The light turned green, and the lock retracted with a heavy thud.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was dark and smelled of old leather and beeswax.

A large mahogany desk sat in the center of the room.

On the wall behind the desk was a modern painting.

I walked over and pushed the frame aside.

The biometric safe was embedded in the wall.

I plugged my hardware cloner into the safe’s maintenance port.

The screen began to read the digital signatures of the safe’s lock.

It was a slow process.

0%… 12%… 24%…

Through the partially open door, I could hear the murmur of the crowd outside.

Then, the sound of voices got closer.

I froze.

“Alexander,” a woman’s voice said.

It was Victoria.

Her voice was cold, sharp, and entirely devoid of warmth.

“You have a lot of nerve showing your face here,” she said.

I peeked through the crack in the door.

Alexander stood in the hallway, blocking her path.

“We need to talk, Victoria,” he said.

“There is nothing to talk about,” she said. “The board has made its decision.”