The top floor of the Blackstone Tower overlooked the glowing city skyline. Behind floor-to-ceiling glass windows, luxury and elegance filled every corner of the enormous penthouse.
But behind the expensive furniture and priceless artwork...
A nightmare was unfolding.
Sophia Bennett sat tied to a chair in the center of the living room.
Her wrists were bound tightly.
A bruise marked her cheek.
Fresh tears mixed with the small cuts on her face as she struggled to stay conscious.
Standing over her was Victor Kane, a wealthy businessman whose calm smile hid years of cruelty.
He paced slowly around the room.
"One hundred ninety-nine."
His voice echoed through the silent penthouse.
Sophia looked toward the nearby library.
On a polished wooden desk lay a leather journal.
Victor's elegant sister, Eleanor, calmly wrote another number inside.
"No..."
She corrected him without emotion.
"One hundred ninety-eight."
Sophia's heart sank.
The strange count represented every victim Victor claimed he had destroyed financially and emotionally over the years.
Around Sophia's neck rested a sapphire necklace her late father had given her on her twenty-first birthday.
Hidden inside the pendant was something Victor never noticed.
A tiny emergency transmitter designed by her father, a retired aerospace engineer, after receiving threats years earlier.
Barely able to breathe, Sophia whispered into the necklace.
"Dad... it's time."
Victor laughed loudly.
He believed she had finally lost hope.
The enormous windows reflected the city lights as he slowly approached her again.
"Who is going to look for you?"
His mocking smile grew wider.
He was certain no one knew where she was.
He couldn't have been more wrong.