Chapter 7 - The Shadow of the Past
Six months later, life at the Everhart estate was a picture of absolute joy.
The wedding of Julian Everhart and Carmen Duarte had taken place in a private ceremony in the mansion’s rose garden, attended only by close friends, Winifred, and the three children.
Ana, now four years old, was officially adopted by Julian, her name legally changed to Ana Duarte-Everhart. Milo and Elle were now three, talking in full sentences, healthy, happy, and inseparable from their big sister.
However, peace in the high-stakes world of billionaires is rarely uninterrupted.
Arthur Sterling had lost sixty percent of his net worth after Julian cut ties with his hedge fund. Ruined, humiliated, and facing bankruptcy, Arthur had fled to South America. But Victoria Sterling remained in New York, consumed by a bitter, psychotic obsession with revenge.
It was a cold November afternoon. The grounds were covered in early winter snow.
Julian was stuck at a global tech summit in Boston, scheduled to return by helicopter at 6:00 PM. Carmen was home with the children, sitting in the cozy sunroom helping Ana with her reading alphabet while Milo and Elle played with wooden trains on the rug.
Outside, a black delivery van pulled up near the service entrance of the carriage house.
A person dressed in a heavy winter coat and a fake delivery driver’s cap stepped out, carrying a large cardboard box. It was Victoria.
Using a stolen security keycard she had secretly copied months ago from a former guard she had bribed, Victoria bypassed the perimeter gate and slipped quietly into the main house through the basement utility entrance.
She moved like a shadow through the corridors, her eyes wild, holding a small bottle of industrial chloroform and a cloth hidden inside her coat pocket.
Her plan was sick and twisted: she intended to kidnap little Ana, drag her out to the van, and demand fifty million dollars from Julian, destroying his new family in the process.
Victoria reached the sunroom door. She peeked through the glass pane.
Carmen was standing up, walking toward the adjoining kitchen to fetch warm milk for the toddlers.
Seeing her chance, Victoria slipped into the sunroom, locking the door behind her with a sharp CLICK.
Ana looked up from her reading book. The four-year-old saw Victoria, recognizing the scary lady instantly.
"You're not allowed here," Ana said calmly, her voice showing no fear, stepping in front of Milo and Elle.
"Shut up, you little brat!" Victoria hissed, pulling the chemical-soaked cloth from her pocket and rushing toward Ana.
Hearing Victoria’s voice, Carmen spun around in the kitchen doorway.
"ANA!" Carmen screamed.
Without a second thought, Carmen threw her body across the room, tackling Victoria to the floor just as the cloth reached Ana’s face.
The two women crashed onto the hardwood floor. Victoria, fueled by psychotic rage, clawed at Carmen’s face, trying to push the chemical cloth over Carmen’s mouth.
"I will take everything from him!" Victoria shrieked, her eyes bloodshot. "He ruined my family!"
"You won't touch my children!" Carmen roared with the terrifying strength of a mother protecting her young.
Carmen grabbed a heavy brass candleholder from the side table and swung it with all her strength, hitting Victoria squarely on the shoulder.
Victoria screamed in pain, dropping the cloth. Carmen pinned her to the floor, holding her down with her full weight while pressing the panic button installed under the windowsill.
Upstairs, the estate’s heavy security alarms blared loudly throughout the twelve acres.
Within thirty seconds, four armed security guards burst through the sunroom’s French doors, snatching Victoria off the floor and slamming her against the wall, cuffing her wrists in heavy steel.
At that exact moment, the loud chop of helicopter blades roared overhead.
Julian’s private chopper landed directly on the snow-covered lawn. Having received the silent alarm notification on his phone during his flight, Julian had ordered the pilot to push the engines to their limit.
Julian sprinted across the snow, tearing through the sunroom doors with his gun drawn.
He saw Victoria in handcuffs, weeping hysterically as the guards dragged her away.
He threw his gun onto the couch and rushed to Carmen, pulling her and all three children into his massive, shaking arms.
"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Julian gasped, his voice trembling violently as he kissed Carmen’s face, then Ana’s, then Milo’s and Elle’s.
"We are safe, Julian," Carmen whispered, clinging to her husband's neck. "Ana protected the babies. She didn't let her touch them."
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Julian pulled four-year-old Ana into his lap, tears overflowing his eyes as he looked into her calm amber eyes. "You brave, sweet girl," Julian choked out, pressing a long kiss to his eldest daughter's forehead. "You saved our family again."
Ana smiled softly, wrapping her tiny arms around Julian’s neck. "I told you, Daddy. I’m the big sister. I keep the cold away."
