Chapter 4 - The Dangerous Realization
The wailing police sirens grew deafeningly loud as multiple cruisers pulled aggressively up to the front courtyard of the mansion.
Victor continued to stare blindly at the crescent-shaped scar on Adrian's chin, his eyes wide with absolute, mind-numbing terror.
He had just brazenly confessed his entire thieving operation directly to the legendary billionaire who owned every single thing around them.
Adrian stood up slowly, calmly brushing the dangerous shards of broken glass off his torn, muddy coat.
"You are officially fired, Victor, and you will be spending the next decade of your pathetic life in a federal prison," Adrian said with chilling, undeniable authority.
Grace remained perfectly still on the floor, staring in awe at the frail beggar who had miraculously transformed into the legendary Adrian Whitmore.
Instead of surrendering to his fate, Victor's overwhelming terror quickly morphed into a desperate, manic survival instinct.
He knew with absolute certainty that if Adrian walked out of this room alive, his own life was completely and permanently over.
Victor suddenly lunged forward with unexpected speed, grabbing a heavy solid brass lamp from the end table and swinging it with all his remaining might.
The heavy metal base cracked sickeningly against the side of Adrian's head, sending the billionaire crashing violently to the floor in a heap.
Grace screamed at the top of her lungs, but Victor immediately pointed his heavy tactical radio at her like a lethal weapon.
"Do not say one single word, or I will kill you right here and blame it on the intruder," Victor hissed, his chest heaving with wild panic.
Victor quickly grabbed Adrian's unconscious, bleeding body by the arms and dragged him ruthlessly toward the hidden maintenance hatch in the back of the lounge.
"Hide in the food pantry right now, Grace, and do not tell the police anything, or you are officially next," he threatened darkly before disappearing down the dark stairs with his captive boss.
Grace scrambled terrified into the dark, cramped food pantry just as two armed police officers kicked open the lounge door.
She held her breath tightly in the suffocating dark, listening to the officers sweep and secure the mysteriously empty room.
Deep underground in the estate's sprawling, abandoned greenhouse bunker, Adrian slowly began to regain consciousness.
His head throbbed with agonizing, blinding pain, and his wrists were bound incredibly tightly with heavy zip-ties to a rusted metal water pipe.
Victor was pacing nervously back and forth across the damp dirt floor, speaking frantically into a cheap, untraceable burner phone.
"He knows absolutely everything, Malcolm," Victor whispered urgently into the phone, totally unaware that Adrian was finally awake.
May you like
Adrian's blood ran entirely cold in his veins when he distinctly heard the name of his most trusted senior corporate advisor.
"Don't worry," Victor continued over the phone, a wicked smile creeping onto his face, "Whitmore is completely neutralized, so you can proceed with the hostile takeover immediately."
