Chapter 5 - The Crash at the Gate
The impact echoed through the thunderous sky like a cannon shot. Lily jumped up from the sofa, keeping Ethan hidden behind her as she pressed her face against the cold glass of the window.
Out on the main driveway, the black SUV had been forced off the gravel road, its front bumper crumpled against the massive stone pillar of the estate gates. Steam hissed violently from its cracked radiator into the freezing rain.
The door of the armored sedan swung open. Victor stepped out into the pouring rain, clad in his dark suit, completely unfazed by the downpour. He walked toward the smoking wreckage with measured, lethal precision.
Inside the SUV, the driver's side airbag had deployed. Serena was slumped over the steering wheel, groaning, blood trickling from a small cut on her forehead. But as Victor reached for the door handle, Serena suddenly snapped awake.
Her eyes were wild, unhinged, filled with the terrifying desperation of a cornered predator.
She reached into her coat, pulled out a small silver pistol, and fired straight through the shattered driver's window.
BANG!
Victor threw himself sideways, the bullet ricocheting off the armored frame of his sedan with a harsh metallic ping. He hit the wet grass, rolled smoothly, and brought his own firearm up, targeting the SUV's front tires.
BANG! BANG!
The heavy rubber exploded, dropping the vehicle onto its rims.
Serena kicked the damaged driver-side door open, scrambling out into the mud. Her expensive dress was soaked, torn, and covered in grease. Gone was the polished, aristocratic woman who had ruled the Chicago high-society circles for years. In her place stood a ruthless killer whose mask had been brutally ripped away.
"You think you've won, Victor?!" Serena screamed above the howling wind and thunder, clutching her arm as she backed toward the dark forest surrounding the property line. "You think that pathetic little maid saved your boy?!"
Victor rose from the ground, his gun trained steadily on her chest. "Drop the weapon, Serena. It's over. The police are already on their way."
Serena let out a sharp, hysterical laugh that sounded horribly out of place against the storm. "It's never over! You think I acted alone? You think a woman like me operates without backing?"
Victor stopped ten feet away from her, the rain plastering his hair to his forehead. "What are you talking about?"
"Victoria’s death wasn't just my idea, Victor!" Serena spat, her eyes glittering with malice. "Ask your board of directors! Ask your precious uncle, Arthur Vance! Who do you think provided the digitalis? Who do you think authorized the transfer of Ethan's trust funds into the Swiss holding accounts four years ago?!"
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Victor’s heart skipped a beat. Arthur. His father's younger brother, the chief financial officer of Vance Global Holdings.
Before Victor could digest the horrifying revelation, a sharp blinding light swept across the forest tree line. The deafening chop of helicopter blades cut through the storm from above.
