Chapter 5 - THE SIEGE OF THE GILDED SPOONTwo armed men in tactical black gear, their faces obscured by reinforced Kevlar masks, poured into the room. There were no insignias on their uniforms, but the suppressed automatic rifles in their hands were military-grade.
"Step away from the bed, Mr. Morgan," the lead intruder barked, his voice altered by a tactical comms filter.
Michael gasped, instinctively moving to shield Lily, but Richard lunged forward, throwing his body in front of his son and the girl.
"Who sent you?" Richard roared, adrenaline surging through his veins, overriding his shock. "Name your employer! You want money? I can wire fifty million to any offshore account you name right now!"
"We don't want your money, Morgan," the second operative sneered, raising his weapon and stepping closer. "We want what the brat is holding in her hand. Hand over the card, and maybe we leave the boy breathing."
Richard’s mind raced. The private wing was isolated, soundproofed against the noise of the main restaurant below. Security downstairs wouldn't notice anything amiss for at least ten minutes. They were completely cut off.
As the first operative reached out aggressively toward Lily, Michael—driven by a surge of desperate courage—grabbed the heavy glass water pitcher from the bedside table and hurled it directly at the man's visor.
Clang!
The pitcher shattered into a thousand glittering shards. The operative stumbled back, momentarily blinded and disoriented by the heavy splash of water across his optics.
"Run!" Richard screamed, grabbing Lily into his arms while shoving Michael toward the adjoining private balcony doors.
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"Dad! The card!" Michael yelled, pointing back at the nightstand where the micro-SD card had rolled during the scuffle.
Richard didn't hesitate. With one hand supporting Lily’s weight, he swept his other hand across the nightstand, snatching the tiny chip just as a bullet buried itself into the wood an inch from his fingers with a deafening thwack.
