Chapter 5 - The Greenhouse Trap
Adrian forced himself to keep his eyes closed, carefully regulating his breathing to pretend he was still deeply unconscious.
His brilliant mind raced frantically as he processed the utterly devastating reality of Victor's secret phone call.
Malcolm Reed, the loyal man who had stood faithfully by his side for over a decade, was the true criminal mastermind behind this entire nightmare.
The stolen luxury watches and the missing family diamonds were just a minor, petty distraction for the greedy household staff.
The real, ultimate prize was Whitmore Global Holdings, an international financial empire currently valued at over forty billion dollars.
Victor ended the phone call abruptly and walked over to Adrian, casually kicking his heavy combat boot against the billionaire's bruised ribs.
"Wake up, boss, I know you are faking it," Victor sneered, dropping all remaining pretense of professional respect.
Adrian opened his eyes slowly, glaring up at the traitorous guard with a look of absolute, icy fury.
"Malcolm cannot possibly take over the company without my unique biometric signature," Adrian stated confidently, refusing to show any fear.
Victor laughed loudly, a harsh and grating sound that echoed eerily off the cracked glass walls of the underground greenhouse.
"Malcolm has been quietly drugging your morning coffee for six months, Adrian, harvesting your fingerprints and voice data while you slept deeply in your office," Victor finally revealed.
The terrifying truth hit Adrian like a physical, suffocating blow directly to his chest.
Suddenly, a small, metallic clinking sound echoed faintly from the rusty ventilation shaft located high above their heads.
Victor immediately drew his service weapon, aiming his bright tactical flashlight toward the dark metal grate near the ceiling.
The iron grate suddenly swung open on its hinges, and Grace dropped completely silently onto the soft dirt floor behind a row of overgrown ferns.
She had bravely crawled through the estate's ancient, claustrophobic heating ducts to follow them, risking her own life to save a man she barely knew.
Victor moved cautiously closer to the rustling ferns, his finger resting dangerously heavy on the trigger of his gun.
Grace quickly grabbed a heavy, torn bag of chemical fertilizer and threw it directly at Victor's head with all her strength.
The paper bag exploded violently on impact, filling the stagnant air with a blinding, choking cloud of white chemical dust.
While Victor coughed uncontrollably and fired a wild, panicked shot into the ceiling, Grace rushed to Adrian and expertly sliced his thick zip-ties with a stolen kitchen knife.
"We have to run right now," Grace whispered urgently, pulling the disoriented billionaire firmly to his feet.
They sprinted desperately toward the rusty metal exit doors, the sweet taste of victory finally within their desperate grasp.
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But as Adrian pushed the heavy iron doors open, a tall, elegantly dressed man stepped calmly out of the shadows, blocking their only escape path.
Malcolm Reed smiled warmly, aiming a custom silver pistol directly at Adrian's rapidly beating heart.
