Chapter 5 - The Snake's Last Strike
Though Senator Kensington was behind bars, the poison of the Kensington empire had deep roots.
Three weeks had passed since the arrest.
The Rossi mansion had been completely transformed. The cold, austere halls were now filled with the warmth of Beatrice’s presence. She had taken over the management of the estate with a quiet, brilliant efficiency that astonished even Mateo. She reorganized the staff schedules, tripled their wages, and treated every butler, cook, and cleaner with human dignity.
The staff, who had once treated Beatrice with quiet disdain, now viewed her with an awe bordering on devotion.
On a rainy Thursday evening, Leo was in his private study on the third floor, finishing a stack of legal documents that officially transferred twenty percent of the Rossi shipping empire into a trust fund for Beatrice Miller.
A thunderclap echoed across Lake Michigan, shaking the tall glass windows.
Downstairs in the nursery, Beatrice was reading a bedtime story to Lily. The little girl was snuggled deep into her duvet, holding her stuffed rabbit.
“Read the part about the dragon again, Bee,” Lily murmured sleepily.
Beatrice smiled, stroking the child’s brown curls. “The dragon wasn't mean, sweet girl. He was just lonely until the little princess gave him a piece of apple pie.”
Suddenly, the lights in the mansion flickered once, twice, and died completely.
The nursery was plunged into pitch darkness.
The heavy hum of the mansion’s security system went dead.
Beatrice’s instincts instantly went on high alert. She set the book down, reaching out in the dark to gather Lily into her arms. “Stay quiet, baby.”
“Bee?” Lily whimpered, clinging to her sweater. “Why is it dark?”
“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s just heaven moving furniture.”
Outside the nursery door, a faint, rhythmic clicking sound echoed down the corridor.
It wasn't the footsteps of Leo’s guards. It was the sharp, panicked click of high heels against hardwood.
Beatrice’s blood turned to ice.
The nursery door clicked open.
A tactical flashlight beam cut through the darkness, blinding Beatrice. Standing in the doorway, drenched in rain, her clothes covered in mud, was Victoria Kensington.
She had escaped during her transfer to the federal holding facility, using her family’s remaining dirty syndicate contacts to break out of the van. Her eyes were bloodshot and wild, her hair matted against her face, and in her right hand, she held a heavy snub-nosed revolver.
“Found you,” Victoria rasped, her voice completely unhinged.
“Victoria...” Beatrice said calmly, stepping in front of Lily on the bed, using her broad body to completely shield the child from view. “Put the gun down. You can’t get away with this.”
“Shut up! Shut your fat mouth!” Victoria shrieked, her hand shaking violently as she pointed the gun at Beatrice’s chest. “You ruined everything! I was supposed to be Mrs. Rossi! I was supposed to have the money, the empire, the mansion! And Leo threw me in a cell for you? A pig in an apron?!”
“Victoria, look at yourself,” Beatrice said softly, keeping her voice steady despite the terrifying pounding of her heart. “It’s over. Leo knows everything. If you hurt Lily, he will hunt you to the ends of the earth.”
“I’m not here to hurt the kid,” Victoria sneered, her finger tightening on the trigger. “I’m here to take what Leo loves most. I’m going to leave your corpse on this rug, and then I’m going to burn this house to the ground!”
Beatrice didn't hesitate.
She didn't freeze. She didn't beg.
When Victoria raised the gun to aim at her head, Beatrice threw herself forward with all the weight and strength in her body.
BANG!
The gunshot roared in the small room, deafeningly loud.
The bullet tore through the shoulder of Beatrice’s cardigan, grazing her skin, but Beatrice slammed into Victoria like a freight train, driving her backward into the hallway wall. The gun flew from Victoria’s hand, clattering down the dark corridor.
Victoria screamed, clawing at Beatrice’s face, but Beatrice pinned her against the floorboards, holding her down with sheer, unyielding force until heavy boots came thundering up the stairs.
Flashlights flooded the hallway.
Leo burst through the dark, his weapon drawn, Mateo right behind him.
When Leo saw Beatrice kneeling on top of Victoria, holding the hysterical woman’s wrists to the floor while blood soaked through her shoulder, his heart nearly stopped.
“Mateo!” Leo roared.
Mateo leaped forward, wrenching Victoria off the floor and pinning her in steel handcuffs within two seconds.
Leo dropped his gun, falling to his knees beside Beatrice.
“Beatrice!” he cried out, his hands reaching for her torn, bloody shoulder. “Beatrice, look at me!”
Beatrice looked at him, her face pale, her breathing heavy. “Lily... Lily is safe in the bed. She’s... she’s not hurt.”
Leo pulled her fiercely into his arms, burying his face in her neck, his body shaking with an intense, overwhelming relief.
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“You stupid, brave, magnificent woman,” Leo sobbed softly into her hair. “You saved her again.”
“I told you,” Beatrice whispered, resting her head against his chest as the guards restored the power lights. “Nobody touches our girl.”
