Chapter 5 - The Deal
The burning wreckage of the plane cast a bright, hellish orange glow across the morning sky.
Dominic felt a crushing wave of despair wash over him as he stared at his destroyed escape route.
Lucian was always exactly one step ahead of him in this deadly game of chess.
The taxi driver screamed in panic and sped away, leaving Dominic and Margaret stranded at the fence.
Dominic pulled his mother into the tall grass near a drainage ditch to hide from the airstrip security.
He pulled out his phone and dialed the only person left in the city who owed him a favor.
He called Valeria.
Valeria answered on the first ring, her voice surprisingly calm amidst the chaos.
"I knew you would call me when you ran out of options, Dominic," she purred into the receiver.
Dominic swallowed his pride, knowing she was the only one who could get them out of the country.
"I will give you the ledger and all the money if you bring a medical team and a helicopter right now," he offered.
Valeria laughed softly, the sound sending a cold shiver down Dominic’s spine.
"I do not want the money, Dominic, I want you to surrender yourself to me," she replied.
She explained that she had grown tired of Lucian’s reckless violence and wanted to control the empire herself.
She needed Dominic to publicly confess to the embezzlement so she could legally seize the company assets.
In exchange, she promised to fly his mother to a world-class hospital in Switzerland and guarantee her safety.
Dominic looked at his mother’s pale, sweat-drenched face, knowing she would not survive another hour without surgery.
He agreed to the devastating terms without a second thought.
Fifteen minutes later, a sleek black helicopter descended onto the grassy field next to their hiding spot.
Two heavily armed medics jumped out and carefully loaded Margaret onto a stretcher.
Dominic kissed his mother’s forehead, promising her that everything was going to be alright.
He stepped back and allowed Valeria’s guards to place heavy iron handcuffs on his wrists.
They pushed him into the back of a separate armored SUV waiting on the dirt road.
Valeria was sitting in the back seat, holding a tablet displaying a live video feed.
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She turned the screen toward Dominic, a wicked smile playing on her lips.
The video showed Lucian tied to a wooden chair in a dark basement, covered in blood and begging for his life.
