Chapter 5 - The Subterranean Trap
Lucas pounded his bloody fists against the reinforced steel mesh separating him from the driver.
David completely ignored the desperate screams, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the rainy highway.
In the back of the van, Lily was coughing violently and clutching her burning stomach.
The purple rash on her neck was spreading rapidly, proving Vanessa's terrifying threat was entirely real.
Lucas held his daughter tightly, tears of pure agony mixing with the cold rainwater on his face.
He promised her that he would do absolutely anything to save her innocent life.
After thirty agonizing minutes, the catering van finally screeched to a halt on wet gravel.
The heavy rear doors swung open, blinding Lucas with the harsh glare of industrial floodlights.
They had arrived at the abandoned shipping warehouse on Pier 44, exactly where the letter said Elena was trapped.
David leveled his rifle at Lucas and ordered him to carry the dying child inside the massive building.
The interior of the warehouse was damp, freezing, and filled with towering stacks of rusted shipping containers.
Vanessa and Marcus were waiting patiently in the center of the room, sitting comfortably on leather chairs.
Marcus was perfectly unharmed, proving the murder allegations were just a cruel fabrication to manipulate the police.
Vanessa held up a small glass vial containing a glowing blue liquid that promised to cure the poison.
She smiled wickedly and tossed a thick stack of legal documents onto a dirty wooden crate.
Sign over the total ownership of your billion-dollar tech company to me, and the child gets the cure.
Lucas did not hesitate for a single second when it came to his daughter's fragile life.
He grabbed the expensive pen from the crate and signed his name frantically on every single page.
He threw the signed papers at Marcus and begged Vanessa to hand over the life-saving medicine.
Vanessa casually tossed the blue vial onto the ground, forcing Lucas to scramble desperately to catch it.
He popped the cork and poured the bitter liquid into Lily's mouth, praying for a sudden miracle.
Within seconds, Lily took a deep breath, and the horrific purple rash began to fade from her pale skin.
Lucas collapsed in absolute exhaustion, grateful that he had managed to save his only child.
But Vanessa suddenly began laughing hysterically, the cruel sound echoing off the metal walls.
She revealed that there was never any real poison in the cake, only a harmless allergic reaction caused by a dye.
The glowing blue liquid was nothing more than colored sugar water used to extort his entire empire.
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Now that she had complete legal control of his massive wealth, she had no more use for him.
Vanessa turned to David and coldly ordered him to execute the groom and his annoying little brat.
