CHAPTER 5: THE LULLABY OF THE DAMNED
Back at the penthouse, the silence was different. It was the silence of a command center. Richard had disconnected the smart home systems—he didn't trust the cameras, the microphones, or the walls. He sat with Tommy in the library, the tin box open between them.
"Sing it again," Richard asked. "The part about the numbers."
Tommy rubbed his tired eyes. His voice began to drift, a haunting, melody that felt ancient. Two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen...
Richard’s hands flew across his laptop keyboard. He was a billionaire; he had access to the most powerful decryption software on the planet, but he was also a man who understood structure. He began to map the numbers into a matrix. The lullaby wasn't just a list; it was an offset, a sequence of keys.
As the final digit clicked into place, the screen turned a deep, alarming crimson.
A file structure appeared. It wasn't just evidence of fraud; it was a blueprint. It showed how Evans Enterprises had been weaponizing medical research, testing experimental drugs on the homeless and the disenfranchised. Elena had found the proof that the new pediatric unit—the very one he had funded—was a cover for a clandestine biological testing facility.
Richard felt his soul shatter. The five million dollars he had "donated" was just a bribe to clear the way for them to move their labs into the hospital. He had been the unwitting financier of a massacre.
"Oh, God," Richard whispered, the blood draining from his face. "What have I done?"
May you like
He looked at Tommy, who had fallen asleep on the leather chair. The boy was innocent. He was the only thing in this room that wasn't covered in metaphorical blood. Richard realized he couldn't just hand this to the FBI. The corruption was too deep. The FBI, the local police, the regulatory bodies—they were all on the payroll.
He would have to take it to the public. He would have to burn the world he lived in to save the only people left who mattered.
