Chapter 7 - The Final Ultimatum
The blinding headlights of the massive semi-truck washed out everything else on the dark highway.
Vanessa stood calmly in the pouring rain, resting the heavy rifle against her designer coat.
Amelia ordered Lucas to put the car in reverse and get out of there.
Lucas slammed the gearshift, but the engine suddenly sputtered and died completely.
He cursed loudly, realizing the car had been remotely disabled by a corporate tracking system.
Vanessa slowly walked toward their stalled vehicle, her heels clicking ominously against the wet asphalt.
She tapped the barrel of the rifle against Amelia’s window, demanding she roll it down.
Amelia lowered the glass exactly one inch, keeping her body positioned to shield her children.
Vanessa smiled her signature fake smile and told Amelia it was time to stop playing games.
She revealed that Nathan had just been arrested by the police for the incident in the parking garage.
Vanessa explained that with Nathan out of the picture, she was now the sole executor of his estate.
She handed a digital tablet through the narrow crack in the window.
The screen displayed a live video feed of Amelia’s elderly mother sleeping in her nursing home bed.
Vanessa promised to make a single phone call that would end her mother's life if Amelia did not sign over the trust right now.
Amelia stared at the screen, her blood running completely cold.
She realized Vanessa had never cared about Nathan at all; he was just a pawn in her long game.
Amelia took the tablet and pretended to carefully read the digital transfer documents.
She discreetly pressed the emergency broadcast button on her smartwatch, opening a live audio feed to the local police dispatch.
Amelia looked Vanessa directly in the eyes and asked her to confirm the threat on audio.
She asked Vanessa if she was truly willing to murder an old woman for a hotel empire.
Vanessa laughed arrogantly and proudly admitted she would kill anyone who stood in her way.
Suddenly, the deafening wail of police sirens echoed from both ends of the dark highway.
Vanessa spun around in panic, realizing she had just confessed to a murder conspiracy on a recorded police line.
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She raised her rifle to shoot Amelia, but Lucas kicked his door open and tackled Vanessa to the ground.
During the struggle, a single gunshot rang out in the dark, shattering the silence of the night.
