Chapter 3

In his private study on the second floor of the Booth mansion, Richard Booth stood behind his mahogany desk, his face dark with fury as the family butler Winston bowed nervously before him.

"Sir, I saw it with my own eyes," Winston stammered. "Miss Adelaide was taken away by a squad of heavily armed uniformed personnel, with military helicopters overhead."

Richard slammed his crystal whiskey glass onto the wood, splashing amber liquid across the polished surface.

"That rebellious girl! She hasn't even been back for a month and she's already arrested for a federal felony!"

Eleanor stood beside the desk, fanning the flames with a venomous sneer.

"Richard, we must issue a public statement stripping her of her inheritance rights immediately, before this scandal tanks our company's stock price!"

Richard paced furiously back and forth, roaring toward the doorway.

"Freeze every single bank card that girl has! Let her rot in federal prison by herself!"

Just outside the study door, Brittanie held a tray of coffee, her lips curving into a triumphant sneer as she listened to the orders sealing Adelaide's complete ruin.

Across the city, far beneath the Manhattan bedrock, the three armored SUVs glided down a reinforced access ramp and halted before the massive blast doors of an underground defense research base. The blast doors parted with a heavy hydraulic hiss, allowing the convoy to pull smoothly up to the encrypted elevator on the fifth subterranean level, where two rows of armed guards snapped to attention and saluted.

Adelaide stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the facility, quickly changing into a crisp white anti-static lab coat with a red badge representing top-level national defense clearance pinned to her lapel. The lab director rushed forward, his voice shaking with relief.

"Dr. Booth! You're finally here. The final calculation for the quantum encryption chip has hit a complete dead end."

Adelaide walked straight to the main console.

"Pull up the thirteenth set of variable data for me."

Complex lines of code flashed across the massive holographic screen as Adelaide's long fingers blurred over the virtual keyboard. Around the room, the country's top scientists held their breath, their eyes glued to the rapidly scrolling data streams.

"There is a fundamental logic conflict in the thirteenth variable group. The algorithmic framework for the quantum entanglement state has to be reconstructed."

The director's face fell into a grimace.

"Reconstructing the entire algorithm will take at least three months, but the Department of Defense only gave us three days."

Adelaide raised an eyebrow slightly, pulling a swivel chair over to sit down as her dark eyes turned razor-sharp.

"Three months? Give me thirty minutes."

With every rapid tap of her fingertips, the stalled progress bar on the main monitor began creeping forward at a visible pace. Twenty minutes later, a clear chime echoed through the facility as the highest-difficulty simulation model locked into a flawless closed loop.

Thunderous applause erupted across the laboratory, leaving several white-haired professors with reddened, tearful eyes. Adelaide took off her blue-light glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"The calculation is done. I'll leave the physical encapsulation to the rest of you."

The director bowed slightly and handed her a cup of warm water with both hands.

"Dr. Booth, you are a national treasure! You saved the entire project today."

Adelaide took a sip of the water.

"Skip the flattery. Just make sure the final payment hits my encrypted account on time."

Right then, the private satellite phone in her pocket vibrated with an incoming call from a special restricted number. She pressed answer, and the gruff, energetic voice of Archibald Merritt, the former patriarch of the Merritt financial empire, rang through the speaker.

"Addie, are you done with your work yet?"

Adelaide's cold tone softened slightly for the old man whose life she had once saved.

"Just wrapped up a project. How are you feeling lately, Grandpa Archibald?"

Archibald let out a hearty laugh.

"Much better! We're having a small family dinner tonight, and you have to come share a drink with this old man."

Adelaide frowned slightly.

"A dinner? You know I don't like those kinds of gatherings."

Archibald immediately broke into a series of dramatic, wheezing coughs over the line.

"Cough... my heart has been acting up again these past few days. If only you could come take a look at me..."

Adelaide sighed helplessly.

"Alright, stop faking it. Text me the time and address, and I'll be there."

Hanging up the phone, she shrugged off her white lab coat and handed it to an assistant.

"Get a car ready. I need to head over to the Merritt estate."

Minutes later, a low-key black sedan rolled out of the underground base's garage and entered a Manhattan tunnel, carrying Adelaide toward her meeting with the Merritt family.