Chapter 4 - The Midnight Bargain
Elena stared down the dark, hollow barrel of the silver pistol, her heart hammering violently against her ribs.
She desperately pleaded with Marcus, reminding him that Julian was his own flesh and blood.
Marcus let out a dark, humorless laugh that echoed eerily across the empty, silent docks.
He coldly informed Elena that Julian was not actually his biological son.
Victoria had secretly purchased Julian from a desperate, impoverished family over thirty years ago.
She had only adopted the boy to legally secure her permanent iron grip on the Sterling family inheritance.
Elena felt her entire understanding of the world shatter into a million jagged pieces.
Marcus lowered the gun slightly, offering Elena a highly dangerous, desperate proposition.
He demanded that she break back into the heavily guarded Sterling estate before dawn.
He needed her to physically plant a military-grade listening device inside Victoria's private penthouse suite.
If Elena successfully bugged the room, Marcus promised to hand over the microchip ring.
Elena knew she had absolutely no other choice if she wanted to save the man she loved.
She accepted the dark bargain and allowed Marcus to drop her off near the estate's hidden service entrance.
She navigated the damp, pitch-black utility tunnels beneath the mansion using only her memory.
She bypassed the electronic security grid and quietly slipped into the private elevator leading to the penthouse.
The massive, luxurious suite was completely silent and entirely swallowed in deep shadows.
Elena silently crept toward Victoria's mahogany desk, clutching the small electronic bug in her trembling hand.
She successfully placed the device beneath the heavy wooden desk and turned to leave.
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Suddenly, the brilliant crystal chandeliers above her flared to life with blinding intensity.
Victoria was sitting comfortably in a high-backed leather armchair, calmly pointing a loaded hunting shotgun at Elena's face.
