Chapter 4 - The Betrayal WithinHannah gasped, dropping the folder.
She whipped around to find Victor Hale standing over her. The polite, deferential estate manager was gone. In his place stood a man whose eyes were cold, calculating, and utterly merciless.
"Curiosity, Mrs. Reed, is a very expensive luxury in this house," Victor said softly, his voice dropping all pretense of hospitality. "One that usually results in a permanent one-way ticket to the bottom of the Hudson."
Hannah scrambled backward, her back hitting the edge of the mahogany desk. "I... I didn't mean to look, Mr. Hale! The envelope caught on my sleeve! What is that? What are you doing with Adrian's assets?"
Victor chuckled, a dry, papery sound. "Adrian is a brilliant tactician on the streets, but he’s a sentimental fool inside these walls. He thinks because he gave you a room and a fancy title, he’s playing domestic hero. He doesn’t realize that for fifteen years, I have systematically rerouted enough capital from his shipping syndicates to own half of Westchester County."
"You're stealing from him?" Hannah whispered in horror.
"I am reclaiming what should have been mine," Victor corrected sharply, stepping closer. "When his father died, I wrote the wills. I managed the accounts. Adrian was a broken twenty-six-year-old kid who didn't know a ledger from a grocery list. I built this empire while he played soldier. And now, thanks to your little girl softening his rough edges, he’s starting to talk about retiring from the syndicate altogether."
Victor’s hand slid into his tailored jacket, drawing a heavy, silenced Beretta pistol.
"And an aging, retiring boss is a dangerous liability for my retirement plans," Victor continued, raising the barrel of the gun directly toward Hannah’s chest. "Fortunately, your tragic little break-in will make a wonderful security incident. The cameras will show the housekeeper trying to rob the master safe, cornered by loyal staff, resulting in an unfortunate, regrettable accident."
Hannah’s mind raced at light speed. Lily was sleeping two floors down. If she died here tonight, her little girl would be left entirely at the mercy of a cold-blooded traitor.
"Adrian will know," Hannah breathed, fighting the terror paralyzing her limbs. "He trusts me. He'll investigate."
"Adrian is currently entertaining half the capos from the Tri-State area," Victor smiled coldly. "By the time he walks up these stairs, you'll already be ashes, and I'll have the transfer codes signed under duress."
Victor cocked the hammer of the gun.
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Click.
Suddenly, the heavy oak study door exploded inward with a deafening crash.
