Chapter 4 - The Wreckage
Alexander desperately gripped the leather steering wheel, his knuckles turning completely white as he navigated the deadly intersection.
He aggressively swerved the heavy limousine to avoid a massive delivery truck, the tires screeching violently against the wet asphalt.
Knowing a direct collision would instantly kill the children in the back, he aimed the speeding vehicle toward a dense cluster of thick bushes in a public park.
The heavy car crashed violently through the wooden park fence, snapping thick branches and tearing up the muddy grass.
The limousine finally slammed heavily into the base of a massive oak tree, the airbags deploying instantly with a deafening crack.
Alexander coughed through the thick white smoke, his head throbbing intensely from hitting the steering wheel.
He frantically unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back, his heart completely stopping until he heard the loud cries of the baby.
Lily had wrapped her small body entirely around Mia, acting as a tiny, brave human shield during the catastrophic impact.
Alexander kicked the jammed passenger door open and carefully pulled his two precious daughters out into the freezing, pouring rain.
He knew Eleanor's ruthless mercenaries would track the vehicle's GPS signal and arrive at the crash site within minutes.
Taking off his ruined tuxedo jacket, he wrapped it tightly around the shivering children and began to run deep into the dark, wooded park.
They needed to reach his secret, off-the-grid safe house located in the industrial district, a property completely unknown to his new fiancé.
After two grueling hours of hiding in shadows and avoiding police sirens, they finally arrived at the abandoned brick warehouse.
Alexander unlocked the heavy steel door with a biometric scan, ushering the freezing children into the warm, fully stocked bunker.
He wrapped them in thick wool blankets and handed Lily a warm cup of hot chocolate to calm her violently shaking hands.
Lily took a small sip, looking up at him with big, sad eyes that looked exactly like her missing mother's.
She pointed a dirty finger at a discarded financial magazine resting on the metal table, which featured Eleanor's face on the cover.
The little girl whispered that the pretty lady on the paper was the exact same monster who used to visit them in the dark basement.
Lily explained that Eleanor would laugh at Mommy, telling her that Alexander was going to forget all about his true family.
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Before Alexander could process the sheer, evil depth of Eleanor's long-term betrayal, the heavy steel door of the bunker began to beep rapidly.
The red security light flashed green, meaning someone else had just used a master override code to unlock his most guarded sanctuary.
