Chapter 7 - The Siege of the Estate
The name hung in the air like a death sentence. Marcus Vance—a notorious European arms dealer and corporate raider whose ruthlessness was legendary in the underworld. If Aurelia was the mastermind of the domestic betrayal, Marcus was the muscle that financed the empire’s hostile takeover.
"He must have found out about Aurelia’s accounts freezing and realized we’re cutting off his funding," Lorenzo said, his voice dropping into a lethal, low register. He didn't panic; instead, his mind raced with cold, tactical calculation. He turned to Viktor. "How many men?"
"At least eight. Heavily armed. They bypassed the main gate security system using an override code Aurelia must have given them before she died," Viktor reported, checking the magazine of his pistol. "The front doors won't hold against their battering ram for more than ten minutes."
I felt a cold chill run down my spine, my hands instinctively flying down to protect my baby bump. "Ten minutes? But—what about the police?"
"The blizzard knocked out all satellite communication and cellular towers within a fifty-mile radius," Lorenzo said, his gaze locking onto mine with fierce determination. "Nobody is coming to save us, Clara. We are on our own."
Giovanni let out an angry, guttural growl from his wheelchair. Despite his frail physique, the old patriarch gripped the armrests of his chair so hard his knuckles turned white. He wasn't going to sit quietly and let another member of the Vance family destroy everything he had built.
"Viktor," Lorenzo barked orders with the precision of a seasoned general. "Seal the reinforced steel shutters on all ground-floor windows. Move the heavy ammunition crates from the armory into the central hallway. And get my father and Clara into the panic room behind the library immediately."
"I'm not hiding," I blurted out, surprising even myself. My voice didn't shake. The fear that had paralyzed me when I was just a helpless maid scrubbing floors was completely gone, replaced by a fierce, maternal adrenaline. "I know this house better than anyone else here. I know every secret passage, every hidden service corridor, and every blind spot. If Marcus Vance thinks he can walk into this house and hurt my baby, he has another thing coming."
Lorenzo stared at me, astonishment flashing across his face before transforming into absolute, unadulterated respect. He didn't argue. He just nodded sharply.
"All right," Lorenzo said, pulling a sleek, matte-black Sig Sauer pistol from a hidden holster under his suit jacket and handing it to me, butt-first. "Do you know how to shoot?"
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I took the weapon, feeling its heavy, reassuring steel weight in my palm. "My father was a hunting guide in the mountains before he passed away. I won't miss."
A fraction of a smile touched Lorenzo's lips. "Good girl. Viktor, get the old man to the panic room. Clara and I are going to set a trap."
