Chapter 1 - The Confession
Lorenzo kept his cold gaze locked on Bianca as the silence in the room became unbearable.
He demanded to know exactly who was waiting downstairs to take his innocent grandson.
Julian instinctively looked toward his mother for help, but Bianca was paralyzed by fear.
Bianca's arrogant expression melted into sheer, unadulterated terror as she took a trembling step backward.
She covered her mouth with a shaking hand and finally whispered the horrifying truth.
Julian owed three million dollars to the Volkov syndicate, a ruthless international cartel.
Sofia gasped from her hospital bed, clutching the thin white sheets with absolute disgust.
The man she had married had promised the cartel one of his own newborn triplets to wipe his gambling debt clean.
Lorenzo felt a dark, murderous rage completely take over his senses.
He pulled a concealed handgun from his shoulder holster and aimed it directly at Julian's chest.
He promised Julian that if he ever touched the children again, he would not live to see tomorrow.
Julian raised his hands, frantically backing away toward the shattered refreshment station.
He cried out that the cartel would have killed their entire family if he had not offered them collateral.
Nurse Claire quietly stepped in front of the three bassinets, bravely acting as a human shield for the newborns.
Victor suddenly groaned from the floor, reaching into his ruined jacket for his own weapon.
Lorenzo did not even look at Victor as he fired a deafening warning shot directly into the wall next to Victor's head.
The loud gunshot immediately triggered the hospital's automated emergency lockdown alarms.
Flashing red strobe lights bathed the VIP maternity lounge in a chaotic, terrifying glow.
Heavy steel security doors began to slide shut over the main elevator banks in the hallway.
Lorenzo knew the Volkov men waiting in the lobby would not leave empty-handed once they heard the alarm.
He ordered Nurse Claire to quickly pack the sleeping babies into a specialized, reinforced transport cart.
Sofia bravely tried to stand up, but her legs buckled from the exhaustion of the recent delivery.
Lorenzo rushed to his daughter's side and gently scooped her into his strong arms.
They desperately needed to reach the basement garage before the cartel locked down the entire building.
He forced Julian and Victor to walk out into the hallway in front of them at gunpoint.
As they reached the heavy emergency stairwell door, Lorenzo's burner phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
He answered the call with one hand, keeping his gun perfectly leveled at Julian's back.
A heavily accented voice echoed through the speaker with chilling, sadistic amusement.
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The voice cheerfully informed Lorenzo that they could not escape, because the cartel had already purchased the entire hospital security team.
Just then, the stairwell door burst open, revealing three heavily armed men wearing hospital security uniforms.
