Chapter 5 - The Poisoned Apple
By sunrise, the media narrative had completely flipped.
Julian managed to hijack a weak satellite signal on a burner phone. The news anchors weren't talking about Marcus’s murder confession. They were talking about Seraphina’s "psychotic break."
“Sources close to the Blackwood family report that Ms. Croft has been suffering from severe paranoia since the tragic death of her brother,” a perfectly coiffed anchor reported. “The audio played at the wedding has been analyzed by experts and deemed a deepfake, orchestrated by Ms. Croft in a tragic display of mental illness. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of her accomplice, Julian Vance, for kidnapping.”
They were painting her as a crazy woman and Julian as a terrorist. Furthermore, every bank account, credit card, and trust fund under Seraphina’s name had been frozen by her father’s lawyers.
She was a billionaire heiress with zero dollars to her name.
"They’re controlling the narrative," Julian said, pacing the small cabin. "Victor Blackwood owns three major news syndicates. They'll bury the truth and bury us right after."
"They can't bury what happens in a live boardroom," Seraphina said, standing up. The ruined bride was gone. Her eyes were sharp, calculating, resembling the apex predator she was raised to be.
"What are you talking about?"
"My father is calling an emergency board meeting today at Croft Tower to reassure the shareholders and legally strip me of my shares due to 'mental incompetence,'" Seraphina said, tapping the laptop. "If I walk into that room with this ledger, the board won't care about a PR spin. They'll care about federal RICO charges. They will throw my father to the wolves to save their own portfolios."
"You want to walk back into the city?" Julian asked, incredulous. "You're the most wanted woman in the state."
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"I know the building. I know the blind spots," Seraphina said, grabbing a black tactical jacket from Julian’s duffel bag. "Are you with me, or do I do this alone?"
Julian looked at her, entirely captivated by her fire. He racked the slide of his pistol. "I follow you, boss."
