Chapter 5 - The Warning
I watched the horrifying video of Alexander falling to the wet pavement over and over again until my vision blurred with tears.
The masked attackers repeatedly kicked him before completely disappearing into the dark shadows of the alleyway.
The anonymous sender attached a single, chilling text message demanding that I completely stop my investigation immediately.
Camila covered her mouth in absolute terror, deeply realizing the extreme danger we were currently facing.
I wiped my tears and forcefully pushed down my panic, replacing it with a cold, hardened determination.
I told Camila to act completely normal around Julian and our father while I went to the city hospital to find Alexander.
I rushed out of the house and drove recklessly through the busy city streets until I reached the emergency room.
I frantically searched the busy hospital corridors until I finally found Alexander sitting in a private trauma room.
His handsome face was heavily bruised, and his left arm was completely immobilized in a thick white cast.
He looked up at me with a tired, painful smile that instantly broke the remaining walls around my guarded heart.
I ran to his side and gently touched his bruised cheek, completely apologizing for dragging him into my family's nightmare.
He wrapped his good arm around my waist and pulled me close, swearing that he would absolutely never abandon our fight.
He told me the attackers specifically demanded the master decryption key for the offshore accounts before they beat him.
He had bravely refused to surrender the digital key, protecting the only concrete evidence we had against them.
We realized Julian and my father were rapidly growing desperate and willing to commit violent crimes to protect their secret.
I knew we had to completely expose them at the grand engagement gala scheduled for tomorrow evening.
It was the absolute perfect opportunity to destroy their reputations in front of the exact same society that had mocked me.
I kissed Alexander softly on the lips, sealing a silent promise that we would end this war together.
I returned home late that afternoon to find my father angrily waiting for me in the main hallway.
He aggressively grabbed my arm and dragged me into the living room, screaming about my constant, unexplained absences.
He pointed a shaking finger at my face and told me he was officially kicking me out of the house after the gala.
He coldly stated that I was a complete embarrassment and he could no longer tolerate my pathetic existence under his roof.
I stared directly into his cruel eyes without showing a single ounce of fear or intimidation.
I calmly smiled and told him that I would happily pack my bags tomorrow night.
May you like
I turned around to walk up the stairs, leaving him completely confused by my sudden lack of submission.
As I reached the top step, I heard a strange, muffled crying sound coming from my mother's locked bedroom.
