Chapter 6 - THE TRAP IS SET
It was the eve of Deborah’s heart surgery.
Naomi spent the afternoon at Saint Nicholas Hospital, sitting by her daughter’s bed, holding her tiny, fragile hand. Deborah’s skin was warmer, her color improving thanks to the advanced preparatory medications funded by Ethan’s advance.
"Mummy," Deborah whispered, her small voice sweet and tired. "Is the big mansion nice?"
"It is very big, my darling," Naomi smiled, kissing her daughter’s forehead. "It has high ceilings and big gardens. And three little children who are learning how to be kind."
"Is the man nice to you? The one who paid for my medicine?"
Naomi paused, her mind drifting to Ethan. She remembered the way his gray eyes softened when he looked at her, the gentle strength of his hand when he had comforted her, and the undeniable tension that rose between them whenever they were in the same room.
"Yes, my love," Naomi said softly. "He is a very good man."
Naomi returned to the Carter estate at 8:00 PM, her heart heavy with anxiety for the upcoming morning surgery, yet comforted by the safety net Ethan had provided.
The mansion was unusually quiet when she entered. Ethan was working late in his private study on the second floor, preparing the final submission documents for the Deepwater Atlantic License.
Naomi checked on the triplets, who were fast asleep in their bedrooms. As she walked down the dimly lit hallway of the guest wing toward her quarters, she noticed the side security door near the garden was slightly ajar.
Frowning, Naomi walked over to close it. As she pulled the heavy door shut, a figure stepped out from the shadows near the garden wall.
It was a man dressed in a technician's uniform bearing the Carter Energy logo.
"Oh! Excuse me, ma'am," the man said smoothly, adjusting his cap. "I was just checking the exterior router units for Mr. Carter’s encrypted line."
"At this hour?" Naomi asked, her instincts immediately flaring up. "Mrs. Adebayo did not inform me of any late-night maintenance staff."
"It was an emergency request directly from the corporate office," the man lied easily, holding up an official-looking badge. "Everything is cleared. Good night, ma'am."
He brushed past her quickly, heading toward the main gates. Naomi stood by the door, a cold sense of unease settling in her stomach. She decided to go straight to Ethan’s study to report the encounter.
She reached the second-floor study and knocked gently on the heavy oak door.
"Come in," Ethan’s voice called out.
Naomi pushed the door open. Ethan was seated at his desk, surrounded by stacks of financial reports and architectural blueprints. He looked exhausted, his tie loosened, his dark hair slightly rumpled. When he saw Naomi, the harsh lines on his face immediately softened.
"Naomi," Ethan said, standing up. "How is Deborah? Is everything ready for tomorrow?"
"The doctors say she is stable and ready for the operation at eight tomorrow morning," Naomi said, stepping into the room. "Thank you again, Ethan. I can never repay what you’ve done."
Ethan walked around his desk, stopping just inches from her. The formal boundaries between them seemed to evaporate into the quiet night air.
"You don't owe me anything, Naomi," Ethan said softly, his voice rich and low. "Watching my children smile again... watching them become human beings who care about others... you’ve given me back my family. That is priceless."
Naomi looked up into his gray eyes, her breath catching. "Ethan..."
He raised a hand, his fingers gently tracing the line of her cheek, resting against her jawline. Naomi didn't pull away. She leaned into his touch instinctively, feeling the deep, thrumming warmth of his palm.
"I know tomorrow is a big day for you," Ethan whispered, his face moving closer to hers. "I want to be there with you at the hospital."
"You have your license submission tomorrow morning," Naomi replied, her voice trembling slightly under the intensity of his gaze. "It's a ten-billion-naira deal."
"Losing a contract won't break me," Ethan said, his gray eyes locking onto hers with fierce devotion. "Standing alone while your daughter is in surgery will break you. I am coming with you."
Before Naomi could answer, the silence was shattered by a loud, electronic chime emanating from Ethan’s laptop on the desk.
Ethan turned, frowning. A red warning banner was flashing across his secure terminal screen.
SECURITY BREACH DETECTED: UNAUTHORIZED EXTERNAL FILE TRANSFER IN PROGRESS.
Ethan rushed to the computer, his fingers flying across the mechanical keyboard. "What the hell? Someone is downloading the Deepwater Atlantic encryption keys right now from this local network!"
Naomi’s blood turned to ice as she remembered the man in the technician's uniform near the garden gate.
"Ethan!" Naomi cried out. "A technician was near the garden door five minutes ago! He said he was sent from your corporate office!"
Ethan’s head snapped toward her, his expression instantly darkening. "What technician? No maintenance was authorized for tonight!"
Before Ethan could hit the manual override switch, the heavy study doors were thrown open again.
This time, it wasn't just Beatrice.
Standing in the doorway was Chief Inspector Okon of the Nigerian Police Force, accompanied by four armed officers and Ethan’s own head of corporate security, Mr. Mensah.
"Mr. Ethan Carter!" Inspector Okon announced sternly, holding up a federal search warrant. "We received an anonymous tip thirty minutes ago that sensitive national energy intelligence was being illegally extracted from this residence!"
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Ethan stood tall, his jaw set, his body shifting instinctively in front of Naomi. "Inspector, what is the meaning of this outrage? This is my private residence!"
"We tracked the signal, sir," Mr. Mensah said, his voice laced with deep regret as he looked at his employer. "The transfer was initiated from an internal Wi-Fi node inside this very wing five minutes ago. And according to the access logs... the device executing the transfer is registered to Naomi Johnson's personal tablet."
