Chapter 2 - Shadows In The Service Corridors

The private service elevator descended in heavy silence, the digital floor numbers ticking downward in amber light. Adrian kept one arm wrapped securely around my waist, his thumb resting near the holster concealed beneath his left lapel. The dim overhead bulb flickered as we bypassed the main lobby and dropped toward the sub-basement levels where the delivery trucks and maintenance bays serviced the luxury tower. I could smell the faint scent of rain and exhaust filtering through the ventilation grates, mingling with the expensive cologne Adrian wore.

When the elevator doors slid open with a soft pneumatic hiss, Vance was waiting by the concrete pillars. He looked pale under the harsh fluorescent lights, his trench coat damp from the mist outside. "Forensics won't touch this until morning without a clean sweep, Boss," Vance reported, keeping his voice subdued as he glanced briefly at my wedding dress. "Maintenance crew found him near the incinerator chute. It's Miller from corporate accounts."

Adrian stepped past me, his shoulders squaring as he surveyed the empty corridor. "Miller didn't slip on a wet floor," Adrian said flatly, kneeling beside the outline where the body had been moved. He pulled out the folded aged paper containing my father's cursive handwriting and re-read the lines under the harsh light. "He knew too much about the overseas ledger transfers. The traitor wanted him quiet before the wedding audit cleared."

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I stepped out of the elevator, the hem of my ivory gown trailing slightly against the dusty concrete. "My father said Miller was looking nervous the week before he died," I whispered, shivering despite the velvet wrap. "He told me that if anything happened to him, I should trust no one in the executive suite."

Adrian stood up, pocketing the letter alongside the small metal key I had given him. He turned back to me, his gaze softening by a fraction. "We're going to my secondary office off the South Pier," Adrian decided, looking at Vance. "Get the armored sedan ready at the rear bay. No headlights." Vance nodded and hurried off into the shadows, leaving us alone in the damp concrete garage. The net was closing in, and every second we lingered in the tower brought the unseen traitor one step closer to our door.