Chapter 13: The Breach of the Nursery
The blaring security alarm reverberated through the floors of the house like a physical blow. David’s blood ran cold. He spun around, abandoning all caution, and bolted back up the stairs toward the second-floor landing with superhuman speed.
"Elena!" David roared, his voice echoing frantically through the corridors as he reached the top of the stairs.
The heavy oak door of the nursery was standing wide open. The white room inside was empty of people, but the window leading out to the second-story balcony was shattered, glass glittering like diamonds across the white rug. The cold afternoon wind whipped the sheer white curtains wildly into the room.
David rushed to the threshold, his heart pounding in his throat. He peered out onto the balcony, but there was no one in sight—only the empty wrought-iron railing and the steep drop down to the stone patio below.
"Elena! Maya!" David shouted into the rushing wind, his voice cracking with absolute desperation.
Victor and Marcus strolled leisurely up the stairs behind him, stepping into the nursery without a hint of haste. Victor crossed his arms, looking around the bright, pristine room with feigned admiration.
"Looks like your lovely wife decided to take matters into her own hands, David. Smart woman. She probably realized her husband is a sinking ship and decided to jump before the hull cracked completely," Victor observed coolly.
David whipped around, grabbing Victor by the lapels of his expensive charcoal-grey suit and slamming him back against the white nursery wall with brutal force.
"Where are they, Victor?! If you or your men laid a hand on my wife or my daughter, I swear to God I will kill you with my bare hands!" David snarled, his face twisted in savage rage.
Victor didn't struggle against the grip. Instead, he smiled calmly, looking straight into David’s wild, desperate eyes.
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"I didn't have to touch them, David. They ran out on their own accord. But if you want to see them again before my associates catch up to them on the highway, you're going to have to sign over every single digital asset right now," Victor whispered, tapping a finger against the white baby monitor mounted on the wall above David's shoulder.
As Victor spoke, the blinking green light on the camera suddenly shifted to a solid, glowing red, and a synthesized audio feed from the device began broadcasting a looping recording of Elena’s voice crying out for help from somewhere deep inside the underground cellar.
