Chapter 9 - The False Exchange
I stared at the Council leader in absolute, numbing shock.
I had just discovered my current husband was trying to murder me, and now I was being forced to marry a mafia boss.
I looked desperately at Mr. Cross for another way out.
He gave me a subtle nod, indicating this was the only possible way to survive the night.
"I accept the terms," I declared fiercely, refusing to show weakness.
The Council leader smiled wickedly and slammed a heavy wooden gavel on the table.
Within hours, a terrifyingly efficient military operation was set into motion.
The Council's elite strike teams located Sarah's secret hideout at the shipping docks.
I stood on the wet wooden pier exactly at midnight, wearing my red anniversary dress under a heavy tactical coat.
Mr. Cross stood right beside me, armed, legally married to me, and ready for war.
Dozens of elite syndicate snipers were hidden in the shadows of the cargo containers.
A black van pulled up aggressively to the edge of the pier.
Sarah stepped out into the rain, using Karin as a human shield against the snipers.
Two of Sarah's mercenaries dragged a brutally beaten Tyler out of the back of the van.
Tyler fell hard to his knees in the puddles, sobbing hysterically like a child.
"Giana, please!" Tyler cried out, blood dripping from his nose.
"I am so incredibly sorry for everything!"
"I will do whatever you want, just tell them to save me!"
I looked down at the pathetic, cowardly man I had foolishly loved for five years.
I felt absolutely nothing but disgust for him anymore.
I tossed a locked silver briefcase onto the wet pier.
"There is the account access drive," I told Sarah loudly.
"Let them go right now."
Sarah greedily lunged forward for the briefcase, releasing her tight grip on Karin.
Tyler scrambled frantically across the wet wood, crawling toward me like a beaten dog.
"Thank you, Giana," Tyler wept, reaching his bloody hands out for my legs.
"I always knew you still loved me."
As Tyler's trembling hands touched my knees, his entire demeanor instantly changed.
His fake crying stopped immediately.
His eyes turned completely dead, cold, and entirely empty of emotion.
He suddenly pulled a jagged, illegal hunting knife from his torn sleeve.
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Before I could even react, Tyler lunged forward and plunged the blade deep into Mr. Cross's stomach.
Tyler threw his head back and laughed like a complete maniac.
