Chapter 15 - The Final Upload
Lily froze, the wind whipping her damp hair across her face. ""Mama..."" she choked out.
The man in the suit smiled—a calculated, photogenic smile that belonged on a billboard. ""Hello, Lily. I'm Mr. Sterling, CEO of Vanguard Network. You did wonderful work yesterday. You have rare charisma. The camera loves your misery. Don't let your aunt ruin your career before it even begins.""
Mia started to cry, cowering behind Lily's legs. Clara kept her hand hovering over the confirmation key on the terminal. The progress bar reached 85%.
""Step away from the terminal, Clara,"" Sterling said calmly, signaling his guard. On the tablet, the guard behind their mother cocked the hammer of his gun. ""A mother’s life for a few corporate secrets. Surely family comes first, even for a ghost like you.""
Clara’s hand trembled over the keyboard. For the first time, Lily saw real fear in her aunt’s cold eyes. The system paused at 99%, waiting for the final manual execution stroke.
""Lily,"" Clara whispered, her voice cracking in the howling wind. ""It's your choice.""
Sterling scoffed gently, taking a slow step forward, extending a hand wrapped in expensive leather. ""Be a good girl, Lily. Hand over the terminal. Your mother comes home, you and Mia get a beautiful house, and all you have to do is smile for the world when we ask you to.""
Lily looked at the tablet. She looked at her mother’s bruised face. Then, she noticed her mother’s lips moving silently on the live monitor, repeating three words over and over without sound: “Press the button.”
Lily looked Sterling directly in his unblinking, polished eyes. Her small hand darted beneath Clara's arm.
""My sister isn't for sale,"" Lily said clearly.
May you like
Her small palm slammed down onto the heavy mechanical enter key. A blinding spark erupted from the terminal as the confirmation chime echoed across the rooftop, followed instantly by the blare of every mobile device in Sterling's pocket sounding a national emergency broadcast override.
Sterling’s smile vanished into pure, unadulterated horror as his phone began to scream. Behind him, the roar of federal law enforcement helicopters emerged from the cloud cover directly above the building."
