Chapter 7 - The Confrontation Behind the BakeryDarren abandoned his car, sprinting across the side alley toward the rear parking lot of the bakery where Mara’s private entrance was located.
He arrived just as Mara was carrying a heavy crate of empty soda bottles out to the recycling bins.
Before she could turn around, the black SUV pulled silently into the alley, blocking the exit. The doors flew open, and two burly men in dark suits stepped out, cornering Mara against the brick wall.
“Hey!” Darren roared, charging down the alley. “Get away from her!”
Mara gasped, dropping the crate as the men turned around, startled by his sudden appearance.
The taller of the two men—a scarred individual with cold, calculating eyes—smirked, slipping his hand inside his jacket.
“Mr. Cole,” the man said smoothly. “We’ve been looking all over Seattle for you. Mr. Vance sends his regards.”
Darren froze. Vance.
Richard Vance. The ruthless venture capitalist who had been trying hostilely to acquire Darren’s tech firm for the last six months, using every dirty trick in the book, including blackmail and corporate espionage.
“Leave her out of this!” Darren shouted, stepping between the men and Mara. “She has nothing to do with my company!”
“Are you sure about that?” the man smiled coldly, pulling a manila folder from his jacket. “Mr. Vance discovered that your largest offshore accounts are linked to a residential address in Oakhaven. We were just checking to see if our esteemed CEO was hiding a secret family that could be used as leverage during tomorrow’s shareholder vote.”
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Mara’s breath hitched. She looked from the thugs to Darren, her eyes widening with sudden, devastating comprehension.
“Leverage...?” Mara whispered, her voice shaking. “You brought your corporate war to my doorstep, Darren? You brought monsters to my home?!”
