A prompt appeared on the screen, asking for an administrative access code.

I typed in my father’s old employee ID number, followed by the date of his death.

The screen flickered, and a progress bar appeared.

“Decryption key required. Connect to Vale Global Local Area Network.”

I stared at the blinking cursor.

The files were there, but they were locked behind the company’s internal firewall.

The only way to bypass it was a direct physical connection to the primary server room on the thirty-fourth floor of Vale Tower.

The phone on the table buzzed, startling me.

I picked it up quickly, my heart skipping a beat.

It was a news alert from a financial website.

“Former Vale Global CEO Alexander Vale Arrested on Fraud Charges.”

I tapped the link.

A grainy photo of Alexander being led into the police precinct appeared on the screen.

His face was set in a hard line, his eyes focused straight ahead.

The article stated that he was being held without bail pending an arraignment in the morning.

Marcus had moved fast.