CHAPTER 4 — Someone Inside the Mansion Wanted Emily Dead
Alexander was awake.
Not fully.
Not strong enough to sit up.
But awake enough to understand every whispered conversation around his bed.
The police ordered twenty-four-hour protection while investigators searched the Whitmore Estate from top to bottom.
Emily believed the nightmare was finally over.
She was wrong.
On her third night after Alexander regained consciousness, she walked through the hospital parking garage after finishing a sixteen-hour shift.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
She answered.
A distorted voice whispered only one sentence.
"You should have let him die."
The line disconnected.
Emily's blood ran cold.
She hurried toward her car.
Halfway there, she noticed something strange.
The driver's side door was slightly open.
She was certain she had locked it.
Her instincts screamed.
Instead of getting inside, she stepped backward.
Seconds later—
A deafening explosion ripped through the parking garage.
Her car burst into flames.
Windows shattered.
Concrete dust filled the air.
Security guards rushed toward the fire while Emily collapsed behind another vehicle, shaking uncontrollably.
Someone had planted a bomb.
Someone believed she knew too much.
Detective Marcus Reed immediately placed Emily under police protection.
"For weeks we thought Victoria was the mastermind," he admitted.
"But this attack happened after her arrest."
Emily looked up.
"Then someone else is still out there."
Marcus nodded grimly.
"And they're desperate."
Meanwhile, Alexander slowly recovered his speech.
Physical therapy was painful.
Every movement felt like lifting mountains.
But one memory refused to leave him.
"The crash..."
Marcus leaned closer.
"What about it?"
Alexander closed his eyes.
"It wasn't an accident."
Everyone in the room froze.
"I remember someone climbing into the helicopter before takeoff."
"Who?"
Alexander swallowed.
"I couldn't see his face..."
"...but I heard his voice."
"He said, 'Once you're gone, the company belongs to all of us.'"
Marcus immediately ordered investigators to reopen the helicopter crash.
May you like
If Alexander was telling the truth...
The conspiracy had started long before the coma.
