The darkness lasted only four seconds. Then the villa’s emergency system came alive with a mechanical hum, and steel shutters slammed over every window. Dad shouted for Rochelle to find a switch while Garrett swept his phone flashlight across the room. Watching remotely, I saw Josephine race toward the front entrance—but the deadbolts had already locked. A calm automated voice echoed throughout the villa: “Unauthorized occupants detected. Local authorities have been notified.”

Rochelle started screaming at the hidden camera she’d never known existed. Then Marcus spoke through my phone. “Natalie, the sheriff is nine minutes away. And the county flagged the deed your father signed in March.” Dad dropped the box he was carrying. His face turned gray beneath the emergency lights. Before anyone could respond, the speakers crackled again. But this time, it wasn’t an automated warning. It was Dad’s own voice—a recording from months earlier that he never knew I had saved.

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