Chapter 7 - The Reckoning in the DarkThe enforcer lunged forward, swinging the iron pipe in a vicious arc aimed at Robert’s skull.
Robert didn't step back. He waited for the exact fraction of a second, ducked under the wild swing with cold, calculating precision, and drove his fist straight into the man's solar plexus.
The enforcer let out a loud, breathless wheeze, dropping the pipe as his eyes rolled back. Before he could hit the floor, Robert followed up with a brutal elbow strike to the jaw, sending the heavy man crashing backward into a rotting drywall partition. The man slumped into a heap, unconscious.
Robert didn't look back at him. He crossed the room in two strides and dropped to his knees beside the mattress.
"Rose," Robert said urgently, lifting the old woman’s frail hand. It felt like dry parchment.
Grandma Rose’s eyelids fluttered open. She stared up at him through dim, cataract-clouded eyes. For a second, she looked confused, then a faint, knowing smile touched her cracked lips.
"Robert..." she whispered, her voice like dry leaves scraping across concrete. "You... you finally found us."
"I'm sorry I didn't look sooner," Robert said, his voice raw with emotion. "I didn't know. Victor told me everything was destroyed... he told me Elena died without a trace."
"Victor... is a devil," Rose coughed, a thin streak of blood appearing at the corner of her mouth. "He kept Elena locked in the country estate for five years after the fake crash... trying to force her to sign over her mother's trust. She escaped... but her heart... the stress... it broke her body two years ago."
Robert squeezed her hand tighter. "She's gone?"
"She died in my arms," Rose wept softly. "Before she closed her eyes, she made me promise one thing: 'If I don't make it, take Anna to Robert. He’s the only man in this world who can protect her from my father.'"
"She is protected," Robert swore, his voice echoing in the derelict room. "She's in my home right now. Vance is with her. She's going to live, Rose. You both are."
Rose shook her head slowly, a tear slipping down her wrinkled cheek. "My time is up, Robert... I can feel it. But Anna... save our little girl. Stop Victor... before he finishes what he started."
With a final, shuddering sigh, Grandma Rose’s hand grew limp in Robert’s grip. The storm outside raged louder, as if mourning the passing of a faithful guardian.
May you like
Robert gently closed her eyes, stood up, and pulled out his phone.
"Marcus. Bring the team up. Secure the apartment. And get a medical transport team for an elderly woman." He paused, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute, chilling finality. "And prepare my private jet. We're paying a visit to Victor Sterling's nursing home tonight."
