Page 76 of Reckless Seduction
My birth certificate—except…
It’s wrong.
Every muscle in my body locks as my gaze scans the record once, twice, three times, just to be sure I’m not in some drugged-up hallucination.
The name listed under father isn’t his. It isn’t a surprise after the conversation I heard. After everything I’ve learned, it still feels as if everything inside of me just stops.
My entire life has been a lie. One large con. The long game to keep his enemies in check.
I fold the paper with deliberate care and slide it back into the envelope exactly as I found it, smoothing the crease with the pad of my thumb.
No evidence of a disturbance to be seen.
Nothing out of place.
Then I reach for the laptop.
If I’m getting out of this?—
If I am really going to burn this entire fucking empire to the ground?—
I need everything.
Every name.
Every transaction.
Every single goddamn file and secret he thought he could bury.
Clicking on the USB file, I begin the process of moving everything. I move slowly and selectively. Intentional. Small folders first. The ones that matter most.
Names.
Transfers.
Locations.
The progress inches forward.
My gaze flicks to the door every few seconds, listening to the thunder of my heartbeat for any sign of movement in the hall. Nothing. Just heavy silence.
I shift my weight, forcing my breathing to stay even, to quiet the panic clawing at my ribs.
Think.
Don’t rush.
Rushing gets you caught.
The progress bar hits sixty. Seventy. Eighty.
A faint sound echoes down the hall. Footsteps. Distant. But coming. My pulse spikes, but my hands don’t stop.
Ninety.
I eject the drive, tucking it into my pajama hem where the elastic grips it like a secret tooth. The laptop disappears beneath velvet. Ledgers align with military precision, the way he taught me.
The safe door whispers shut. One touch to the interface—reset flicker—done.
