Chapter 2 - The Devil’s Currency
The next morning, the office felt like a mausoleum. I walked in, expecting a pink slip or, worse, a visit from men in dark suits. Instead, I found an envelope on my desk. Inside was a cashier’s check for $85,000.
It was exactly the amount I needed for Maya’s surgery.
Elena called me into her office at noon. The room was bathed in the harsh, unflattering light of midday. She sat behind her mahogany desk, looking every bit the iron-willed titan of industry.
"That money," she said, tapping her manicured nails on the desk, "is not a bribe. It’s an investment. Your ex-husband, Marcus, stole something from me that is worth far more than the life of your daughter. He left you with the key to where he hid it. You don't know it yet, but you are the only one who can unlock his digital vault."
I felt the room tilt. I hadn't seen Marcus in years. "I know nothing, Elena."
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"You will," she replied, pushing a thin, encrypted tablet toward me. "The surgery is scheduled for next week. If you want it to happen, you will start by decrypting these files. And you will stop asking questions about why I need them back."
I was caught in a vice. The money had saved my daughter’s future, but it had effectively bought my soul. I walked out of the office knowing that the woman I had just entered into a pact with was capable of anything, and the man I once loved was the reason I was now dancing on the edge of a precipice.
