"The crystal chandelier cast a cold, haunting light over the extravagant floral arrangements of the most expensive funeral in the city.

Knowing that Julian’s estate was guarded like a military fortress, Clara and Leo sought help from an unlikely ally: Vance, a rogue cybersecurity engineer whom Julian had ruined and blackmailed years earlier.

Inside Vance’s high-tech basement workshop, the plan took shape.

"The estate’s security system uses biometric facial scanning and thermal sensors," Vance explained, pointing to holographic schematics of the Ashford mansion. "However, during the annual Ashford Charity Gala this weekend, the main security grid will run on secondary servers to accommodate high guest traffic."

"He's still holding the gala?" Leo asked in disbelief. "Days after his wife crawled out of a coffin?"

"Julian is a psychopath," Clara said bitterly. "He’s throwing the gala specifically to show his investors that he’s in complete control and that the 'coffin scandal' was just a tragic misunderstanding caused by a mentally unstable family friend."

"That hubris is his weakness," Vance smiled darkly. "I’ll hack the secondary server, giving you a three-minute window to access the basement vault."

On the night of the gala, Clara and Leo arrived disguised as high-end catering staff. While hundreds of elite guests sipped champagne upstairs, oblivious to the truth, Clara and Leo slipped down the hidden servant stairwell into the reinforced basement vault.

Clara entered the master encryption key she had memorized weeks before her murder attempt. The heavy steel door hissed open, revealing rows of black servers.