Chapter 5 - THE EMBASSY OF SHADOWS

The night dragged on like a slow execution.

By 4:00 AM, the warehouse was a hive of intense preparation. Victor’s loyal private security team had gathered, arming themselves with tactical gear, while Arthur worked endlessly to bypass the city's surveillance network.

Evelyn sat by Sophie’s bedside, holding the little girl’s tiny hand. Sophie was sleeping peacefully now, her breathing slow and steady. Every time Evelyn looked at her daughter's face, a surge of fierce, protective energy washed over her. She was no longer just a helpless waitress crying over shattered glass. She was a mother fighting for her child's life.

Victor stepped into the room, holding two cups of black coffee. He handed one to Evelyn and sat on the chair beside her.

"You should rest," he said quietly. "Tomorrow is going to be a war."

"I haven't slept properly in three years," Evelyn replied, staring into the dark liquid. "Every time I closed my eyes, I heard a baby crying. I thought I was losing my mind. Now I know... it was her. I was feeling her pain."

Victor looked at her, his harsh expression softening slightly. "I owe you an apology, Evelyn. I brought you into this nightmare. If I had investigated Victoria more thoroughly three years ago—"

"You were grieving," Evelyn interrupted softly. "You were tricked just like I was. But tomorrow, we end it."

Suddenly, the red emergency lights in the warehouse began to flash.

ALARM: SECURITY PERIMETER BREACH.

"Master Victor!" Arthur’s voice boomed over the intercom. "We have multiple vehicles approaching from the north! Armed units!"

Victor drew a concealed firearm from his holster, his face instantly hardening. "They found us. Arthur, execute Protocol Delta! Get the escape tunnel ready!"

"It's not Victoria," Arthur said, his voice laced with confusion. "These aren't Hale security vehicles. They... they have diplomatic license plates."

Before Victor could react, the heavy steel warehouse doors were forcibly blown open with localized charges. Smoke billowed into the main bay as a team of elite, silhouetted operators stepped inside, holding heavy assault weapons.

However, they didn't open fire. Instead, they formed a double line, lowering their weapons to the floor.

Walking slowly down the center of the line was an older woman with silver hair, wearing an immaculate black suit with a gold lapel pin representing the European Judiciary Coalition.

Victor’s eyes widened in total disbelief. "Judge Genevieve?"

high-ranking international judge stepped forward, her heels clicking on the concrete floor. She didn't look at Victor. She looked straight at Evelyn.

"Evelyn Vance," the Judge spoke with an authoritative, heavy accent. "It has taken us three years to locate you."

Evelyn stood up, stepping in front of Sophie defensively. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Genevieve Laurent. I am the Director of the International Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force," the judge declared, pulling a sealed blue file from her coat. "Three years ago, a illegal human surrogacy and organ harvesting ring operating out of St. Jude’s Hospital was raided by our task force."

Victor frowned. "St. Jude's? That was where Evelyn gave birth!"

"Correct," Judge Genevieve said, looking directly into Evelyn’s eyes. "Miss Vance... you were not brought to that hospital by accident. And your baby was not stolen merely to satisfy Victor Hale's inheritance requirements."

"What are you talking about?" Evelyn whispered, her heart dropping into a dark pit.

"Your blood type," Judge Genevieve revealed, opening the file to show a glowing DNA sequence map. "You possess the Golden Blood—Rh-null—the rarest blood type on Earth, shared by less than fifty people alive today. Three years ago, Victoria Hale did not just buy a surrogate. She ordered a human factory."

May you like

The silence in the grand living room felt heavier than the mahogany beam...

"Two years after a sniper’s bullet stole the use of my legs, everyone in...

Your Heart Is Sad, Mister,” the Maid’s Toddler Whispered to the Mafia Bo...

"A factory?" Evelyn gasped.

"Sophie was not born to be an heir," Judge Genevieve declared coldly. "She was born to be a living, breathing blood donor for Victoria Hale, who suffers from a terminal bone marrow disease. Victoria needed a child with Rh-null blood to survive."