Part 19: The First Brick
Part 19: The First Brick
I moved quickly.
I opened a secure drawer in my office.
I took out a prepaid burner phone and a handwritten card with a single phone number on it.
My father’s private line.
I placed them inside a standard white pharmacy bag, along with a bottle of children’s vitamins.
“Listen to me very carefully,” I said, looking directly into Clara’s eyes.
“You do not argue with him tonight. You do not show defiance. You shrink exactly the way he expects you to shrink.”
Clara nodded, her hands trembling around the teacup.
“Tomorrow, when he goes into his board meeting at 10:00 a.m., you call this number. My father is the only attorney in this city who doesn't fear men like Elias.”
I handed her the bag.
“You are not trapped, Clara. The cage is just paper.”
She looked at the bag like it was a lifeline.
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“Why are you helping me?” she asked.
“Because nobody helped me,” I said quietly. “I had to burn my own way out. You won’t have to.”
