Chapter 4 - The Hostage Situation
Arthur Blackwood looked absolutely nothing like the polished businessman he portrayed in magazines.
His expensive tuxedo was unbuttoned, his face was flushed red, and his eyes burned with a chaotic, terrifying intensity.
The heavily armed mercenaries quickly fanned out, locking the main doors and aggressively blocking all the emergency exits.
Panic erupted instantly as the wealthy guests realized they were trapped in a luxurious cage.
"Nobody leaves this room until I get exactly what I want," Arthur roared over the screaming crowd.
Vivian ran toward her husband, desperate for him to save their collapsing empire.
"Arthur, thank god you are here," she cried, reaching out to embrace him.
Arthur did not even look at her as he violently shoved her to the marble floor.
"You pathetic, greedy fool," Arthur spat at his wife. "You ruined my entire operation for a petty social rivalry."
Ethan rushed to help his mother, looking completely terrified of his own father.
My dad immediately stepped in front of me, using his broad shoulders to shield me from the advancing mercenaries.
His two security guards drew their concealed weapons, creating a tense, highly combustible standoff in the center of the room.
Arthur pulled a heavy silver handgun from his waistband and aimed it directly at my father’s chest.
"I knew Vivian was too stupid to handle the Vales, which is why I made alternative arrangements," Arthur sneered.
He revealed that he had deliberately tipped off my father’s company about the fake silent partner acquisition.
Arthur wanted my father to show up tonight so he could force a multi-billion dollar physical wire transfer at gunpoint.
"Transfer your entire liquid portfolio to my offshore accounts right now, Richard," Arthur demanded, cocking the weapon.
My father did not flinch, nor did he show a single ounce of fear in the face of death.
"I do not negotiate with desperate terrorists," my dad replied with absolute, freezing calm.
Arthur’s hand trembled slightly as his rage completely clouded his judgment.
"Then I will just have to shoot your precious daughter first," Arthur snarled, shifting the barrel of the gun toward my head.
Time seemed to slow down entirely as Arthur’s finger aggressively tightened around the trigger.
A deafening gunshot violently shattered the silence of the ballroom.
May you like
But it was not my father or his guards who jumped into the direct line of fire.
Ethan threw himself forcefully across the open space, taking the bullet directly in the center of his chest.
