Chapter 4 - the assault on the gates
Victor stood up instantly, his dark eyes turning into cold, sharp steel. Moving with practiced, deadly military speed, he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a heavy black sidearm, checking the magazine before racking the slide.
"Clara, take Rosie into the safe room behind the bookshelf," Victor commanded, pointing toward a hidden steel door concealed behind a row of leather-bound volumes. "Do not open it for anyone except me or Marcus."
Clara sprang into action, scooping Rosie up into her arms and rushing toward the hidden doorway. "Victor, please be careful!"
"No one touches my family in this house," Victor said flatly, his broad shoulders squared as he stepped out into the hallway, locking the suite doors behind him.
Downstairs, the thunderous sound of heavy iron doors splintering echoed through the foyer.
A team of six heavily armed mercenaries dressed in dark tactical gear burst into the grand entrance, rifles raised. Leading them was a tall, silver-haired man in an expensive dark suit—Celeste’s father, Lord Julian Marsh, an elder council member of the rival syndicate branch.
"Victor Bellandi!" Julian Marsh shouted, his voice echoing off the high marble ceilings. "Bring my daughter Celeste out right now, or we burn this estate to the ground!"
From the dark landing at the top of the grand staircase, Victor stepped into the light. Broad, muscular, and terrifyingly calm, he looked down at the armed men with absolute disdain.
"You brought mercenaries into my home, Julian?" Victor asked, his deep voice carrying an intimidating weight that chilled the air in the foyer.
"You publicly humiliated my daughter and locked her in a cellar!" Julian spat back, raising his hand to order his men to take aim. "You broke our legal marriage contract! The council will have your head for this!"
"Your daughter stole my child seven years ago, Julian," Victor growled, taking a slow step down the marble stairs. "She forged medical records, stole fifty million dollars from Arthur Bennett's estate, and lied to my face for seven years."
Julian’s face tightened, but he didn't lower his guard. "Arthur Bennett was a traitor! He was planning to hand over the syndicate financial ledgers to the federal government!"
May you like
Victor froze on the stairs, his dark eyes narrowing into razor slits. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me, Victor," Julian sneered, stepping closer to the stairs. "Arthur Bennett didn't disappear seven years ago... I had him eliminated! And his daughter Clara was supposed to die in that clinic too!"
