Chapter 4 - The Hostile Takeover
"Turn the car around," Adrian commanded the driver.
The driver instantly spun the heavy steering wheel, sending the tires screaming across the asphalt.
Hannah looked up from the baby, her eyes wide with alarm.
"We need to get him to a hospital for a proper evaluation!" she argued.
Adrian shook his head, his jaw tight with pure fury.
"The Morettis don't want my son."
"They want the ledger."
He looked at Natalie, who was cowering in the corner of the leather seat.
"And you helped them get it."
Natalie burst into fresh tears.
"I had no choice, Adrian!" she sobbed.
"They told me if I didn't keep you occupied, they would kill me."
Little Maisie covered her ears, frightened by the sudden yelling.
Hannah instinctively pulled her daughter close, shielding her from the tension.
Adrian watched the maid again, noting the way she analyzed the tactical layout of the car.
"Who exactly are you, Hannah?" he asked softly.
Hannah kept her eyes fixed on the passing scenery.
"I am a mother trying to protect her child," she answered flatly.
"Just like you."
The armored sedan roared back through the shattered gates of the Vale estate.
Smoke was billowing from the tall windows of Adrian's second-floor study.
His guards were scattered across the lawn, engaged in a fierce firefight.
Men in dark tactical gear were pouring out of the mansion.
One of them was carrying a heavy steel lockbox.
It was the ledger that contained every encrypted bank account Adrian owned.
Adrian drew his own weapon and kicked his door open.
He aimed at the man carrying his life's work.
Before he could pull the trigger, a sleek black helicopter crested the tree line.
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A sniper leaned out of the chopper's open side door.
The red beam of a laser sight painted perfectly across Adrian's chest.
