Chapter 6 - THE FINAL REVELATION
Ethan gritted his teeth, wiping blood from his eyes as he struggled to stand. “You… won't get away with this, Natalie…”
“I already have,” Natalie chuckled, pressing a button on her phone. “My father’s men have planted thermite charges in the basement. In three minutes, this entire wing will be an inferno.”
She turned away, signaling her last remaining mercenary. “Finish him off. Make sure he’s in the fire.”
“Not today,” a voice screamed.
BANG!
A heavy bronze statue came crashing down onto the mercenary’s head from behind. The man dropped like a sack of bricks.
Natalie whirled around in shock.
Rosa stood in the doorway, holding a shattered bronze vase, her clothes covered in dust. She had used an emergency manual release hatch inside the panic room—a secret exit meant for ventilation—and crept back out to save Ethan.
“You!” Natalie shrieked, pulling a small derringer pistol from her coat. “You stupid, useless maid!”
Rosa didn't hesitate. She didn't hesitate like a victim anymore. She lunged forward, tackling Natalie to the ground before Natalie could raise the gun.
The two women tumbled onto the hard marble floor. Natalie scratched and screamed, but Rosa—fueled by four years of maternal protection and raw anger—gained the upper hand. Rosa slammed Natalie’s wrist against the floor until the pistol clattered away, then pinned her down.
Ethan dragged himself up from the floor, grabbed the dropped weapon, and pointed it directly at Natalie’s head.
“Move and you die,” Ethan growled.
Natalie froze, panting, her hair messy, her eyes filled with frantic rage. “You’re both crazy! The charges are arming! We’re all going to die here!”
“No,” Ethan said, pulling out his own phone with his free hand. “I activated the estate’s halogen fire suppression system the moment you stepped into this hall. The gas has already neutralized your thermite charges.”
At that exact moment, the heavy front doors were kicked open.
Dozens of armed FBI tactical officers flooded into the grand foyer, their weapons trained on Natalie.
“FBI! Don't move! Hands behind your head!”
Behind the officers walked Federal Agent Miller, holding an arrest warrant.
“Natalie Voss,” Agent Miller announced loudly. “You and your father, Richard Voss, are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, high-level corporate sabotage, and the attempted assassination of Ethan Harmon.”
Natalie stared at the federal agents in complete disbelief. “What?! How did you get here so fast?!”
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Ethan knelt down beside her, his voice cold as ice. “The gold button Lily found yesterday wasn't just evidence, Natalie. It contained a live transmitter that synced with my private security server the second she picked it up. I sent the complete audio log of your confession straight to the FBI twenty minutes ago.”
Natalie let out a horrifying scream of defeat as the federal agents slapped heavy steel handcuffs onto her wrists and dragged her away.
