Chapter 11 - The Secret Ally
The heavy silence that followed Thomas’s demand was broken only by the crackle of the distant security floodlight. Marcus stared at the man standing beyond the iron fence, his face twisting into a mask of pure disbelief and simmering rage.
"Thomas," Marcus snarled, his voice trembling slightly as he recovered his footing. "You were paid off. Your company received the overseas contracts. You have no business here."
Thomas walked closer to the fence, resting the barrel of his hunting rifle against the wrought-iron bars. His sharp eyes flicked to Elena, noting her pale skin and the way she protectively cradled her stomach, before locking back onto Marcus.
"Greed makes you blind, Marcus," Thomas replied, his tone ice-cold. "You thought a few million dollars in offshore accounts would buy my silence while you murdered Julian and stole his estate out from under his lawful wife? You underestimated how much Julian trusted me."
Clara stepped forward, her face contorted with rage as she pointed a shaky, manicured finger at Thomas. "You treacherous bastard! This is private family business! That woman is a fraud, and that child isn't even a Linden!"
"The DNA tests and the original marriage certificates are safely stored in my custody in Zurich, Clara," Thomas said smoothly, pulling a small silver flash drive out of his pocket and holding it up for them to see. "You burned a decoy portfolio in that basement. The real estate assets were transferred to Elena’s name forty-eight hours before Julian passed away."
Elena stared at Thomas, tears of profound relief blurring her vision. All this time, while she felt completely alone and trapped in the nightmare of Linden House, an invisible shield had been protecting her.
Marcus’s face drained of all color. The cold, untouchable facade he had maintained all evening finally shattered. Without a word, he lunged toward the security guards standing near the greenhouse wall.
"Get him! Shoot him through the fence!" Marcus screamed, losing all composure.
The two guards unholstered their firearms, raising them toward Thomas. But Thomas didn't flinch. He whistled sharply, and instantly, the perimeter tree line erupted with motion. Half a dozen federal agents in tactical gear stepped out of the shadows, their assault rifles raised and locked directly onto the guards.
"Drop your weapons! Federal agents! Do it now!" a booming voice commanded from the dark.
The security guards froze, looked at the overwhelming firepower aimed at them, and slowly dropped their weapons to the grass, raising their hands in the air.
Marcus backed away slowly, his eyes darting frantically around the courtyard. He was trapped. The empire he and Clara had built on lies, intimidation, and cruelty was crumbling around them in real time.
Clara let out a strangled cry of pure fury, grabbing a heavy garden shears off a nearby potting bench and lunging blindly toward the fence where Elena stood.
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"If I can't have Linden House, nobody will!" Clara shrieked, raising the heavy steel blades high above her head as she charged straight at Elena.
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