Chapter 4 - The True Mastermind
The heavy metal doors of the precinct swung open.
I walked out into the chilly night air as a temporarily free man.
Sarah was leaning against a black luxury sedan, wearing a sharp designer trench coat.
She looked exactly as beautiful and intimidating as the day we divorced.
I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her.
She stiffened for a moment before awkwardly patting my back.
"Save the tears, Daniel, we have work to do," she commanded.
We got into her car, and her private driver sped away from the police station.
"How did you know I was arrested?" I asked, completely bewildered.
Sarah pulled a glossy dossier file from the leather seat pocket.
"Because I have been tracking Vanessa for the last six months," Sarah revealed.
She handed me the thick folder filled with background checks and photographs.
"Her real name is Victoria Sterling, and she is a professional corporate con artist."
I flipped through the pages, seeing her face alongside several other wealthy executives.
"She targets single fathers with growing tech companies," Sarah explained.
"She frames them for abuse, steals their assets, and disappears entirely."
I felt physically sick to my stomach reading the files.
"We need to get to my mother's house and rescue Noah right now," I said urgently.
Sarah told the driver to break every speed limit in the city.
We arrived at my suburban home in less than fifteen minutes.
My heart stopped as we pulled into the driveway.
The heavy oak front door was shattered and hanging off its hinges.
I sprinted out of the moving car and ran inside the house.
The living room was completely destroyed, with broken glass covering the carpet.
My mother was lying unconscious near the shattered coffee table.
I dropped to my knees and checked her pulse, crying out in relief when I found it.
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But as I looked around the ruined room, my greatest fear was realized.
Noah was completely gone.
