Chapter 9 - The Presentation of ProofDaniel frowned. "What are you talking about? We’re not here to discuss research, Claire. Just sign the damn papers."
"Play it, Daniel," Claire said, her voice dropping to a low, commanding whisper that made the hair on Vanessa's arms stand up. "You’ll find the acoustics in this room are perfect."
Claire tapped the screen of the tablet.
The high-fidelity audio of Emma’s smartwatch filled the quiet living room.
"Once she is blamed, the company assets revert entirely to us..." Vanessa’s recorded voice echoed off the high cedar ceiling.
"And the children?"
"They are already asleep."
The recording ended.
Vanessa’s glass of wine slipped from her hand, shattering against the hardwood floor, dark red liquid splashing across the white rug like blood. Her face turned a horrific, ash-gray color.
"Where... where did you get that?" Vanessa gasped, backing away until her hips hit the kitchen island. "Daniel, she has a recording! How does she have that?!"
Daniel’s eyes went wide with a mixture of terror and homicidal rage. "It's a fake. It's a digital fabrication! No court will accept that!"
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"The original file was uploaded to an off-grid, blockchain-verified server forty-eight hours before the fire department even arrived," Claire said, taking a step toward him.
"You disabled the primary safety systems using your personal code, Daniel. But you forgot that my father didn't trust you. He had me install a secondary, completely independent backup system behind the drywall in the children's room—a system that registers any change in carbon monoxide levels and automatically records the immediate vicinity when an anomaly is detected."
