Chapter 8 - The Boardroom Assassin
The voice echoing from the dark hallway sent a spike of pure ice straight through Thiago’s veins.
It was Elias Vance, the ruthless Chief Financial Officer of Bellacort Systems, and Thiago’s supposed closest corporate ally.
Elias stepped slowly into the dim moonlight filtering through the cracks in the blast shutters.
He was holding a suppressed pistol, and a cruel, arrogant smile twisted his perfectly groomed face.
"Elias," Thiago growled, his grip tightening on his own weapon behind the granite island. "You planted the bomb in the hospital."
"It was a necessary business expense," Elias replied casually, adjusting his expensive silk tie.
"You were turning this company into a charity, Thiago. Paying for experimental surgeries for waitresses' fathers? Refusing highly profitable, albeit illegal, transportation contracts from the Moretti family?"
Elias shook his head in mock disappointment. "The board of directors was losing millions because of your newfound conscience. We decided a change in leadership was required."
Cassie crouched beside Thiago, her heart hammering frantically in her chest.
She realized the entire corporate empire was turning against the man trying to save it.
"You'll never get away with this," Thiago stated coldly. "The security systems record everything."
Elias laughed a dry, humorless sound.
"I wiped the security servers an hour ago, Thiago. And I paid Mateo a fortune to unlock the gates to this safe house."
Thiago’s jaw clenched tightly. The betrayal of his trusted head of security stung worse than the corporate coup.
"Where is Mateo?" Thiago demanded, needing to know if his friend was truly gone.
"Bleeding out in the driveway," Elias sneered. "Now, stand up and drop the gun, Thiago. I'd hate to accidentally shoot the lovely waitress."
Thiago looked at Cassie, his eyes filled with a desperate, silent apology.
He knew Elias wouldn't hesitate to kill her just to prove a point.
Thiago slowly stood up from behind the kitchen island, raising his hands in surrender.
He placed his heavy pistol on the granite countertop, sliding it far away from his reach.
"Let her and her father go, Elias," Thiago negotiated calmly. "They have nothing to do with the company. I'll sign whatever transfer documents you want."
Elias smiled wickedly, raising his gun directly at Thiago’s chest.
"I don't need your signature if you're dead, Thiago," Elias said coldly. "And I certainly can't leave witnesses."
Before Elias could pull the trigger, Cassie acted with the pure, desperate courage of someone who had nothing left to lose.
She grabbed a heavy, cast-iron skillet from the lower kitchen cabinet and hurled it blindly into the darkness.
The heavy pan crashed violently into the expensive wine rack on the wall beside Elias, shattering dozens of glass bottles with a deafening crash.
Elias flinched, instinctively ducking away from the flying glass and spilling red wine.
Thiago didn't waste the fraction of a second the distraction provided.
He vaulted entirely over the massive granite island, launching his muscular body directly at Elias.
He tackled the treacherous CFO to the hardwood floor, knocking the breath completely out of him.
The suppressed pistol clattered across the room, sliding under the heavy oak dining table.
Thiago rained brutal, punishing blows down on Elias's face, his knuckles splitting the man's arrogant skin.
He was fighting not just for his company, but for the lives of the only people he cared about.
Elias fought back desperately, pulling a small tactical knife from his belt and slashing wildly.
The blade caught Thiago’s forearm, tearing through his shirt and drawing a sharp line of hot blood.
Thiago grunted in pain but refused to let go, pinning Elias’s knife hand to the floor with his knee.
He grabbed Elias by the throat, squeezing relentlessly until the CFO’s eyes bulged with pure panic.
"You underestimated me, Elias," Thiago hissed through his teeth. "You forgot that I built this company with my bare hands."
Cassie scrambled across the floor, desperately searching the shadows for Elias's dropped pistol.
Her fingers finally brushed against the cold metal under the table just as heavy footsteps echoed outside the kitchen.
Four heavily armed mercenaries, clearly hired by Elias, burst into the room with tactical flashlights blazing.
May you like
Cassie grabbed the gun, pointing it blindly into the light, completely terrified but refusing to back down.
Before she could pull the trigger, a massive, bloody figure stepped into the doorway behind the mercenaries.
