Chapter 9 - The Real Mastermind
I stared at Ashley, my mind racing as I tried to process her cruel deception.
Vance rushed onto the plane behind me, his weapon drawn, but he quickly lowered it when he saw the empty cabin.
"Where is my son?" I demanded, grabbing the crystal champagne flute from Ashley's hand and smashing it against the floor.
Ashley didn't flinch, but a flicker of genuine fear crossed her eyes when she saw the unhinged desperation in mine.
"Donald played me too," she suddenly confessed, her arrogant facade crumbling under the weight of her own anger.
"He transferred all the offshore money to a new account this morning, cutting me and Brenda out completely."
She revealed that Donald didn't trust anyone anymore, and he was taking all the cash and the boy to disappear on his own.
"He took Keaton to the property you built for him," Ashley spat, giving us the exact address.
It was the massive mansion in the suburbs, the very house I had funded with my blood, sweat, and tears for five years.
Vance and I left Ashley on the plane and drove at breakneck speed toward the upscale neighborhood.
The house was a sprawling, modern fortress, completely dark except for a single light on the second floor.
We crept through the side gate, the silence of the massive estate making my skin crawl.
Vance kicked the front door open, sweeping the grand foyer with his flashlight.
"Donald, it's over!" I screamed, my voice echoing off the expensive marble floors I had paid for.
A figure emerged from the shadows at the top of the grand staircase, but it wasn't my husband.
It was Big Mike, holding a massive shotgun, his face twisted into a menacing scowl.
"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" he grunted, pumping the shotgun with a terrifying click.
I braced myself for the gunshot, closing my eyes and praying Keaton was safely hidden somewhere else.
But instead of pointing the weapon at me, Big Mike turned abruptly.
May you like
He aimed the shotgun squarely at Donald, who was creeping out from a nearby hallway with Keaton in his arms.
"Put the kid down, Donald," Big Mike growled, revealing that his loyalty was never truly with my husband.
