Chapter 10 - The Trap Snaps Shut
Downstairs, the living room descended into a state of absolute, paralyzed terror. The heavy thud of boots above their heads signaled the utter collapse of their conspiracy. The middle-aged woman with the bun stumbled backward, her chest heaving as she fumbled frantically in the pocket of her black dress.
She pulled out her smartphone, her hands shaking so violently she could barely unlock it. The screen illuminated her pale, terrified face in the dim room. A new message notification sat on the lock screen, glowing like a radioactive warning. It was from a contact saved only as David Taylor Client. She stared at the digital text, her eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated horror as she read the message that confirmed their total destruction:
May you like
"He's starting to suspect."
It was too late. Elias didn't just suspect; he knew. And as the heavy footsteps echoed above, the woman realized with chilling certainty that the casket they had tried so desperately to close would soon be opening for them.
