CHAPTER 2 — The Fall
The helicopter climbed steadily above the coastline.
Below them, waves crashed against jagged cliffs while the last rays of sunlight painted the ocean gold.
The pilot remained focused ahead.
Richard admired the breathtaking scenery.
"It reminds me of the first vacation my late wife and I ever took."
Sophia barely listened.
Instead, she watched the cabin.
The emergency door.
The distance from shore.
The pilot's position.
The noise of the rotor blades.
Every detail mattered.
Richard continued speaking about the future.
"I've arranged something special."
She forced another smile.
"Oh?"
"Tomorrow, my attorneys will explain everything."
She felt excitement race through her body.
Everything.
That single word echoed in her mind.
Finally.
The inheritance.
The helicopter flew farther from land until there was nothing beneath them except endless water.
Sophia quietly loosened her seat belt.
Richard stood and carefully walked toward the open viewing doorway built into the customized aircraft.
"The sunset is even more beautiful from here," he said.
He held onto the safety rail.
Sophia followed.
Her heartbeat slowed instead of quickening.
She had imagined this moment for weeks.
No witnesses.
No cameras.
Only the ocean.
Richard leaned forward slightly.
"Come look."
She stepped closer.
One more step.
Another.
Then...
With every ounce of strength she possessed...
She shoved him.
Richard disappeared into the open sky without a scream.
For one horrifying second, his face remained visible outside the aircraft before vanishing into the vast ocean below.
Sophia froze.
Then she looked down.
Nothing.
Only waves.
She slowly exhaled.
"It's over," she whispered.
The pilot turned sharply.
"What happened?"
Sophia instantly burst into tears.
"He slipped!"
"He tried to take a picture!"
"He fell!"
The pilot immediately radioed an emergency distress call and turned the helicopter toward the last known location.
Sophia covered her face, pretending to sob.
Inside...
She was already imagining newspaper headlines.
Young Widow Inherits Billionaire's Fortune.
She believed the hardest part was over.
She could not see what the pilot saw on his instrument panel.
A tiny green light had begun flashing.
An encrypted emergency beacon had activated automatically the moment Richard left the aircraft.
The signal was transmitting—not to the coast guard...
But to a private security command center hidden hundreds of miles away.
At that very moment, dozens of monitors lit up.
One security officer stared at the screen before grabbing the emergency phone.
"Code Black."
Another officer looked confused.
"What happened?"
The supervisor's face turned pale.
"Mr. Ashford's contingency protocol has just been activated."
Silence filled the room.
May you like
Then every monitor displayed the same chilling instruction.
IF THIS SIGNAL IS ACTIVATED... TRUST NO ONE. INCLUDING THE BRIDE.
