Chapter 3 - The Black Ledger
My scream was cut short as Marcus grabbed my arm with iron force, yanking me away from the shattered window and shoving me behind the heavy oak dining table.
"Stay down!" he hissed, pulling a sleek, suppressed pistol from his shoulder holster with a practiced, fluid motion.
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance, but they felt a lifetime away. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. The reality of Marcus’s words slammed into me with terrifying force: the danger wasn't theoretical. It was right outside my window, bleeding into my safe space, shattering the quiet, ordinary life I had fought so hard to maintain after my parents' deaths.
"What ledger?" I gasped, clutching my knees to my chest. "I don't know anything about a ledger!"
Marcus kept his eyes fixed on the broken window, his body tense as a coiled spring. "Carl kept a master book containing the identities of every corrupt politician, judge, and police commissioner on his payroll, along with the locations of his hidden accounts. If that book falls into federal hands, half the city goes down. If it falls into rival hands, they control the city. Carl didn't just leave you his wealth, Oanh—he left you the ultimate weapon. And he hid it somewhere only you would find it."
"Why me?" Tears finally broke through my shock, hot and fast down my cheeks. "Why would he do this to me if he supposedly watched over me, if he cared?"
"Because to men like Carl, obsession and protection look identical," Marcus said grimly, scanning the street below. "He wanted you protected from everyone else by making you untouchable—the queen of the board. But to keep the throne, you have to survive the first wave of assassins."
Suddenly, the lights in the apartment flickered and died. Total, suffocating darkness enveloped us.
"They've cut the building's power grid," Marcus whispered, turning his head slightly. "We have less than two minutes before they breach the back door. Can you run?"
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"I... I don't know," I stammered, paralyzed by fear.
"You better learn fast," Marcus snapped, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the narrow service hallway that led to the building's fire escape. "Because your husband's enemies are already in the stairwell."
