Chapter 42 She Picks Locks, He Plays Along
Sean didn’t delay answering Raymond’s call, picking up after the second ring.
Raymond instructed Sean to take care of something else, and through the surveillance, he saw Sean turn and head back downstairs.
Paige was well aware of the numerous cameras scattered around the villa, and she had taken the time to map out their locations.
However, she hadn't anticipated that this particular door would be under surveillance.
The other cameras she could easily evade, but this one was inescapable the moment she approached.
Moreover, Raymond’s door was equipped with high-tech monitoring capable of counter-surveillance.
Paige could never have guessed that a camera was hidden there, and her equipment had failed to detect its presence.
That’s why she could be so bold and reckless in attempting to pry open the door!
Today, Paige had brought just the right tools for the job, and under Raymond’s implicit guardianship, time was on her side.
No lock was too complex for Paige; in her hands, they were no more challenging than child's play.
From the day she started learning the craft from her mentor, mastering all sorts of locks had been a daily drill for the past five years!
In less than ten minutes, Paige had picked the lock on Raymond's room.
A smirk flickered across Paige's face.
Meanwhile, in front of his computer, Raymond's expression darkened. Glancing at his watch, he couldn't believe it; only seven and a half minutes had passed! His high-end, highly secure custom lock had been compromised by her in under ten minutes.
Raymond was torn between blaming the locksmith and praising Paige's lock-picking skills.
Paige cautiously picked up a vase and tiptoed into the room, gently closing the door behind her.
She made it inside!
Leaning against the door, Paige set down the vase and surveyed Raymond's chamber with a scrutinizing gaze.
Raymond’s brow furrowed deeply as he watched her through the surveillance. Was this the same Paige he knew?
Dressed simply, she radiated a confidence that was utterly unlike her usual demeanor. Instead of moving about freely, she stood meticulously at the entrance, taking in the entire room.
Raymond gained a newfound respect for Paige's cautious nature and keen insight.
If it weren't for the Paige on the monitors, Raymond would have believed he'd married a simple woman skilled in home cooking. But now, he couldn't see her as just any ordinary woman anymore.
Could an average person crack a top-level security lock in seven and a half minutes? Even professionals might struggle.
Someone who could open his room's lock in such a short time had to be trained.
Raymond had allowed her into his room and now saw Paige for who she truly was, a seemingly ordinary woman with an assertive aura, acting with strength and sharp acumen. Her caution hinted at the makings of a spy.
Of course, Raymond knew she was no spy. Apart from a few eccentric elders who had mysteriously died ten years ago, no one else knew the secrets of the concealed funds.
As Raymond reassessed Paige through the screen, she meticulously checked the floor before moving forward.
His eyes glued to the screen, Raymond followed Paige's every step until she came to a halt in front of a life-sized European knight statue, cast in bronze.
Clearly, after observing the whole room, Paige had identified the knight statue as her ultimate target.
Raymond had let Paige into his room out of curiosity, to see what she was truly capable of.
Well, once she walked in, she headed straight for the target area. Raymond did not doubt in his mind that given a little more time, Paige would be able to locate the hidden compartment in this room.
As Paige reached out to touch the statue of the knight, Raymond acted without hesitation, grabbing his phone to make an urgent call to her.
He had to stop her immediately!
The phone rang suddenly, catching Paige off guard. She chided herself for forgetting to silence it amidst her stealth operations.
Frantically, she clutched the phone, scrambling to pull it out. She intended to disconnect the call, but upon seeing it was from Raymond, she hesitated.
Meanwhile, as soon as Raymond made the call, he sent a text to Sean to open the windows and air out the room.
Paige, second-guessing for a moment, decided to quickly end the call anyway. She then composed a brief text to Raymond, "Busy working, call you back later."
Raymond, after sending the message, watched Paige swiftly stow her phone away and head to the door. She pressed her ear against it to listen, then, noticing a change in her expression, swiftly grabbed a vase from nearby and listened again. Confirming silence on the other side, she cautiously opened the door a crack to peek out, then slipped out, softly closing the door behind her.
Raymond was left in shock by her agile exit.
After Paige evaded detection, Sean came up to ventilate the room as instructed.
Pounding the desk, Raymond rose with a curse, "A seasoned offender!"
Her smooth and careful prying of the door had him think; if he hadn't known about her history with the Sackler family, he'd have sworn she went to jail for her burglary skills!
When Charles arrived and saw Raymond standing, he quickly closed the office door behind him.
"Raymond, madam, she..." Charles started.
Still fuming, Raymond interjected, "We need a new plan. Change the locks, add more security cameras on the third floor. If we have to, move the items in the secret room. We cannot let this woman succeed at any cost."
Charles gave Raymond a cautious glance before venturing a bold suggestion, "But Raymond, she is Mrs. Carnegie. Whatever she's done, she's still the madam. Maybe, Raymond, could you consider coming clean about your identity to her first? See what her reaction would be?"
"Come clean?" Raymond echoed, his temper still flaring.
Raymond's steely gaze, laced with anger, bore into Charles, who instantly averted his eyes.
Raymond snapped, "Tell that conniving woman? In her dreams! Does she have the gall to come clean about who she is to me?"
Charles hadn't seen Raymond blow his top like this in a long time. Seeing Raymond went on a tirade left Charles to worry that he might be in the line of fire.
He'd be the first one to get burned, and he knew it.
Once Raymond's angry rant subsided, Charles ventured, “I’ve already prompted them once, and the message from the prison has been sent. Do you want to look at it now, Raymond?”
After Charles finished speaking, Raymond shot him another icy glare, "You got news from the prison and didn't report it immediately?"
Charles stammered, “I...” but his thought, no chance to get a word in edgewise, was something he dared not utter aloud. He quickly handed over a tablet.
Raymond didn't waste a second and with a swift tap, he accessed the unopened email from the prison...
