Chapter 6 - The Bathroom Escape
The loud crash of shattering glass echoed from the master bathroom, shattering the suffocating stillness of the hallway. Vince’s hand froze inside his coat pocket, his dark eyes darting toward the noise before snapping back to Clara with renewed suspicion.
“What was that?” Vince demanded, his smooth voice hardening into a sharp command. He flicked a glance over his shoulder toward the doorway.
Elena seized the momentary distraction. With a desperate gasp, she burst out from her hiding spot near the wooden wardrobe, shoving past Vince with enough force to throw him slightly off balance. She sprinted toward the open nursery door, her dark leggings a blur as she bolted down the hallway toward the fire escape stairs.
“Stop her!” Vince barked into a small radio clipped to his collar.
Heavy boots immediately thudded up the back stairwell from the ground floor, cutting off Elena’s escape route before she could even reach the landing. A second later, two bulky men in dark windbreakers dragged a screaming Elena back into the hallway, throwing her roughly against the pastel yellow wall outside the nursery.
Marcus tightened his grip on Leo, his eyes wide with panic. He looked at Clara, silently pleading for her to create a distraction so he could make a run for the window. But Clara’s attention wasn't on Marcus anymore. Her gaze was locked on Vince, watching the way he handled the crisis without a single flicker of panic.
“You really thought you could outsmart a twelve-million-dollar logistics network with a makeshift adoption scam?” Vince asked, stepping closer to Clara while his enforcers held Elena firmly in the hall. Vince pulled his hand out of his coat, not revealing a weapon, but rather a sleek, modern tablet displaying a glowing financial ledger.
“I don't care about your logistics network,” Clara spat, refusing to yield an inch of ground. “My husband made a debt with you, not me. That contract is fraudulent. The birth certificate was signed under duress and forgery. It holds zero legal weight in any court in this state.”
Vince let out a low, patronizing chuckle. He tapped the screen of the tablet, turning it around so Clara could see the cascading columns of data. “Courts, Mrs. Miller? You think we operate in civil courts? Your husband didn't just borrow money for a bad business venture. He embezzled from an account managed by people who view legal paperwork as mere toilet paper.”
Marcus swallowed hard, stepping forward from the crib. “Leave her out of this, Vince. She had nothing to do with the corporate accounts. Take me. Take whatever assets are left in the primary trust. Just let Clara and the baby walk away.”
May you like
Vince turned his cold gaze onto Marcus, tilting his head with morbid curiosity. “You think you have assets left to surrender, Marcus? Let me show you what your husband was really funding with our capital.” Vince swiped the tablet screen, bringing up a secure video file and pressing play.
---
