Chapter 15 - The Run to the Harbor
At 4:11 A.M., the Domaine remained locked, but Sébastien had used an old kitchen fire exit that did not report to the central system.
Vincent wanted Elise to stay.
She refused.
"If he reaches the notary with the deed, they close at six thirty."
"Police are on the way."
"Police do not know which office."
Victoire did.
Or claimed she did.
They drove toward the old harbor through hard rain.
Elise sat beside her in the back seat.
"Why should I trust you?"
Victoire stared ahead.
"You shouldn't."
"Good answer."
"I wanted money. I wanted the title. I wanted everyone in that lobby to look at me the way they looked at your mother when she ran the place."
"So you helped steal it."
"At first I told myself it wasn't stealing. Sébastien said the family owed him. Then the numbers got bigger."
"And the threats?"
Victoire swallowed.
"Those came later."
"What threats?"
"Marc said if I walked away, he'd make sure the fraud landed on me."
Elise looked out at the rain.
Greed had opened the door.
Fear had kept Victoire inside.
Neither made her innocent.
At the harbor, they found the notary office dark.
No cars.
No Sébastien.
Victoire's face fell.
"This is the place."
Vincent checked the door.
Unlocked.
Inside, chairs were arranged around a table.
Fresh coffee.
Printed contracts.
But no people.
Antoine, on speakerphone from the hotel, shouted through Elise's phone.
"The closing location changed again!"
"Where?"
"It doesn't say. But the network request came from the Domaine."
Elise froze.
Sébastien had never been running away from the hotel.
He had been pulling her out of it.
"Turn around," she said.
Then her phone buzzed with a security alert.
FOUNDER AUTHORITY LOST.
May you like
LOCKDOWN TERMINATED.
Someone had taken control of the Domaine.
