Chapter 9 - The Lobby Blast
The deafening roar of the sudden explosion violently shook the expensive glass walls of the penthouse boardroom.
My father instantly tackled me to the plush carpet, bravely using his own body to shield me from any falling debris.
The emergency alarms immediately began to blare loudly, furiously flashing bright red strobe lights across the ceiling.
The chief of security frantically yelled into his radio, urgently demanding a full situation report from the ground floor.
A completely panicked voice crackled through the speaker, reporting that a massive vehicle had intentionally rammed into the lobby.
The driver of the hostile vehicle had detonated a highly localized explosive charge to breach the main security checkpoint.
I realized with absolute horror that Derek must have actually had a secondary, much more dangerous accomplice waiting outside.
My father aggressively ordered his elite security team to heavily barricade the boardroom doors and prepare for a hostile breach.
We watched the live security feed on the projector screen as heavily armed mercenaries flooded violently into the lobby.
They aggressively overpowered the local police officers and quickly grabbed Derek directly from police custody.
Derek looked entirely shocked and completely terrified, clearly having absolutely no idea who these violent men actually were.
The massive leader of the mercenaries ripped the handcuffs off Derek and aggressively dragged him toward the shattered entrance.
I frowned in complete confusion, actively wondering why highly trained professionals would risk a federal shootout to save a pathetic middle manager.
Chloe gasped loudly and pointed a violently trembling finger at the glowing projector screen on the wall.
She recognized the distinct tactical gear worn by the mercenaries from her incredibly deep undercover investigations.
She stated that they were absolutely not here to rescue Derek as a loyal friend or a hired accomplice.
They were an extremely dangerous, international cartel hit squad sent to explicitly collect a massive debt that Derek had secretly accrued.
Derek had secretly borrowed millions of dollars from the criminal underworld to fully fund his fake, luxurious lifestyle.
He had foolishly promised to pay them back with my inheritance, completely unaware that I was a billionaire's powerful daughter.
Now that his accounts were entirely frozen and his arrest was imminent, the cartel had completely come to collect his life as payment.
We watched the screen in stunned silence as the mercenaries forcefully threw Derek into the back of a dark, completely unmarked van.
Derek screamed desperately for help, frantically reaching out toward the destroyed lobby as the heavy van doors slammed shut.
The vehicle sped away wildly into the stormy night, taking my abusive ex-husband deep into a terrifying, violent underworld.
My father slowly stood up and casually brushed the thick dust off his tailored suit with a completely calm expression.
He looked at the security chief and firmly ordered him to let the local police handle the cartel kidnapping completely on their own.
He turned directly to me and gently stated that the trash had finally and completely taken itself out of our lives.
I let out a long, deeply exhausted sigh of absolute relief, fully knowing Derek would face a severe punishment far worse than any prison.
The nightmare was officially and completely over, and the beautiful sun was finally beginning to rise over the rainy city skyline.
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I was absolutely ready to start my incredible new life as the highly powerful CEO of Sterling Enterprises.
However, as we walked toward the secure extraction helicopter on the roof, Evelyn completely shocked me by handing me a highly classified folder.
