Chapter 8 - The Confession
"Claire, stop!" Dominic roared, running immediately after me.
I ignored him and reached the open shipping container, dropping heavily to my knees in front of Rebecca.
Her eyes were completely wide with pure panic as she stared down at the digital timer strapped to her chest.
It was rapidly counting down from exactly three minutes.
Dominic arrived beside me, completely ignoring the danger to his own life to examine the explosive device.
"This is a military-grade C4 vest with a highly complex tamper-proof wiring system," Dominic assessed grimly.
"Can you disarm it?" I asked, my hands shaking violently as I carefully peeled the thick tape off Rebecca's mouth.
Rebecca gasped loudly for air, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Claire, I am so sorry," she cried, completely breaking down.
"Shut up and hold perfectly still," Dominic commanded her harshly.
He pulled a small tactical knife from his boot and carefully sliced open the plastic casing of the bomb.
Inside was a chaotic maze of red, blue, and yellow wires.
"There is a secondary bypass code required to stop the timer before I cut the main power wire," Dominic explained, sweat forming on his brow.
He pointed to a small digital keypad attached to the side of the explosive vest.
"I need a six-digit code, or this entire dock disappears in exactly two minutes."
I stared at the keypad, my mind racing desperately to find a logical solution.
"Who did this to you, Rebecca?" I demanded, gripping her shoulders tightly.
"Who bought this ship using your name?"
Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing so hard her entire body violently shook.
"It was Madison," Rebecca choked out, her voice breaking entirely.
I froze completely.
Madison, my beautiful, perfect, supposedly harmless half-sister who ran a charity foundation.
"Madison has been secretly sleeping with the head of the Volkov cartel for over two years," Rebecca confessed rapidly.
"She orchestrated the embezzlement, she forged your signature on the weapons manifest, and she framed your father to take control of the company."
I felt a massive, suffocating wave of pure betrayal wash over me.
"She found out I discovered her secret bank accounts, so she had her men lock me in here," Rebecca cried.
The timer beeped loudly, hitting exactly one minute.
"I need that code, Claire!" Dominic yelled, gripping his knife tightly.
My logistical brain instantly snapped into absolute focus.
Madison was incredibly vain and completely obsessed with her own superficial perfection.
She used the exact same password for every single company server and security door she ever accessed.
"Try her birthday," I told Dominic confidently.
"Zero, eight, one, two, nine, four."
Dominic quickly punched the numbers into the small digital keypad.
The device beeped twice, and a tiny green light began to flash near the primary detonator.
Dominic didn't hesitate for a single second.
He sliced cleanly through the thick blue wire with his tactical knife.
The digital timer instantly went completely black, stopping precisely at seven seconds.
I let out a massive breath, collapsing backward onto the cold metal floor of the container.
We had actually survived.
Dominic quickly cut the heavy zip-ties binding Rebecca's wrists and ankles.
"Madison is currently hosting the annual maritime shipping gala at the downtown grand hotel tonight," Rebecca gasped, rubbing her bruised wrists.
"She is officially transferring the entire Whitmore Freight fleet to the Volkov cartel at midnight."
I looked at Dominic, a fierce, undeniable rage burning completely through my entire body.
"My sister is going to pay for what she did to me," I stated coldly.
Dominic smiled, a terrifyingly beautiful expression of pure, predatory intent.
"Then we are going to a gala," he agreed softly.
He pulled out his phone and dialed his head of security.
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"I need a stunning, custom-tailored evening gown delivered to my penthouse immediately," Dominic ordered over the phone.
"And absolutely make sure it fits a woman with perfect curves."
