forward, his expensive leather shoes clicking angrily against the floorboards. "Have you completely lost your mind? Security is already roaming the halls looking for whoever tripped the breaker!"

"Oh, security has bigger things to worry about," Theodore interrupted, stepping directly into Lawrence’s path and forcing the older man to halt or physically collide with him. "I hear Gregory’s wine cellar was left completely unlocked in the dark. A few investors have already looted the best vintages."

"I don't care about the wine! Hollingsworth-Wexford shares are taking a beating because of this stunt!" Lawrence shoved past Theodore with a rough sweep of his arm, his eyes locking onto Adrian on the floor. "Get up. Right now."

Progress: 89%... 90%...

"Just a second, Father," Adrian said, his voice straining as he watched the progress bar inch closer to completion.

"That is an order!" Lawrence roared, closing the distance and reaching down to grab Adrian by the lapel of his custom suit.

Before Lawrence’s fingers could close around the fabric, Theodore moved with terrifying speed. He grabbed Lawrence’s wrist in a crushing grip, twisting the older man’s arm back with just enough force to halt him entirely.

"Don't touch him, Lawrence," Theodore whispered, his smile completely vanishing, replaced by a cold, predatory glare that made even Lawrence Hollingsworth recoil in shock. "Some habits from the boardroom don't translate well in private."

"Unhand me, you insolent bastard!" Lawrence snarled, trying to wrench his arm free. "I'll ruin you! I'll strip you of every cent—"

Progress: 99%... 100%. D******d Complete.

A tiny, bright green light blinked on the micro-scanner.

Adrian didn't hesitate. He yanked the cord from the mainframe port, shoved the device deep into his interior pocket, and sprang to his feet in one swift motion.

"The backup generators just kicked in," Adrian announced loudly, pointing toward the ceiling as the crystal chandeliers in the hallway suddenly flickered back to blinding life, casting a harsh yellow glare over all three of them. "The lights are back on. We should return to the party before Gregory notices we're missing."

Lawrence stared at Adrian, his chest heaving with suppressed rage, his eyes darting from Adrian’s cool, composed expression to Theodore’s mocking smirk.

"You two are playing a very dangerous game," Lawrence hissed, lowering his voice into a venomous threat. "If I find out you've breached anything in this room..."

"You won't find out anything, Lawrence, because we were just enjoying the quiet," Theodore cut in smoothly, patting Lawrence patronizingly on the shoulder. "Shall we, Adrian? The vultures are waiting."

Adrian walked past his father without another word, his hand pressed securely against his chest, feeling the hard, rectangular edge of the micro-scanner pulsing against his ribs like a loaded weapon.

As they stepped out of the study and back into the glittering, noisy chaos of the ballroom, Gregory Bellweather was standing near the grand staircase, looking ruffled, suspicious, and furious as he barked orders at a pair of estate guards.

Gregory’s sharp, calculating eyes locked onto Adrian the moment he stepped through the archway, his gaze instantly narrowing with intense, unmistakable suspicion.

"There you are, Adrian," Gregory called out across the crowded room, his voice dripping with false warmth as he began cutting through the sea of terrified investors straight toward them. "I was wondering where a Hollingsworth could possibly vanish to during a crisis."

Adrian didn't flinch, standing his ground beside Theodore as the trap finally snapped shut around them.