Rain began to tap against the glass panels, a soft, rhythmic clicking.

“Because if I don’t, my father will destroy my mother,” she said.

Her voice was barely a whisper.

“He has medical records, Claire. Things he can use to commit her permanently if I don’t cooperate.”

She looked back at me, her eyes hard.

“He needs this alliance to secure the Whitmore donors.”

“And Julian is happy to play along,” I said.

“Julian is desperate,” Victoria said. “He wants the name. He wants the power Alexander always had.”

She reached into the inner pocket of her heavy wool coat.

Her fingers emerged holding a small silver thumb drive.

It was marked with a single red stripe across the casing.

“Take this,” she said.

I looked at the small piece of metal in her palm.

“What is it?”

“The master encryption key to the Whitmore Global private servers,” Victoria said.

She took my hand and pressed the cold metal into my fingers.

“Julian left it in his study at the penthouse. He doesn’t know I have it yet.”

“Why help me?” I asked.