Chapter 2 - The Resurrected Mother
The entire dining room erupted into pure chaos as the guests screamed in terror. Marcus stood frozen in place, staring at the woman he had mourned for over a thousand days. Sarah looked older, her face hardened by years of running and hiding. “Get away from my daughter, Marcus,” Sarah commanded, her voice completely devoid of emotion. Marcus slowly raised his hands, dropping the DNA results onto the marble floor. “Sarah, they told me you were dead,” Marcus whispered, his voice cracking with unbearable grief. Diana suddenly started laughing, a cold and terrifying sound that echoed through the panicked room. “She was supposed to be dead,” Diana sneered, dropping her innocent fiancée act entirely. Diana snapped her fingers in the air. Immediately, the four heavily armed security guards stationed at the exits drew their weapons and aimed them at Sarah. Marcus realized with absolute horror that his own personal security team was taking orders from his fiancée. “You set this whole thing up,” Marcus said, looking at the woman he was supposed to marry next week. “Your company is worth billions, darling,” Diana replied, fixing her diamond necklace without a care in the world. “I just needed you to sign the merger papers tomorrow morning before I tied up these loose ends.” Lily began to cry, clinging tightly to Marcus's expensive tuxedo trousers. Marcus knew he had exactly one second to make a choice that would change his life forever. He grabbed a heavy silver champagne bucket from the table and hurled it directly at the nearest guard. The bucket struck the man in the face, sending his gun clattering across the floor. Marcus scooped Lily up into his arms and sprinted toward Sarah. “Run!” Marcus shouted, grabbing Sarah’s free hand and pulling her into the service corridor. They sprinted past terrified kitchen staff, bursting through the double doors of the loading dock. But as they emerged into the cool night air, they stopped dead in their tracks. Three black SUVs were already blocking the alleyway exit. And stepping out of the lead vehicle was Marcus’s own father, holding a walking cane and smiling wickedly.
