Chapter 4 - A Dangerous Alliance
Maeve pressed her back hard against the cold marble wall of the bathroom, her hands trembling as she clamped them over her mouth to muffle her breathing. Through the gap in the door, she watched Viktor’s thick fingers slowly release Julian’s collar. Julian slumped back against the wheelchair, coughing violently and clutching his bruised throat.
“You better hope she didn't,” Viktor muttered, adjusting the cuffs of his gray suit. “Because if the authorities trace that wire transfer back to this penthouse, I won’t just make sure you lose the use of your legs permanently. I’ll make sure you lose your life, piece by agonizing piece.”
Viktor turned sharply on his heel, his heavy leather shoes clicking against the hardwood floor as he strode out of the bedroom, leaving the door wide open.
Silence descended on the room once again, save for Julian’s ragged breathing. Slowly, Maeve pushed the bathroom door open and stepped back into the bedroom. She hurried to Julian’s side, kneeling beside the wheelchair and gently touching his bruised collarbone.
“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice laced with genuine concern.
Julian pulled away, his expression hardening back into a mask of cold detachment, though the raw fear in his eyes remained. “Mind your own business, Maeve. You shouldn't have stayed. I told you to run when you had the chance.”
“And let them murder you in cold blood?” Maeve retorted, her anger flaring hot beneath her skin. “I might only be an agency maid earning thirty-five an hour, but I’m not a coward. That man just threatened to kill you, and Elena is clearly part of whatever sick conspiracy put you in this chair and got someone else killed.”
Julian looked down at her, studying her face for a long moment as if trying to determine whether she was crazy, brave, or simply suicidal. “You don't understand the scale of this,” he said quietly. “Elena isn't just some trophy wife with expensive tastes. She runs her family’s entire criminal syndicate through shell corporations and high-end real estate. I tried to walk away with the accounts six months ago. That’s why Viktor cut my brake lines on the mountain pass.”
Maeve gasped, the pieces clicking together with terrifying clarity. “Your accident... it wasn't a crash at all. They tried to murder you.”
“And when I miraculously survived, they kept me alive as a prisoner in my own home,” Julian continued, his voice dropping to a painful whisper. “A living ornament to maintain appearances while they use my signature and my retinal scans to drain every asset I own.”
“Then we go to the police,” Maeve said firmly.
“With what?” Julian countered bitterly, pointing a trembling finger toward the mattress. “The bloody gun under my bed belongs to me, registered in my name. They framed me for the murder of the auditor who was investigating their books. If we go to the cops, I take the fall, and Elena walks away completely untouched.”
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Before Maeve could formulate a response, the bedroom door clicked shut with a soft, ominous sound, and the heavy iron bolt on the outside slid smoothly into place.
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