Chapter 3 - The Leverage
Thea shoved the medical document into her purse, her hands shaking violently.
She rushed back to the drawing room, grabbed Lachlan by the arm, and guided him directly to their waiting car.
Once they were safely inside the moving vehicle, she pulled the paper out and read it to him.
"Astrid promised the surgery would be paid for the moment I signed the marriage certificate," Thea said, fighting back angry tears.
Lachlan's jaw tightened visibly as he stared blankly ahead, maintaining his blind facade for the driver.
"She blocked the transfer to keep you desperate and completely obedient," Lachlan deduced quietly.
"We are not going to let her use your mother's life as leverage."
They arrived back at the corporate penthouse, ensuring the hidden cameras in their bedroom were temporarily blinded by a draped towel.
Lachlan sat at his secure laptop, his eyes moving rapidly across the screen as his fingers flew over the keyboard.
He was using his hidden sight to hack directly into his own company's restricted financial terminal.
"I am authorizing an anonymous offshore wire transfer directly to the hospital's surgical department," he explained.
"It will look like a charitable donation, completely untraceable to us."
Thea watched the loading screen with bated breath, praying the transaction would clear.
Suddenly, the power in the entire penthouse completely cut out.
The electronic locks on the heavy steel doors engaged with a loud, terrifying clunk.
"They cut the power grid," Lachlan said, immediately pulling a small flashlight from his desk drawer.
Before they could even attempt to pry the doors open, a thick, acrid smell began to fill the room.
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Thea coughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve as gray smoke billowed rapidly from the overhead ventilation shafts.
Someone had intentionally locked them inside the penthouse, and the building was currently on fire.
