Chapter 5 - The Smoke and Mirrors
The massive explosion knocked everyone in the hallway violently to the floor.
Thick black smoke began billowing up the grand staircase from the main floor below.
The estate's fire alarms shrieked loudly, adding to the absolute chaos of the moment.
Liam recovered first and fired two quick shots, disarming my mother's private guards.
I grabbed Vanessa's hand and pulled her up from the expensive carpet.
We sprinted down the opposite end of the hallway toward the servant's stairwell.
My mother screamed in pure frustration as we disappeared into the thick smoke.
We managed to navigate the narrow stairs and burst out into the rear driveway of the estate.
A heavily armored catering van was idling near the garbage dumpsters.
Liam smashed the driver's side window with his elbow and quickly hotwired the engine.
Vanessa and I climbed into the back of the van, surrounded by empty champagne bottles and leftover wedding cake.
Liam slammed his foot on the gas pedal, and we tore across the manicured lawn.
He aggressively rammed the van through the heavy wooden service gates, shattering them into pieces.
We sped down the dark, winding coastal highway, finally leaving the nightmare of the estate behind us.
I pulled the black USB drive from my pocket and plugged it into my phone using an adapter.
I needed to access the offshore accounts and transfer the money before my parents could stop me.
The screen prompted me for a dual biometric authentication to unlock the encrypted files.
I scanned my fingerprint, and the system accepted my identity as a former compliance officer.
The screen then demanded a second authorized fingerprint to complete the security protocol.
I looked at Vanessa and realized her fingerprint was the final key my father had secretly coded.
I handed her the phone and begged her to help me return the stolen money to the innocent victims.
Vanessa stared at the glowing screen for a long time without moving a muscle.
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She slowly looked up at me with an incredibly cold and unfamiliar expression on her face.
She pulled the silver revolver from her ruined dress and pointed it directly at my chest.
