Chapter 2 - The Locked Safe
David stared at Sarah, the blood draining completely from his face.
The coiled viper was not just a rebellious mistake, it was the permanent brand of the deadly criminal underworld.
"David, I can explain everything to you," Sarah stammered, backing away toward the kitchen doors.
"Everybody get out of my house right now!" David roared, his voice shaking the heavy crystal chandeliers above them.
The wealthy guests instantly scrambled for the front door, sensing the dangerous shift in the atmosphere.
Within minutes, the massive dining room was entirely empty except for David, Sarah, and little Leo.
"You told me you were a sweet kindergarten teacher from Ohio," David said, his eyes locked on her ruined dress.
"I am, David, I just got this stupid tattoo when I was young and foolish," Sarah cried, trying desperately to play the innocent victim.
Leo stepped behind his father's leg and clutched his trousers tightly for protection.
"She is lying to you, dad," Leo said quietly but firmly.
"I saw her packing a black bag with money and fake passports yesterday in the basement," the brave boy added.
Sarah lunged forward, her sweet facade completely dropping into a terrifying mask of pure hatred.
"Shut your mouth, you little freak!" she snapped viciously.
David shoved her backward, sending her crashing painfully into the expensive dining table.
"Stay away from him, Sarah," David warned, pulling his son closer to his side.
"Take Leo upstairs and lock your bedroom door, I need to check the basement," David instructed his trusted nanny, Maria, who had just rushed into the room.
Maria nodded quickly and carried Leo up the grand wooden staircase.
David sprinted down the hallway to the basement stairs, leaving Sarah sobbing violently on the dining room floor.
He moved a heavy bookshelf and accessed the hidden floor safe that only he supposedly knew about.
The digital keypad was smeared with a tiny trace of powdered makeup.
David punched in his code, his hands trembling as the heavy steel door clicked open.
Inside, his emergency cash reserves were entirely gone.
But sitting in the empty space was a thick, brown manila envelope that certainly did not belong to him.
David ripped it open, pulling out a thick stack of surveillance photographs.
Every single picture showed David and Leo sleeping, taken from inside their own home over the last two years.
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And the final photo was a clear picture of a sleek sniper rifle, accompanied by a handwritten note.
The note read: "The husband and the brat die tonight at midnight."
