Slipping through the server room's emergency exit, Rhys pulled Clara close.
Footsteps thudded down the hall. They pressed themselves against the cool metal of a utility conduit, barely breathing.
Shadows stretched long under the flickering emergency lights.
A guard’s voice, muffled, echoed from the room they’d just vacated. "Server 7 is offline. Check the power conduits!"
Rhys’s hand tightened on Clara’s arm. His gaze swept the dark corridor, searching.
Her heart hammered, a frantic drum against her ribs.
They moved. Fast and silent, like ghosts in the desert facility.
Every shadow became a potential hiding spot, every distant sound a threat.
Reaching the designated extraction point, a small, unmarked utility vehicle waited.
Its engine purred, barely audible over the desert wind.
Rhys opened the door, ushering Clara inside before vaulting into the driver's seat.
The vehicle sped away, blending into the vast, inky expanse of the Atacama, leaving the facility's faint glow behind them.
Hours later, back in their temporary, secure safe house, exhaustion finally hit.
Clara slumped onto a worn couch, her muscles protesting.
Rhys, ever vigilant, checked their secure comms. His brow furrowed instantly.
"Trouble," he stated, his voice a low rumble.
A chill snaked down Clara’s spine. She pushed herself upright, fighting the fatigue.
Her eyes met his, questioningly.
He turned the screen towards her. A cascade of headlines screamed at them.
**“Thorne Gallery in Crisis: Reputational Damage Mounts”**
**“Sources Claim Forgeries Found in Thorne Collection”**
**“Weston Acquisitions Vows to ‘Clean Up’ Art World”**
Clara felt a cold dread settle in her stomach. Her gallery, her family’s legacy, was under attack.
They’d barely escaped the desert, only to find a new war waiting.
Weston. It had to be him. This was his response, a calculated, public assault.
Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through the articles.
Fabricated stories, anonymous sources, vague accusations of provenance issues and unethical dealings.
It was a textbook smear campaign, designed to erode public trust and devalue the Thorne name.