Chapter 8 Stealing the Truth
My heart isn't just pounding, it is slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird. I press my back against the cold wood of the desk, pulling my knees to my chest.
Arthur Thorne is so close I can hear the ice clink in his glass. The smell of his expensive cologne, something woody and sharp, fills the small space under the desk.
"The girl is a distraction," Arthur repeats, his voice vibrating through the desk above my head. "Caspian has the Thorne legacy to uphold. He can't be seen rolling in the mud with a charity case."
"He seems to care for her, Arthur," the other man says. I recognize that voice now. It is the Head of the Board from the Academy. "The chemistry on the stage is undeniable. The donors are already buzzing about the Gala."
"Chemistry is for lab coats," Arthur snaps. I hear the scrape of his chair as he leans forward. My eyes dart to the back of the computer tower. The blue light on my thumb drive is still blinking.
92%. 95%.
It feels like the loudest light in the world. If Arthur looks down, if he drops a pen, if he moves his feet just a few inches to the left, I am dead.
"I've already set the wheels in motion," Arthur continues. "By tomorrow night, the Vane family will be a memory. I'll offer her a choice: sign the NDA and take a quiet settlement in another state, or watch her mother go to prison for insurance fraud."
"Fraud? But Arthur, the reports—"
"The reports say whatever I tell them to say," Arthur interrupts.
I feel a surge of pure, hot rage. It burns through my fear. This man isn't just a bully. He is a monster. He is ready to destroy my mother's life just to keep his name pure.
100%.
The blinking stops. The drive is finished.
Now I just have to get it out.
"I need to check the guest list," Arthur says. I hear him reach for the mouse. The cursor clicks on the screen above me.
If he sees the Copy Complete window, he will know someone was in the room.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoes from the hallway. It sounds like a tray of crystal glasses hitting the floor.
"What was that?" the Board member asks.
"The help is getting clumsy," Arthur grumbles. He stands up, his chair screeching back. "Stay here. I'll handle it."
The footsteps move away. The heavy study door creaks open and then clicks shut.
I don't wait. I scramble from under the desk, my joints aching. I grab the thumb drive, shove it into my pocket, and sprint for the French doors.
I don't look back. I fly through the rose garden, my breath coming in jagged gasps. I don't stop until I have climbed over the side gate and hit the pavement of the street.
"Zoe!"
I nearly scream as a figure steps out from behind a tree.
It is Caspian. He has his suit jacket off, his white shirt glowing in the moonlight. He looks frantic.
"Did you get it?" he asks, grabbing my shoulders. "I heard the glasses break. I tripped a waiter to give you a distraction."
I pull the thumb drive from my pocket, my hand shaking. "I got it. Caspian, your father is planning to frame my mom. He's going to accuse her of fraud."
Caspian's face goes pale. He looks at the mansion behind us, then back at me. "I knew he was cold, but I didn't think he'd go that far."
"He wants me gone," I say, wiping a tear from my cheek. "He wants me to leave the city."
"Are you going to?"
I look at the thumb drive. The weight of it feels like a weapon. "No. I'm going to attend the Gala. And I'm going to use this."
"Zoe, if you go public with this, he'll lose everything. The firm, his reputation, everything." Caspian's voice is quiet.
"I know," I say. "Do you want me to stop?"
Caspian looks at the house where he has spent his whole life being a perfect ghost. He looks at the gold-plated cage his father has built for him. Then he looks at me.
"No," he says, his voice firm. "I want you to win."
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash. "Take a cab. Don't go to the bus stop. He'll have people looking for you now."
"Caspian—"
"Go!" he urges, pushing the money into my hand. "I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow. Act like nothing happened. If he suspects I helped you, he'll lock me in this house until the Gala is over."
I nod, my heart heavy. I turn and run toward the main road, flagging down a yellow taxi.
As the car pulls away, I look out the back window. Caspian is standing alone under the streetlight, watching me go. He looks like a prince, but for the first time, he looks like a prince who is choosing his own kingdom.
When I get home, I don't go to sleep. I sit at my laptop and open the files.
It is all there. The original police reports, the witness statements Arthur has paid to hide, and the internal memos about the Vane Problem.
I feel a cold chill. My forty-eight hours are almost up.
Tomorrow is the final dress rehearsal. The day after is the first Gala.
I look at the folder on my screen. I don't just have the truth. I have the power to burn Arthur Thorne's world to the ground.
But as I look at the photos of Caspian's mother on the desktop, I realise something. If I destroy Arthur, I might destroy Caspian too.
I close the laptop and lean my head against the cool glass of the window.
I am a dancer. I am a sister. I am a janitor.
And now, I am a threat.
I fall into a restless sleep just as the sun begins to rise.