Chapter 8 - A Family Affair
David kept the metal pipe pressed firmly against Marcus’s throat, using his own nephew as a human shield while backing slowly toward the reinforced fire exit that led to the cathedral's alleyway.
"Don't take another step, Maya," David warned, his voice dripping with venom. "Or I snap his neck right here. You think you’ve ruined our family? We survived the fall of the Sterling estate, and we’ll survive this. All we need is your signature on the asset release forms, and we walk away clean."
Maya stopped dead in her tracks, her heart pounding against her ribs. She looked at Marcus, whose eyes were wide with a mixture of terror and utter devastation. The man he had idolized his entire life—the uncle who funded his college education, mentored his career, and taught him how to be a 'respectable' man—was holding his life in his hands without a shred of hesitation.
"David," Maya said, her voice terrifyingly calm as she kept her hands visible. "The federal agents are already surrounding the front of the cathedral. There is no alleyway escape. The entire perimeter is locked down."
David scoffed, though a bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple. "You're bluffing. Evelyn handled the security details. No one expected us here today."
"Evelyn is currently sitting in the back of a police cruiser with federal marshals," Arthur Vance called out from the doorway, stepping into the vestry with his hand resting firmly on a legal briefcase that doubled as a heavy blunt instrument. "And your Swiss bank accounts, David? Frozen twenty minutes ago by Interpol."
David’s face contorted with sudden rage. He shoved Marcus violently aside, sending the groom crashing into a wooden table stacked with floral arrangements, and lunged directly toward the fire exit.
"Marcus!" Maya screamed, rushing past the falling vases to catch Marcus before he hit the floor.
Marcus groaned, clutching his shoulder as he stared blankly at the heavy steel door that had just slammed shut behind his uncle. The betrayal cut deeper than any financial ruin, carving a canyon through his identity that could never be filled.
"He... he lied to me," Marcus whispered, tears finally breaking free and tracking down his beard. "My whole life... every lesson, every piece of advice, every dollar he gave me... it was all built on my father's blood."
Maya gently helped him up, her own anger giving way to a shared, heavy sorrow. She looked down at her ruined wedding dress, stained with dust and flower petals, and realized that the wedding was truly over, but the war had only just begun.
Marcus looked up at her, his eyes filled with a desperate, broken plea. "Maya... what do we do now?"
Maya pulled the photograph of David and Evelyn out of her pocket, handing it to Marcus as she walked toward the vestry window to watch the police cruisers flashing their red and blue lights against the brick walls.
May you like
"We finish auditing every single account they ever touched," Maya said coldly, turning back to face him. "And then we find out who else in your family helped them pull the trigger."
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