Chapter 4 - THE VIPER'S STRIKEBefore Daniel could process the shattering revelation, the security monitors mounted on the wall flickered violently. Static hissed through the room, followed by the sound of muffled gunfire echoing from the main lobby upstairs.
Marcus’s hand instantly dropped to the suppressed firearm beneath his suit jacket. "Boss, we've been compromised. The perimeter is breached."
"Victoria," Daniel growled, his eyes turning to black ice. He had underestimated her obsession. He thought she was just a social climber looking for a crown, but she was a predator backed into a corner, and she knew about the heirs. If Victoria got her hands on Aria and Noah, the syndicate—and Daniel's entire legacy—would be held hostage.
"Take the kids," Daniel ordered, scooping Aria into his arms while Marcus grabbed Noah. "We’re moving through the underground service tunnel to the safehouse."
"And her?" Leo asked, gesturing toward Maya.
Daniel looked back at Maya, who was standing frozen by the crib, her fingers tracing the edge of the blanket. Without a word, Daniel grabbed her free hand in a bruising, unbreakable grip. "She stays with me."
They bolted out of the archival room just as a series of heavy explosions rocked the hospital's upper floors, plunging the emergency corridors into an eerie, pulsing red light. Sirens wailed, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air.
As they rounded the corner toward the industrial elevator, a hail of silenced bullets shattered the tile wall inches from Daniel’s head.
"Get down!" Marcus roared, shoving Noah behind a concrete pillar and returning fire down the corridor.
In the flickering red glare, a figure emerged from the smoke. It wasn't an assassin. It was Victoria, holding a high-caliber pistol with a terrifying, unhinged smile plastered across her face. Her designer coat was splattered with blood, her hair loose and wild.
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"You thought you could throw me away like trash, Daniel?" Victoria shrieked over the sound of gunfire, her eyes wide and manic. "After everything I gave you? After every rival I helped you bury? If I can’t be queen of this empire, then no one gets the throne!"
She raised her weapon directly toward the carriage where Aria sat, her finger tightening on the trigger.
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