Chapter 77 77

Chapter 77 77
The New York wind that evening was bone-chilling, as if mocking Jessica as she hurried out of a small pharmacy on the outskirts of the city. She pulled the hood of her gray hoodie lower, trying to hide her swollen face from anyone who might recognize her. In her grip, a plastic bag containing liquid medicine and a few pills for her mother felt heavy—as heavy as the burden crushing her chest every time she had to look at the cruel faces of her kidnappers.

"Get in the car, fast. Don't try anything funny, or your mother won't get her first dose tonight," whispered a burly man standing near the door of an old, rusted jeep.

Jessica didn't answer. She only nodded slowly, her eyes staring blankly at the asphalt. "I need one more minute to buy bottled water at the convenience store next door," she said, her voice raspy, nearly lost in the wind.

"One minute. If you try to run, you know the consequences," the man threatened, spitting to the side.

Jessica walked unsteadily. In her mind, the image of Mr. Raymond Craig kept spinning. She felt like the most despicable person in the world for betraying the man who had always helped her. Yet, every time she wanted to scream for help, the image of her younger sibling being held at gunpoint in the room next to that old house haunted her. She was trapped, with no choice but to be a wooden puppet in Theo’s insane plan.

Across the street, a luxurious black sedan had just pulled into the convenience store parking lot. Joel, Raymond’s personal assistant, had just finished a long shift overseeing a logistics shipment from the out-of-town port. His face looked tired; he just wanted to buy a cup of hot black coffee before returning to the Craig mansion to report.

As Joel opened the car door, his sharp eyes accidentally caught the figure of a woman who had just exited the convenience store. The woman was wearing an oversized hoodie, but Joel could never forget the gait and posture of the people who had worked closely with him.

"Wait a minute," Joel muttered to himself. "Isn't that Ms. Jessica?"

Joel squinted, trying to pierce through the twilight gloom. He saw the woman approaching an old jeep in a hurry. Just before the jeep door closed, the woman's hood was pulled back slightly by a gust of wind, revealing the side profile of her pale face.

"It’s her. It’s definitely Jessica," Joel thought, his heart beginning to race.

Why is she here? Joel wondered. Boss Raymond said Ms. Jessica had moved abroad with her husband a month ago. But why does she look so disheveled and terrified?

Joel immediately got back into his car, abandoning his plan to buy coffee. His protective instincts, honed over years by Raymond’s side, screamed loudly. He started the engine without turning on the headlights, trying to follow the old jeep from a safe distance so as not to be detected.

"If she really moved abroad, she wouldn't be in a slum like this with a rusted jeep," Joel muttered while slowly turning the wheel. "Something is wrong. Raymond needs to know about this."

The jeep drove erratically, entering an old residential area nearly forgotten by the city's development. Joel kept a distance of about thirty meters, ensuring he remained hidden behind other vehicles. After a fifteen-minute drive, the jeep stopped in front of a small, simple house with peeling paint.

Joel watched Jessica get out of the car, still closely guarded by the same man he had seen at the pharmacy. Jessica’s face looked incredibly anxious as she was forced into the house.

"A hideout?" Joel whispered. "Or is that where she lives now? No way. Jessica has enough savings to live in a much more decent place."

Joel pulled his car behind a large dumpster, close enough to observe. His hand reached into his jacket pocket, searching for his phone to call Raymond. However, he paused. If he called right now, he might miss other important details. He decided to wait another ten minutes to see who entered and exited the house.

"What are you actually hiding, Jessica?" Joel whispered, his eyes fixed on the small window of the old house.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Craig Corporation building, the atmosphere felt very different. Elegant silence dominated the glass-walled hallways. Raymond Craig was in a small meeting room on the east side, hosting two investors from the Middle East. The sound of formal laughter and clinking glasses could be heard faintly from behind the double doors.

In front of the main office, Madeline sat at her secretary’s desk with a calm face, though her fingers typing on the keyboard were trembling slightly. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for since her first day at the company. Theo had been pressuring her repeatedly via text messages, demanding real results from her infiltration.

"Mr. Craig, the license verification program is ready. However, I need the blue file on your desk for physical data synchronization," Madeline said through the intercom to the meeting room.

Raymond answered briefly from inside. "Mady, just take the file from my desk. I can't come out right now. Take it and finish the verification immediately so these investors can see the data transparency tonight."

"Very well, sir. I will do so," Madeline replied in a very polite tone.

As soon as the intercom connection cut off, Madeline stood up immediately. She glanced down the hall, ensuring Evan or the rest of the security team was not near the door. With graceful yet quick steps, she entered Raymond’s spacious office.

The scent of his signature cologne filled the room. Madeline didn't waste time. She walked straight toward the magnificent mahogany desk. Instead of immediately grabbing the blue file as instructed, she sat in her boss’s large leather chair.

This small opening won't come twice, she thought.

Madeline turned on the monitor of Raymond’s computer, which was in sleep mode. Her heart pounded as the password dialog box appeared. She pulled out a small USB device given to her by Theo—a sophisticated decryption tool claimed to be capable of breaching Craig Corporation’s security defenses in less than three minutes.

"Almost there... come on, work faster," Madeline whispered to the computer screen.

Her eyes stared at the progress bar on the screen. Ten percent... twenty percent... Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead. She knew the risks. If she were caught, there would be no mercy for treason in this office. Raymond Craig might be an angel to those he loved, but he was a merciless devil to those who cheated his business.

Fifty percent... sixty percent...

Madeline glanced at the closed office door. She felt every second was torture. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the front waiting area. The steps sounded heavy, rhythmic, and very authoritative. They were not the footsteps of a servant or a regular administrative staff member.

"Damn, who is that?" Madeline hissed in a panic.

She tried to pull the USB out, but her computer screen suddenly froze during the decryption process. "Come on, cancel! Why now?" she cursed inwardly.

Just as she was about to stand up to cover the screen with her body, the door to Raymond’s office swung open with a powerful push.

Evan stepped inside, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. His expressionless face stared sharply at Madeline, who was still in Raymond Craig’s executive chair. Evan’s eyes immediately locked onto the monitor screen, which was still glowing brightly, and the USB cable dangling from the side of the CPU.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned freezing, as if the oxygen had been forcibly sucked out. Madeline froze, her hands trembling violently as they gripped the edge of the desk. She couldn't speak; her tongue felt stiff as she met the intimidating gaze of the head of security.

Evan didn't shout immediately. Instead, he walked closer slowly, letting the sound of his shoes clicking on the wooden floor break the tense silence. He stopped right in front of the desk, looking Madeline up and down with a deadly, probing gaze.

"Mady, I was looking for Mr. Craig to report a routine issue regarding the logistics route cleanup that Joel mentioned over the phone," Evan opened, his tone very flat but laden with hidden threats.

Madeline tried to force a smile, even though her face was now as pale as paper. "O-oh, Mr. Evan. Mr. Craig is with some investors in the next room. He told me to get this blue file earlier..." Madeline pointed to the file on Raymond’s desk.

"I know he told you to get the file," Evan interrupted in a sharp tone. His eyes glanced at the computer monitor, which was now displaying abnormal data processes. "But I don't recall Mr. Craig telling you to sit in his chair and insert an unknown device into his computer."

Evan stepped an inch closer, leaning his body over the desk until Madeline could feel the dangerous aura radiating from the man.

"What are you doing here?" Evan asked, his voice now so low it sounded like a death whisper in Madeline’s ear.

Madeline swallowed hard. In her head, she tried to conjure up a thousand excuses, but Evan’s piercing gaze seemed to have torn all her lies to shreds.