CHAPTER 4 — THE MAN ON THE TOP FLOOR

Charles Voss walked into the lobby as though he were entering a dinner party.

Calm.

Polished.

Completely unafraid.

Daniel released Briggs and faced him.

“There’s a missing employee locked somewhere underground.”

Charles sighed.

“Rachel Cole is not missing. She suffered an emotional breakdown after stealing confidential files.”

“We just saw her on a live feed,” Claire said.

Charles looked at her.

“Did you?”

The threat hidden in his voice made Claire step back.

Evelyn moved forward.

“You always were skilled at making cruelty sound professional.”

Charles’s smile tightened.

“And you always were sentimental.”

“My husband trusted you.”

“Your husband is dead.”

The words hung in the air.

Daniel clenched his fists.

Charles continued.

“Arthur built a powerful company, Evelyn. But he was old-fashioned. He believed loyalty mattered more than leverage.”

“He believed people mattered.”

“And that is why profits stagnated during his final years.”

Evelyn’s gaze hardened.

“You’ve been stealing from the company.”

Charles chuckled.

“Stealing is such an emotional word.”

“How much?”

Briggs looked nervously at Charles.

Charles ignored him.

“We expanded internationally. We created private subsidiaries. We moved assets to protect the corporation.”

“You moved pension funds,” Evelyn said.

For the first time, Charles’s smile faded.

That confirmed it.

Evelyn had guessed correctly.

The missing records weren’t merely evidence of executive bonuses or false expenses.

Charles had taken money from employee retirement accounts and moved it through shell companies.

Rachel had discovered the transfers.

That was why she had disappeared.

Daniel stepped toward Charles.

“Open the archive.”

Charles looked at Briggs.

“Do it.”

Briggs blinked.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“But the files—”

“Are already being erased.”

Evelyn’s eyes snapped toward him.

Charles checked his watch.

“In approximately four minutes, every server connected to this facility will suffer a catastrophic failure.”

Claire whispered, “He’s destroying the evidence.”

“And Rachel?” Evelyn asked.

Charles gave no answer.

Evelyn’s calm finally cracked.

She stepped directly in front of him.

“If that woman dies, I will spend every remaining day of my life making sure you never see freedom again.”

Charles leaned closer.

“You won’t control anything after today.”

He gestured toward Daniel.

“Your son’s appointment as interim chairman was never ratified by the full board.”

Daniel frowned.

“That meeting is tomorrow.”

“No. It was moved to this morning.”

The lobby screens flickered again.

A shareholder voting notice appeared.

EMERGENCY BOARD SESSION COMPLETED
EVELYN DAVENPORT REMOVED AS MAJORITY VOTING REPRESENTATIVE
CHARLES VOSS APPOINTED EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Employees murmured in shock.

Daniel stared at the screen.

“That’s impossible.”

Charles’s confidence returned.

“Not if your mother’s shares were used as collateral.”

Evelyn went still.

“What collateral?”

Charles reached into his jacket and produced a document.

At the bottom was Evelyn’s signature.

It transferred temporary voting authority over her shares to Charles.

Evelyn stared at it.

“I never signed this.”

“According to three witnesses, you did.”

Briggs smiled again.

Charles placed the document in Daniel’s hand.

“You are trespassing in my building.”

Then he addressed the guards.

“Remove them.”

Before anyone moved, Evelyn looked toward Claire.

“The locker.”

Claire nodded.

Evelyn turned to Daniel.

“Forget the board. Forget the building. We get Rachel first.”

Charles watched them hurry toward the stairwell.

He did not try to stop them.

That worried Evelyn.

As the fire door closed behind them, Charles looked at Briggs.

“You were supposed to keep her away from the archives.”

Briggs swallowed.

“I tried.”

“No,” Charles said quietly. “You lost your temper.”

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He removed a white handkerchief and wiped the place where Evelyn had touched his sleeve.

“Now make sure none of them return.”