Chapter 8
The blinding glare of the security vehicle’s high-beams washed over the ivy-covered brick of the greenhouse wall, casting long, grotesque shadows across the gravel path. Two armed estate guards stepped out from behind the service truck, their dark uniforms and tactical vests unmistakable in the harsh light. Chief Chen stood slightly behind them, his face impassive, hands resting casually at his belt.
"Don't make this harder than it has to be, Mr. David," Chief Chen called out, his voice carrying a practiced, emotionless authority. "Madam Eleanor has made it clear. You may leave the grounds whenever you choose, but the child remains. The generational trust mandates that the heir cannot be removed from Chen jurisdiction without board authorization."
David stepped directly in front of Mei, shielding her and the sleeping baby from the direct line of sight. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles shone white beneath the security lights. "My son goes where I go, Chen. Tell Eleanor she can take her board authorization and shove it."
"You don't have the legal standing to make that choice right now, sir," Chief Chen replied, taking a measured step forward. The two guards flanked him, their hands hovering near their restraints.
Mei felt a cold surge of adrenaline sharpen every sense. She looked past the guards to the open public lane just beyond the rusted gate. Less than fifty yards down the road, a yellow taxi, summoned by an automated app she had triggered minutes earlier, was idling by the curb, its headlights blinking through the predawn fog. They didn't need to fight the guards; they just needed to slip through the gap while David held the line.
With a swift, calculated movement, Mei unbuckled her side of the equation. She gripped David’s shoulder. "David, hold them. I'm going through."
Before the guards could register her movement, Mei darted past David, squeezing through the narrow gap of the rusted iron gate into the public lane.
"Hey! Stop her!" one of the guards shouted, lunging forward.
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David intercepted him with a vicious, sudden tackle, sending both men crashing into the gravel hedge. The second guard drew his baton, but David sprang back up, adrenaline fueling a desperate, protective rage that caught the professional security operative completely off guard.
Mei didn't look back. Clutching Leo tight against her chest, she ran down the empty asphalt lane toward the idling taxi, her boots pounding against the pavement until she yanked the back door open and tumbled inside the warm, safe interior of the vehicle, screaming for the driver to hit the gas.
