Chapter 7 - The Betrayal Within
I froze completely, my hands still tightly gripping the stolen, leather-bound ledgers.
I slowly raised my hands in the air and turned around to face the dangerous weapon pointed at my back.
My older brother, Mark, was standing in the shadows of the study, his hands shaking violently as he aimed the hunting rifle at my chest.
He looked absolutely exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a profound, cowardly sense of guilt.
I softly begged my brother to look at the ledgers in my hands and see the horrific crimes his wife had committed.
"Vanessa promised she would take my kids and ruin my entire life if I didn't stop you from finding the truth," Mark sobbed quietly.
I stared at him in sheer disbelief, utterly disgusted by the pathetic, spineless man he had chosen to become.
I told him that Vanessa's sister had aggressively abused her power to throw my innocent seven-year-old daughter into the foster care system.
Mark’s face drained of all color, a look of pure, unadulterated horror washing over him as he realized how far his wife had gone.
He slowly lowered the heavy barrel of the shotgun, tears streaming rapidly down his pale face.
He whispered a desperate apology and told me to take the ledgers and run as fast as I could.
I nodded in gratitude and quickly turned toward the large glass window leading out to the snowy garden.
Before I could even take a single step, the heavy mahogany doors of the study burst completely open.
My mother marched into the room, her face twisted into a mask of pure, venomous rage.
She was closely followed by two massive, heavily armed private security guards.
May you like
My mother pointed a manicured finger directly at my chest and smiled a cold, ruthless smile.
"I knew you were stupid enough to come back for those books, Daniel," she said triumphantly.
