Sarah’s heart raced as she stared at the address Oliver had given her. The crumpled piece of paper felt like a ticking time bomb in her hand. The name *Victor* seemed harmless enough, but if he had once worked for her father, there was no telling what kind of person he might be—or what kind of danger she was walking into.
Liam’s voice rang in her ears from their earlier conversation: “We need to be smart about this.” And he was right. Sarah couldn’t afford to be reckless. Every move needed to be calculated if she had any hope of surviving what lay ahead.
The address led her to an old, run-down warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The building loomed over her as she approached, its windows dark and empty, the air around it thick with an eerie stillness. Sarah had expected something more—grandiose, perhaps—but the nondescript location made her stomach twist with unease. It felt like the kind of place where deals were made in shadows, where people disappeared without a trace.
She parked her car a few blocks away, hoping to go unnoticed, and made her way toward the entrance. The creak of the rusted door echoed as she pushed it open, stepping into a dimly lit corridor. Her footsteps sounded unnaturally loud as they reverberated off the concrete walls, the air thick with a musty smell of neglect and old secrets.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
“Sarah Bennett,” the man’s voice greeted her. He was tall and lean, with a weathered face that carried the weight of too many years spent in places like this. His eyes were sharp, calculating, and he studied her with an intensity that made her feel like she was being sized up. “I’ve been expecting you.”
“Victor?” Sarah asked, her voice steady though her nerves were on edge.
He nodded. “Oliver told me you might come looking for answers. But before we talk, I need to know: how far are you willing to go?”
Sarah straightened her posture, meeting his gaze with resolve. “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to stop my father.”
Victor studied her for a moment longer before nodding slowly. “Your father is not a man to cross lightly, but if you’re here, I’m guessing you already know that.” He gestured for her to follow him deeper into the warehouse. “Come. There’s something you need to see.”
Sarah followed him through a maze of corridors until they arrived at a small room tucked away in the back. The space was cluttered with old file boxes, stacks of papers, and flickering computer monitors. It was a makeshift command center of sorts, one that seemed out of place in the desolate building.
“This is where the truth about your father’s empire lies,” Victor said, flipping on a light. He pulled out a thick folder from one of the boxes and handed it to Sarah. “These are records—transactions, off-the-books deals, and connections to people you wouldn’t want to be associated with. He’s built his power through leverage, blackmail, and fear. These documents prove it.”
Sarah’s hands trembled as she opened the folder, her eyes scanning the pages. Each document was a piece of the puzzle—a puzzle that painted a dark picture of Henry Bennett’s rise to power. There were names she didn’t recognize, shadowy companies, and transfers of enormous sums of money. Her father had hidden his corruption behind a veneer of respectability, but here it was in black and white.
“This… this is enough to destroy him,” Sarah whispered, overwhelmed by the gravity of what she was holding.
Victor crossed his arms, his expression grim. “It might be, but it won’t be easy. Your father has allies in high places. If you go public with this, he’ll fight back with everything he has, and he won’t be alone.”
“I don’t care,” Sarah replied, her voice gaining strength. “He’s ruined too many lives. I won’t let him ruin mine anymore.”
Victor’s eyes softened slightly, a hint of respect in his gaze. “Then you need to be prepared for what’s coming. This won’t end with a simple press release or a few headlines. Your father will come after you with everything he’s got—legally, financially, and personally.”
Sarah took a deep breath, steeling herself for the battle ahead. “I’m ready. Whatever it takes.”
Victor nodded, impressed by her resolve. “There’s one more thing. If you’re serious about taking your father down, you’ll need allies of your own. You can’t fight this battle alone.”
“I have someone,” Sarah said, thinking of Liam and the unwavering support he had shown her throughout this entire ordeal. “But we’ll need more.”
Victor leaned back, considering her words. “I can connect you with people who know how to fight men like your father. Whistleblowers, investigators, even a few journalists who aren’t afraid to take on the big guys. But once you involve them, there’s no turning back.”
Sarah’s pulse quickened. She was standing at the edge of a cliff, ready to leap into the unknown. But she wasn’t afraid anymore—not of her father, not of the power he wielded. For the first time in her life, she felt free.
“I don’t want to turn back,” she said, meeting Victor’s gaze with determination. “Let’s do this.”
Victor smiled—a small, fleeting expression of approval. “Good. Then let’s get started.”