Chapter 2 - THE RED WARNING.
Maya held her breath, keeping her body over Jasper while the razor-sharp blades hovered near her cheek.
Vivian smiled triumphantly and pressed the shears toward the collar.
The instant the metal touched the gem, the room exploded in violent red light.
Vivian stumbled backward and dropped the scissors. They struck the marble with a sharp clatter.
A high-intensity scanning laser projected from Jasper’s collar, sweeping a precise red grid across Vivian’s hand and terrified face.
A perfectly modulated mechanical voice echoed through the mansion.
“Biometric breach detected. Trust fund frozen.”
Vivian froze.
Maya slowly sat upright, cradling Jasper to her chest. Her father had always described the collar as a special safeguard, but she had assumed it was only an expensive GPS tracker.
“What is this garbage?” Vivian demanded. “Some cheap trick your father programmed before he died?”
She pulled a gold-plated smartphone from her gown, intending to call security and have Maya removed.
Before she could unlock it, the device vibrated violently.
A red warning filled the screen.
May you like
Vivian’s face drained of color.
The notification carried the official seal of the Federal Reserve.
