After my marriage collapsed, I had no one left to lean on. With my unborn child growing inside me, I swallowed my pride and took every job I could get, doing whatever it took to keep us alive. When labor finally began, I drove myself to the hospital, one hand locked on the steering wheel, breathing through brutal contractions at every red light.

Julian grabbed me violently by my hospital gown and pressed the gun against my ribs.

Doctor Evans tried to intervene, but Julian struck him ruthlessly across the face with the weapon.

The doctor collapsed onto the hard concrete, completely unconscious and bleeding from his forehead.

"Get in the car right now, or I will end your miserable life," Julian ordered.

I had absolutely no choice but to climb into the back seat while desperately shielding my baby.

Eleanor was already sitting in the passenger seat, tapping impatiently on her luxury smartphone.

Julian slammed the doors shut and sped out of the parking garage into the stormy night.

I stared out the rain-streaked window, silently praying that the FBI had received my encrypted files.

"Where are you taking us?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"We are going to an abandoned estate outside the city limits," Eleanor answered coldly.

"Alexander Sterling is already on his way to meet us there with the ransom money."

I looked down at my innocent son, his tiny chest rising and falling in a peaceful sleep.

I realized with absolute horror that my audit files contained the exact same shell companies Julian had used to steal from Sterling.

Julian was not just trying to extort the billionaire for ransom money.

He had been embezzling millions from Sterling's corporate empire for over five years.

"Sterling is going to kill you the moment he sees your face," I warned Julian.

Julian laughed nervously, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly.

"Sterling does not care about stolen money when his only biological heir is on the line."

We arrived at a massive, decaying mansion surrounded by tall iron gates.

Julian dragged me out of the car and forced me into the grand foyer of the dark estate.

He chained my wrist to a heavy iron radiator and stepped back to admire his cruel work.

Suddenly, the deafening roar of a heavy helicopter engine shattered the quiet night.

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The massive aircraft landed aggressively on the front lawn, blowing dead leaves into the air.

A tall, incredibly imposing man stepped out of the helicopter and walked slowly toward the front doors.

Chapter 4 - The Ransom Plot