CHAPTER 4: THE VIPER IN THE HOUSE — "A MOTHER’S DEADLY SYMPATHY"
The Harrison Manor sat high on the cliffs overlooking the dark, churning waters of Puget Sound. It was a palace built on tech billions, but tonight, it felt like a gothic tomb.
Inside the grand library, Victoria Harrison stood by the fireplace, sipping a glass of red wine. She was a stunning woman in her late thirties, with sharp, aristocratic features and eyes like polished ice.
The heavy oak doors opened, and her lead security guard, a cold-faced man named Vance (no relation to Arthur), pushed a shivering, terrified Lily into the room.
Lily was soaking wet, her face bruised, her hands bound behind her back with plastic zip-ties. She looked around the giant room, her eyes wide with fear, but she kept her chin up, refusing to cry.
"My, my," Victoria purred, walking slowly toward Lily. She knelt down, reaching out to touch Lily’s cheek. Lily flinched away, biting her lip. "You really do look just like your mother. It's almost insulting how much of her genetic code you carry."
"Where is my grandma?" Lily demanded, her voice shaking but defiant. "What did you do to her?"
"You mean that pathetic old woman who was supposed to drown you two years ago?" Victoria laughed, a cold, musical sound. "She’s dead, darling. Or she will be very soon. She served her purpose, though she was far too soft-hearted. If she had done what I paid her to do, we wouldn't be having this awkward family reunion."
Lily stared at her, the pieces of her fractured memories suddenly aligning.
Two years ago. A dark night. A screaming match in the front seat of a car between her nanny and a man. The car plunging off the bridge. Cold water filling her lungs. And then... this woman’s face, watching from the riverbank as she was dragged out of the water by Martha.
"You tried to kill me," Lily whispered, her eyes widening as the memory locked into place. "You're the one who pushed the car!"
"I didn't push it, silly girl. I merely paid the driver to make a very sharp turn," Victoria corrected, standing up and smoothing her designer dress. "But you just wouldn't die. And now, my idiot associate Julian has ruined everything by trying to kidnap Ethan. If Ethan hadn't been put in that trunk, he never would have found you."
"My dad is alive," Lily said, a spark of hope lighting up her eyes. "He's coming for me."
"Oh, I know he is," Victoria smiled, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small black detonator. "In fact, I've counted on it."
Outside the Manor Gates...
Ethan’s black SUV slammed through the wrought-iron gates of the estate, sending sparks flying into the night.
Ethan jumped out before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop. Arthur and four private security guards followed close behind, weapons drawn.
"Victoria!" Ethan roared, kicking open the massive double doors of his own home. "Victoria, bring her out!"
He stormed into the grand foyer, his heart pounding with a mixture of pure rage and terrifying anxiety. He reached the library doors and threw them open.
The room was empty.
Only the fireplace crackled, casting long, dancing shadows across the rows of books. But on the massive mahogany desk sat an iPad.
Ethan rushed over. The screen flickered to life, showing a live video feed.
It was the old, abandoned Snoqualmie River Bridge—the exact spot where Emma had "drowned" two years ago.
On the screen, Lily was tied to the rusted metal railing of the bridge. The dark, raging river surged fifty feet below her. Standing next to her was Victoria, holding a gun to the little girl’s head.
"Hello, Ethan," Victoria’s voice came through the iPad speakers, calm and sweet. "You always were a terrible husband. You never appreciated how much I did to secure our family's future. Now, you have a choice. You have exactly fifteen minutes to sign the transfer of all Harrison Global assets to my son's trust, or Emma takes another swim. And this time, I'll make sure she doesn't find a scrap-yard grandmother to save her."
May you like
Ethan’s breath hitched. He looked at Arthur.
"Get the helicopter," Ethan whispered, his face turning to pure stone. "Now."
