CHAPTER 4 — The Blood That Bound Them
The gun was pointed directly at Ethan.
Time seemed to stop.
Lily wrapped both arms around her father's leg, her tiny voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Daddy... I'm scared."
Ethan slowly knelt beside her.
"No matter what happens, don't let go of my hand."
Adrian Carter smirked.
"Touching."
"But family isn't built on love."
"It's built on blood."
He raised his hand.
The gunman tightened his grip.
BANG!
The shot echoed across the park.
Ethan instinctively threw himself in front of Lily.
But the bullet never reached him.
Benjamin crashed into Ethan, knocking him to the ground just as the bullet tore through his shoulder.
He screamed in pain but forced himself back to his feet.
"Run!"
"Take Lily and run!"
Ethan hesitated for only a second before grabbing Lily's hand.
They sprinted across the park while terrified families scattered in every direction.
Behind them, Adrian calmly watched.
"Let them run."
"They'll lead us exactly where we need to go."
Meanwhile, Eleanor—the elegant old woman—walked straight toward the wounded Benjamin.
"You've protected them long enough."
Benjamin laughed through the pain.
"I promised Emily I'd never let Adrian touch her daughter."
At the mention of Emily's name, Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
"I tried to save her..."
Benjamin shook his head.
"No."
"You chose your fortune over your granddaughter."
Before Eleanor could answer, Adrian interrupted.
"Enough."
He pulled a small remote control from his pocket.
With one click...
Every phone in the park buzzed at the same time.
Screens lit up with a breaking news alert.
WANTED FOR KIDNAPPING.
Across every screen appeared Ethan's photograph.
Below it was another image of Lily.
"Suspect abducted six-year-old heiress Lily Carter. Reward: $10,000,000."
People who had been helping Ethan suddenly stopped.
Their expressions changed from sympathy...
...to suspicion.
One man whispered,
"That's the little girl on the news."
Another reached for his phone.
"They're over there!"
Within seconds, dozens of strangers began chasing Ethan—not because they hated him...
...but because they wanted the reward.
Lily looked up in confusion.
"Daddy... why is everyone trying to catch us?"
Ethan had no answer.
His entire world had turned upside down in less than five minutes.
Just as the crowd closed in, a black pickup truck drifted onto the grass.
The passenger door flew open.
A woman's voice shouted,
"Ethan! Get in now!"
He froze.
He had never seen her before.
But she knew his name.
She knew Lily's name.
And around her neck...
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...she wore the exact same silver pendant that Emily had been buried with.
TO BE CONTINUED...
