Chapter 8: The Break-In
Chapter 8: The Break-In
It was 2:00 AM on a storm-swept Friday. The rain battered the expansive grounds of the Hale estate, providing the perfect cover noise. Bianca, dressed entirely in black, bypassed the main gates by slipping through a drainage culvert she had discovered months ago during a landscaping renovation.
She crept through the gardens, shivering as the cold rain soaked her clothes. She reached the side door near the kitchens. To her surprise, the security keypad was dark. A power outage from the storm? She didn't question her luck. She used a heavy rock to smash the glass pane, reached in, and unlocked the door.
The house was pitch black and silent. She moved with practiced stealth up the secondary servant stairs, avoiding the creaky floorboards she had memorized during her six-month residency.
She reached Julian's master suite. The door was slightly ajar. She slipped inside, heading straight for the walk-in closet where the wall safe was hidden behind a mirror. She swung the mirror open and punched in the six-digit code.
Click. Whir.
The heavy steel door swung open. Bianca smiled, reaching inside for the velvet boxes holding the Hale family diamonds.
Suddenly, the closet lights blazed to life, blinding her.
"I changed the code yesterday," a voice said from the doorway.
May you like
Bianca spun around, dropping a velvet box. Julian stood there, dressed in casual clothes, leaning against the doorframe. He looked entirely unstressed.
"I left the old code active for a dummy lock," Julian explained casually. "It alerts my phone the second it's used. And the alarm system on the side door wasn't broken, Bianca. I deactivated it when my perimeter sensors picked you up crawling through the mud."
