Chapter 3 - The Watch's WhisperThe audio file opened with the low, rhythmic hum of the lake house furnace, followed by the soft, heavy sound of children's shallow breathing.
Then, the floorboards creaked.
"Once she is blamed, the company assets revert entirely to us," a woman's voice whispered. It was Vanessa. Her voice lacked the soft, high-pitched sweetness she used in public; it was flat, calculating, and cold.
"And the children?" Vanessa asked.
A heavy silence followed, punctuated only by the furnace hum. Then, Daniel’s voice answered, entirely devoid of hesitation.
"They are already asleep."
The audio cut off with a sharp burst of static as the main breaker was thrown, killing the Wi-Fi.
Claire closed her eyes. She pressed her forehead against the edge of the desk, her body trembling. The agony of hearing her daughter's last recorded moments threatened to pull her into a dark, bottomless abyss. She wanted to scream, to rip the monitors from the wall, to drive to Daniel’s penthouse and end his life with her own hands.
But she knew that death was too quick, too merciful for what they had done.
She opened her eyes. The tears were gone, replaced by a terrifying, hollow clarity.
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She moved the audio file into a secure folder labeled EXHIBIT_A, alongside the footage from the funeral chapel.
"You wanted my father's company, Daniel," she said, her voice freezing the air in the room. "You wanted the patent portfolio. You wanted the life insurance. I am going to let you think you have all of it. And then, I am going to watch you drown in it."
