The second knock came harder than the first. Caro jerked away from the desk instantly, her pulse crashing violently through her chest as the darkened room seemed to tighten around her. The laptop screen continued flashing red warnings across the system interface, bathing the walls in fractured light while rain hammered against the mansion windows hard enough to sound like static. Downstairs, silence followed the knock again, controlled and patient in a way that felt far worse than aggression. Whoever stood outside was not uncertain. They already knew she was inside.
"Caro." Peter's voice cut sharply through the phone. "Answer me right now." She swallowed hard, forcing air back into lungs that suddenly refused to cooperate. "Someone's here," she whispered, backing slowly away from the desk. Her eyes remained fixed on the dark hallway outside her room as another notification exploded across the laptop screen.
DATA EXTRACTION: 61% COMPLETE.
