Chapter 6 - THE HANGAR AT DAWN
The rain began to fall heavily as our three-car motorcade pulled into the perimeter road of Northside Airfield. The private airstrip was secluded, surrounded by high chain-link fences and dense trees.
A sleek, unmarked Gulfstream jet sat on the tarmac with its engines idling, its powerful turbines humming like a angry beast in the dark.
Parked beside the boarding stairs was a black luxury SUV.
Our cars swerved across the wet asphalt, boxing the SUV in completely before the driver could react. Heavy doors flew open, and six armed private security guards from Parker’s team leaped out, weapons drawn, securing the perimeter.
"STAY IN THE VEHICLE!" a guard yelled through a megaphone.
The rear door of the SUV opened slowly.
Betsy stepped out into the rain, clutching an alligator-skin designer bag tight against her chest. She looked completely disheveled—her high-society posture shattered, her hair ruined by the rain, her eyes darting frantically around like a trapped rat.
"Victoria!" Betsy screamed over the noise of the jet engines. "Have you completely lost your mind?! You can't touch me! I have diplomatic immunity through my associates!"
"Associates?" I stepped out of my car, holding an umbrella above my head as I walked calmly toward her. "You mean Ares Holdings? You mean the men who used you as a brainless lackey to steal my father's legacy?"
"You stupid, arrogant girl!" Betsy spat, her face twisting with bitter rage. "Your father ruined my family thirty years ago! He bankrupted my husband's firm! I spent thirty years planning this! I raised Connor specifically to take back what your father stole from us!"
"So Connor was just a tool to you?" I asked, stopping a few feet away from her. "You forced him into a fake life, pushed him to cheat on me, destroyed his marriage, and left him to be arrested in front of hundreds of people tonight—just for your sick, twisted revenge?"
"Connor was weak!" Betsy shrieked, tears mixing with the rain on her face. "He couldn't even give me a real grandson! He was a disappointment, just like his father! But I won, Victoria! The transfer went through! By the time you figure out how to unlock it, the money will be gone!"
"Check your phone, Betsy," I said softly.
Betsy frowned, her trembling hands digging into her bag to pull out her phone. She stared at the screen.
A red notification banner was flashing across her banking app:
[TRANSACTION FAILED: ACCOUNT FROZEN DUE TO BIOMETRIC IDENTITY LOCK]
"No... no, no, NO!" Betsy screamed, dropping her phone onto the wet pavement. "This is impossible! You were supposed to be locked out!"
"You forgot one simple thing, Betsy," I stepped closer, my voice cold and lethal. "You thought you were playing a game of chess against Connor. But Connor wasn't the player. Neither were you. You were both just pieces on my board."
Suddenly, the cabin door of the private jet opened.
A tall man in a tailored grey suit stepped down the airstrip stairs. He was in his late fifties, carrying a silver-headed walking cane, his face sharp and cold as ice.
Parker immediately grabbed my arm, drawing his weapon. "Victoria, get back! That’s—"
"Julian Vance," I finished his sentence, staring directly at the man descending the stairs.
My father’s estranged younger brother. The black sheep of the family who had vanished fifteen years ago after being cast out for corporate espionage.
The real head of Ares Holdings.
Julian held a gold cigar between his fingers, looking down at me with a sickening, familiar smile.
"Hello, Victoria," Julian purred, his voice matching the one from the phone call earlier. "You really have your father's stubbornness. But did you really think you could stop me with a simple hospital trick?"
"Julian," I said, keeping my head held high. "I should have known you were behind this garbage."
"Your father took everything from me!" Julian’s smile vanished, replaced by an ugly, burning hatred. "He left me with nothing! I built Ares Holdings from the ashes to take back my rightful inheritance! And this pathetic woman," he gestured dismissively toward Betsy, "was more than happy to help me destroy your little life from the inside."
"You used my husband," I said.
May you like
"I used a fool," Julian corrected sharply. "And now, my dear niece, you have ten minutes before my private security team clears this runway. Hand over the physical master key in your purse, or I assure you, neither you nor your little daughter will ever see another sunrise."
Four men in dark tactical gear stepped out from the private jet, unholstering heavy automatic pistols.
