Chapter 3 - The Cold Ultimatum
I shoved the laptop beneath my heavy hospital blankets just as the door burst open.
It was not Flynn who stepped into the sterile room.
It was Richard Vance, Flynn's ruthless father and the chairman of Vance Global.
He was wearing a bespoke charcoal suit, and his expression was completely devoid of empathy.
Richard turned and locked the heavy hospital door behind him, silencing the hallway noise.
He approached my bed slowly, carrying a thick leather folder under his arm.
"You look terrible, Mabel," Richard said, his voice a low, threatening rumble.
I glared at the billionaire, refusing to show him an ounce of fear.
"Where is the police escort that is supposed to be outside my door?" I demanded.
Richard offered a dark, condescending chuckle.
"The chief of police is a very good friend of mine," he replied smoothly.
"He agreed that this was a private family matter."
Richard tossed the leather folder onto my lap.
"Those are non-disclosure agreements, along with a divorce settlement," he explained.
"You are going to sign them, and you are going to tell the press this was a terrible cooking accident."
I opened the folder, staring at the legal documents that offered me a pathetic ten million dollars in exchange for my silence.
"Your son murdered my babies, Richard," I spat, my voice shaking with pure rage.
"I will burn your entire empire to the ground before I sign these papers."
Richard's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
He leaned over my bed, invading my personal space with the smell of expensive cologne and cigar smoke.
"You have no empire to burn, little girl," Richard whispered maliciously.
"Flynn already transferred all of your personal trust funds into an offshore account you cannot access."
My stomach dropped as I realized the true extent of their preparation.
"You are completely penniless, Mabel," Richard continued.
"If you refuse to sign, I will have my lawyers frame you as the violent aggressor."
"We will tell the world you attacked Selina out of jealous rage, and Flynn acted in self-defense."
He tapped the folder with a heavy gold ring.
"You have exactly twenty-four hours to sign this, or I will destroy your life."
Richard turned on his heel and marched out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.
I pulled the laptop out from under the blankets, my mind racing with terrifying clarity.
I could not fight a family of corrupt billionaires from a hospital bed.
I pressed the nurse call button frantically.
May you like
Dr. Reed rushed into the room a moment later.
"I need to disappear tonight," I told him.
