Chapter 5 - The Cornered Rat
The news of Arthur Vance’s ousting hit the financial networks like a hurricane. Vance Tech stock plummeted, then stabilized as I took full control, launching a transparency campaign.
But a man like Arthur doesn't go down quietly.
I was at the office late on a Thursday when Marcus burst through my door, his face pale. “Sir. We have a breach at the penthouse.”
My blood ran cold. “What? How?”
“A maintenance crew bypassed the biometric scanners. They aren't maintenance. They’re Arthur’s fixers.”
“Elena,” I choked out, already running for the private elevator. “Call the police. Get a chopper on the roof. Now!”
The ride to the penthouse felt like an eternity. Arthur was desperate. He knew the embezzlement charges would put him away for life; he was going after the only leverage he had left. My family.
I burst through the penthouse doors to a scene of chaos. The heavy glass coffee table was shattered. One of the intruders was groaning on the floor, clutching a bleeding head—Elena had clearly fought back with a heavy bronze sculpture.
But a second man had her pinned against the wall, a hand clamped over her mouth, while a third was moving toward the nursery doors.
“Hey!” I roared, grabbing the nearest heavy object—a solid oak chair—and hurling it at the man heading for the babies. It caught him in the knees, sending him crashing to the hardwood floor.
May you like
The man holding Elena turned, drawing a weapon. But before he could aim, Marcus and the security team flooded the room, tasers deploying. The intruders hit the ground, convulsing.
I sprinted to Elena, pulling her into my arms. She was shaking violently, clutching my shirt. “The babies,” she sobbed. “They didn't get to the babies.”
