"The code to his safe is 22504." The blackmailer said, over the phone the next day.
I had no other option. He killed Avery Goode and burnt down an entire house with people inside. This was a dangerous man. He had threatened to frame me for everything. If Ethan believed I was responsible, then I would die for sure.
So, I agreed.
"Take the East wing." He continued, "Not many guards patrol that area. I'll meet you at the back of the garden this evening."
I was terrified. I breathed hard into the phone."
"Relax," he said, emotionless. "You made a wise decision. Don't disappoint me."
He hung up the call.
I went back to work. Ethan was in the dining room having breakfast. He was leaving the house for an important meeting. I would strike after he left.
"Bennett!" He called for me.
I walked into the dining room, and met him seated with a man. They seemed to be talking about the recent occurrences.
"I've spoken to the other shareholders and they've agreed to attend the meeting. We should be leaving in an hour." The man was explaining to Ethan.
I politely cleared my throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but you called for me?"
They both turned to me.
"Yes, Bennett. Get a cup of coffee for my guest, please."
He had never said 'please' to me before.
"Sure."
I was back in a few minutes. They didn't notice me as I stood there, slowly mixing condiments into the coffee.
"We need to find a way to convince the others that there's no need to panic." Ethan said to the man. "The last thing I need right now is a power shift."
"That won't happen, Sir." The man replied, "I've already emailed everyone a copy of their investment portfolio. They would be stupid to lose confidence in you."
Ethan paused for a moment.
"When I find out who the mole is, he'll regret ever being born." He declared.
I swallowed hard.
"Enjoy your coffee, George. I'll go get ready for the meeting."
Once Ethan left, I served the man his coffee.
"You're the girl paying back her father's debts." He said to me before I could leave.
It sounded more like a statement than a question.
"I am."
"Ethan seems to like you," he said smugly, sipping his coffee. "He speaks to you softly. In all the time I've known him, I've never heard him say 'please'."
"I'm just doing my job." I didn't care for this conversation.
"Mmm-hmmm."
I walked out before he could say anything else.
After they left the estate, I waited for about an hour before heading to the east wing.
The place was practically empty, except for 2 security guards, who I easily maneuvered.
The office door was unlocked, so I slipped right in. I put in the combination, and the door to the safe automatically opened. Inside were a few folders, each containing a lot of documents. There were also a lot of dollar bills, arranged neatly in bundles.
I quickly looked through the folders until I found one labeled 'CONFIDENTIAL'. I grabbed it, and locked the safe. Just as I stood up to leave, I heard voices outside the office.
I quickly hid behind a curtain.
Ethan came in a second later. He walked to his desk and went through some papers, probably looking for a document. I held my breath throughout; he was so close to my hiding place. Any slight mistake and that would be the end for me.
Eventually, he found the document he was looking for, and left.
But as he closed the door, I heard a clicking sound, similar to the sound of a door being locked.
It couldn't be.
He had locked his office, with me in it.
I began to panic.
What if I stayed locked here all night and couldn't deliver? There's no telling what the blackmailer would do.
But I was sure that whatever it was, Ethan Vance would do worse if I was caught.
I waited for what felt like forever, still standing behind the curtains. Too scared to move. I looked at my watch, I was running out of time.
As I was about to give up hope, I heard the office door click again. I exhaled deeply; I needed to get out of there fast. I was about to come out of hiding, when I heard someone come in. It was Ethan.
He sat by his desk, going through his laptop. My legs were shaking. I was tired from standing for so long, and it didn't look like he was leaving any time soon.
Next thing I heard was the sharp click of a gun.
"Come out." Ethan commanded.
I had been found.
But how? I hadn't moved an inch.
I remained where I was. Maybe he was referring to something else.
"I know you're behind that curtain. I won't hesitate to shoot."
I slowly emerged into view, arms clinging tightly to the folder. I secretly hoped that by some miracle, he wouldn't notice it.
There was a look of extreme shock on his face.
"Andrea?"
Fuck!
I had just dug my own grave.